How do you clean your socks?

[MrScuito]

How should I clean my sock filter? or is it best just to replace them? where's cheapest place to buy them?

[CA2OR]

Re: How do you clean your socks?

 

I might be wrong but I believe saltwater fantasies is the cheapest place to exchange them

 

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Michael7979]

I turn them inside out and run them thru the washing machine on hot water.

Then turn them around and run them thou one more time, but this time with cold water.

Then let them hang dry for several days.

 

I have several, so when the last clean one is being used I "do laundry".

 

PS- obvisously if the are reallybad/old replace them.

[Saltfinsax]

I Do the same as Michael

[andy]

I stopped using a sock... decided that while crystal clear water was nice, most of the stuff I was collecting in the sock was probably excellent coral & pod food. Not to mention the things get heinous if you don't swap them out a couple of times a week and anything I can do to simplify maintenance is a Very Good Thing.

[newfisher]

I change them when I do a glass scrub, feeding and water change. I will wash them out with the hose on high pressure, then rinse in a bowl of saltwater and hang dry.

[CCR]

Cup of bleach. Turned inside out in the washer. Add soak, and extra rince. then tumble dry.

[Berger9953]

I put two on top of each other and rotate them every month: cleaning one and leaving one to keep the bacteria. But I simply run hot freshwater through them to answer your question.

[reef165]

I stopped using a sock... decided that while crystal clear water was nice' date=' most of the stuff I was collecting in the sock was probably excellent coral & pod food. Not to mention the things get heinous if you don't swap them out a couple of times a week and anything I can do to simplify maintenance is a Very Good Thing.[/quote']

 

 

I'm with Andy, I feel that most of the bad stuff eventually settles in the sump and gets vacumed out every water change, and while its floating arround it gives the corals a chance to feed off what they want.

[dsoz]

In the washer. Run through two cycles, both cold water. First on inside out, the second one right side out.

 

I am with Andy. I stopped using a sock on my display full time. I will put one on when I do a major cleaning and it is kicking up a bunch of gunk, but most of the time I run sockless.

 

Eric pointed out saltwater fanta-seas has a sock exchange program where for a small fee (I don't remember if it is $1 or $5) you can exchange your dirty socks for clean.

 

Berger9953- If you have enough live rock and sand, the amount of bacteria in your filter sock is probably insignificant. I know on my tank that if I didn't clean my sock at least once or twice a week the gunk in them decomposed to make some nasty nitrates. Once I stopped using a sock the hair algae problem that I had started to clear up. IDK if there is a connection, but when there was a sock, there was hair algae, and with no sock there is not... Just remember, if it looks like it should be changed it is already too late.

 

dsoz

[Queen Angel]

I wash mine in the washer with about 1/2 cup of bleach. Then wash again. They are then air dried up on a shelf.

 

Saw on another forum to watch out for the clorox bleach that says something like no splash or splash guard. I guess it has some kind of detergent in it. Makes your protein skimmer go crazy too.

[gradth]

I stopped using mine and much of my algae issues went away. Not sure if it was related or not. Been about 3 or 4 months since I used one and my tank has never been cleaner.

 

After reading numerous posts similar to this one though, I washed my with a bit of bleach and hung them up to air dry for a few days.

[MrScuito]

I think I'm gonna take off my socks and go bare foot, I like no algae

[reefnjunkie]

Report back and let us (me) know if the algae thing cleared up-not that I have it but may try the sockless, not sure what I will do with 5 filter socks.

 

For the record, I use a capful of clorox bleach which is like a tabelspoon I think, let it soak for an hour or so, drain it, let it soak w/just water for another hour and the run it through a 10 minute wash cycle.

 

I never find more than a dozen copepods in my socks-maybe I dont have many in my tank-dunno

[chewie]

I use 1/4 cup bleach on the first cycle then turn inside out, and wash for another cycle to basically rinse them.

 

Air dry 24 hrs and reuse. My skimmers don't even skip a beat when changing them and they come out clean as a whistle. I change them 1x per week. No algae problems.

 

SWF charges $2 for the sock exchange.

[JimmyK]

Socks work great for me. I exchange sock every few days. I keep dirty socks in a bucket with lid and a capful of bleach and ro/di water. When i have a load I wash first with hot then in cold until there is no smell of bleach. For me works great, I have an increase in algae without socks. All setups function differently and what works for some does not work for others. Many variables to everyones set-up. I have a 5 year old son that enjoys feeding fish. We feed alot and often. I need to utilize as many tools as possible to help export extra nutrients and various nasties. Some pods but not too many.