Do you sock it or skim it?

I'm in the process of setting up my plumbing and a debate has occur within the club i'm in. Where do you put your sock? At the end of your drains, or at the end of your skimmers. Whats the relevance?

I for one ; i paid my dam skimmer $500, so i'm going to let it skimm his little heart out!!!! I'm not about to upstage it, with a $10 , 200micron sock that i'll have to wash all the time, i have enough laundry. So it'll be at the end of the skimmer who's suppose to skimm and i'll also know the skimmer's performance. You might have another angle i haven't consider. Which is?

 

No socks on my tank. I put some filter floss over where the sock usually goes. i cut it down to size and place it there and when done throw it away couldn't be happier. I had socks before and just got tired of the lengthy cleaning process.

 

To much extra maintenance. Like you said i paid $250 for a beast skimmer not gonna waste my time cleaning a sock lol

 

Neither one. I use GAC to help lower DOCs and let nature take it's course.

Some particulates can crash the foam head in your skimmer, periodically causing it to stop functioning properly, so if you're going to use a sock (or any other mechanical media), I'd suggest placing it on the drain outlet to achieve the maximum benefits. However, many folks are happier without the additional maintenance.

 

Sponge here.

 

No socks. Skimmer, pellets and snails in sump.

 

Skimmer, no socks. Never liked them. I only use them when doing maintenance.

So, if I take a turkey baster to the rocks, I'm going to run a sock before I start until the next day. Also, since I'm running BB I'll take a sock and put it in the sump then siphon from the display into the sump through the sock to get any nasties that have collected.

 

Thats interesting i was not aware of such particulate, very interesting. Do you have an example that be cool to know, thanks.

 

Skimmer only, Socks are a hassel and are one of those things that are usually left longer than they should which then create problems for me.

I'd rather clean debris out of sump every week or two than change socks every 3 days.

Plus I have a +1 skimmer for my setup.

 

Great information here Mud. Good idea on the poll!