filter socks

[Poor Boy]

at first i liked the idea of using a filter sock, but after a bit of reading, they seem to be more of a hassle and can be a bit pricey.

i read that some people change them twice a day. others a couple times a week, and some every week.

what are yalls thoughts on the socks? how often do you change them out? how often do you wash them?

[Dkray944]

I personally use filter pads and change them out once a month

[Jasonb]

I have 2 of the square filter socks that I rotate out

On the end of my drain tube I have a large piece of bubble foam. I put that in a filter sock until the sock gets clogged then I will pull the sock and run a week without, then I put the new sock in until it's clogged, pull it and wash both.

[Mike]

The reef tank has 2 big socks... Which we leave for weeks or months at a time. If you don't have socks, the gunk just goes into your sump anyway and stays there, unless you manually take it out. On the FOWLR, I use a turkey Baster when we do a water change. I only take out like 1/2 gallon each time and it is not the most effective method. The unwashed socks are a breeding ground for pods/brittle stars so it is a good and bad thing.

[Poor Boy]

so you can rewash the socks multiple times?

[Mike]

Yep... I wash them in the washer on sanitize with a little bleach. They spin dry completely.

[Poor Boy]

cool. i guess an 8 pack will last much longer than i thought.