Hi Flow BB tanks and Water Clarity w Filter Sox

[acroholic]

I just got done trying no filter socks on my 465 gallon Bare Bottom SPS tank for a couple weeks. I have always used mesh socks, and thought that I might lessen my required maintenance by eliminating them. Many very nice SPS tanks do not use them. I have about 54,000 gph peak flow per hour in the tank via 6x MP60s, and my sump is pretty big at 60"L x 30"W x 20"H (155 gallons). My sump flow rate is somewhere between low and moderate.

Anyways, I noticed a lot more suspended particles in the tank when I went sockless, and I mean the stuff was very visible. It must have been almost neutrally buoyant, because there is a lot of room for detritus to settle out of the water passing through the sump.

So I am back on the mesh socks. I put the 100 micron mesh socks I had been using back in service, and the water is very clear again. I just couldn't get used to all the particles being in the water after the clarity I get with the socks in use. Oh well......lesson learned.

I am thinking the bare bottom combined with the high in tank flow doesn't let some detritus settle out of the water the way a substrate with less flow might.

 

[joseayes]

I always been thinking between the benefits or vice versa of having a dominated acro and SPS tank with almost crystal clear water, or if it's benefical for the same corals aloud to have some of this waste (or nutrients) to float in the water column, as long as the health and growth of the inhabitants continues...
Well my thoughts about it it's because I aiming for the most clear water I could get with my equipment, (You know I really like the way that your reef it's setup) for that, I'm including what is my equipment to accomplish my goal (of course, not just the equipment what I depend for success, just mentioning, so I could get a better response to help my concerns. For what I'm including on filtration and to keep parameters on level is going to be used this
Skimmer (rated double the TWV)
3 fluidized reactors ( I think I would use Carbon, GFO, and I still thinking wich one could be the third, I believe a Sea-Chem media. Completely against using Bio-pellets
Calcium reactor
Kalkwasser reactor
Denitrifier
UV light ( I think I'm kind of short on the wattage) 25w
8 T5 bulbs (covering almost the full display)
4 (of the expensive ones
lol) powerheads
I think that's about it.

Thanks Dave

 

[acroholic]

joseayes;968046 wrote: I always been thinking between the benefits or vice versa of having a dominated acro and SPS tank with almost crystal clear water, or if it's benefical for the same corals aloud to have some of this waste (or nutrients) to float in the water column, as long as the health and growth of the inhabitants continues...
Well my thoughts about it it's because I aiming for the most clear water I could get with my equipment, (You know I really like the way that your reef it's setup) for that, I'm including what is my equipment to accomplish my goal (of course, not just the equipment what I depend for success, just mentioning, so I could get a better response to help my concerns. For what I'm including on filtration and to keep parameters on level is going to be used this
Skimmer (rated double the TWV)
3 fluidized reactors ( I think I would use Carbon, GFO, and I still thinking wich one could be the third, I believe a Sea-Chem media. Completely against using Bio-pellets
Calcium reactor
Kalkwasser reactor
Denitrifier
UV light ( I think I'm kind of short on the wattage) 25w
8 T5 bulbs (covering almost the full display)
4 (of the expensive ones
lol) powerheads
I think that's about it.

Thanks Dave

You should be well on your way with that equipment.

The more you filter the water, the less pod friendly the sump is, I guess. Plus you have to rinse the socks regularly. The aesthetics of not using the socks is what caused me to go back go them.

 

[berje]

Acroholic;968071 wrote:

The aesthetics of not using the socks is what caused me to go back go them.

You could try a cone settling tank, if you want to plumb one into you system.

 

[joseayes]

alt="" />You meant this?

 

[berje]

joseayes;968084 wrote:

alt="" />You meant this?

Hahaha that's exactly what I meant. I plan on plumbing one onto my new tank I'm setting up.

 

[tonymission]

I just can't get away from them either but I'm going back to the nylon/mesh socks from felt. I think felt works a bit better but not as much maintenance. Cleaning the felt socks is such a PITA even if my wife does it... She says it's a pita lol

Where are you finding 100 micron mesh socks? I've been looking for those in 7"... 200 micron seems to be more common

 

[acroholic]

From using the 200 micron felt, the 100 micron mesh seems to be a rough equivalent in clogging rate. I get my 100 micron 7" mesh bags from filterbag.com. Their website says they have a 25 piece minimum order, but if you call and talk to their sales staff, they will sell you what you need, usually in multiples of 5 socks of whatever you want.

Do not buy polyester mesh socks. They are cr@p. Buy nylon mesh. You can use a nylon mesh sock for years before it degrades on you. When I clean mine, I spray pure bleach on them, leave them in bucket for 1/2 hour, then rinse them with a garden hose. In between bleaching them every 2 months or so, I just turn them inside out and blast them with a garden hose. Over time however, they get a coating of biofilm on the nylon and start to clog more quickly than normal, and that is when I bleach them.

For me, I don't think a cone settling chamber would do much. What I noticed making it through the sump is pretty light, as my sump has plenty of distance for settling of detritus with any weight to it, along with pretty slow flow to begin with.

 

[jdavid]

I'm pretty exited about this MRC sump I'm getting from another member, the first chamber has (3) 4" socks, when pretty much any other sump that will fit in the stand of a 24x24" tank has only one sock.

The socks also sit in a basin rather than the typical sock holder directly underneath the drain, so I'm hoping that will be pretty effective at distributing the single drain to the three socks. Keep an eye out for the build thread coming soon!

 

[acroholic]

JDavid;968108 wrote: I'm pretty exited about this MRC sump I'm getting from another member, the first chamber has (3) 4" socks, when pretty much any other sump that will fit in the stand of a 24x24" tank has only one sock.

The socks also sit in a basin rather than the typical sock holder directly underneath the drain, so I'm hoping that will be pretty effective at distributing the single drain to the three socks. Keep an eye out for the build thread coming soon!

My sump is by MRC, and the sock arrangement is nice. Three socks will give you some additional time between changes.

 

[camellia]

This may sound crazy but I'm plumbed for 2 socks and I use 2 200 MM INSIDE of 2 LARGE 200 felt. I change the mesh every 3 days and the felt once a week.
The main reason I started this was because of noise. Before setting up this new system I only used mesh but tried the felt and it really helped muffle it. It was so loud when using just mesh, PVC with holes didn't help much.
Then the system got much more quite (as all do) and I was tired of cleaning them so often so I tried using the mesh inside the felt and BULLS EYE! It works great!
Of course my system is still new (7 months) with a light bio load, this may not work as I purchase my dream list of fish.
Yes Dave, it's very hard to slack on something when you can visually see this difference!

 

[tonymission]

Just got this second hand and wasn't even planning on it. Will use it on my next DT but want to setup a multi tank frag setup in the basement in the meantime.
Strangely I don't even know what it is / who makes it... Anyone know? I love the sock setup with the drain into that separate chamber.

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[jdavid]

Camellia;968118 wrote: This may sound crazy but I'm plumbed for 2 socks and I use 2 200 MM INSIDE of 2 LARGE 200 felt. I change the mesh every 3 days and the felt once a week.
The main reason I started this was because of noise. Before setting up this new system I only used mesh but tried the felt and it really helped muffle it. It was so loud when using just mesh, PVC with holes didn't help much.
Then the system got much more quite (as all do) and I was tired of cleaning them so often so I tried using the mesh inside the felt and BULLS EYE! It works great!
Of course my system is still new (7 months) with a light bio load, this may not work as I purchase my dream list of fish.
Yes Dave, it's very hard to slack on something when you can visually see this difference!

Pro tip from barry_keith, stuff your socks with polyfil. It's so cheap at Walmart that you can just throw it away and replace it every so often.

 

[jdavid]

tonymission;968124 wrote: Just got this second hand and wasn't even planning on it. Will use it on my next DT but want to setup a multi tank frag setup in the basement in the meantime.
Strangely I don't even know what it is / who makes it... Anyone know? I love the sock setup with the drain into that separate chamber.

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Driving me crazy, I've seen that logo on skimmers before too (cut out in the baffle)

Sweet sump regardless

 

[acroholic]

Tony, that is a nice looking sump. If you find out the maker, let us know,

Camellia, I would do whatever works for you. I am lucky in that my equipment is in an unfinished area of my basement, so sound from water is not a big deal. It would be, however, with the sump under the tank, like most systems are set up.

 

[declanisadog]

Tideline

 

[declanisadog]

Trigger is the manufacturer...Tideline is the model

 

[mattgee87]

Dang J your snagging all the great sumps. That MRC one your picked up is very very nice

 

[tonymission]

Declanisadog;968437 wrote: Trigger is the manufacturer...Tideline is the model

Thanks. I feel even better about the purchase now! Didn't know it was a trigger, but I hadn't looked into it really until now. Just saw it during another purchase and figured I could really use that. Lol

 

[jdavid]

Yeah I looked right over the trigger ruby sumps so many times while I was trying to identify that sump. It was driving me crazy bc I knew I've seen it before