I want to start out by thanking jcardona1 and Pharaoh for helping to turn me into a filter sock convert. I am sure there are many others who have enlightened us as well, but those two are the ones that really stand out.
There hasn't been any single thread that covers all the aspects of filter sock use (that I know of), so I am going to give it my best shot. I'm hoping this can be a thread for questions and comments on All Things Filter Sock.
Add your experiences with filter socks and be as specific as possible:
What size, material, micron rating?
Flow rate, tank size, stocking levels?
Cleaning interval and method?
Where do you buy them?
Photos?
Filter Sock Overview
What are they?
Filter socks are industrial filters that are designed to either go in an inline filter sock housing or to be otherwise engineered into a fluid system. They have gained a lot of consumer-end use in the fields of bio-diesel manufacturing and, you guessed it, aquariums.
Also called filter bags, they are just that - a bag made from filter material. They come in various micron ratings from 1 to 300 (in aquariums we typically use between 50 and 200).
For felt socks these ratings mean that a 50 micron bag will trap about 80% of all particles larger than 50 microns in a single pass. They are made of either polyester or polypropylene felt.
Monofilament mesh socks are given an "absolute rating" meaning they capture 99% of particles of a given size in a single pass. These bags clog very quickly and have limited aquarium filtration applications.
Where can you buy them?
At the Local Fish Store, if it is a good one. I bought my first filter socks at a LFS. They actually carried a few different ones at somewhat inflated prices, but it was well worth the $10.00 apiece I spent to get me hooked on filter socks.
Online, of course:
Mcmaster-Carr is a great source: http://www.mcmaster.com/#filter-bags/=a7jgrf
FILTERBAG.com has useful information and unbeatable prices on large quantities: http://www.FilterBag.com/Aquarium-Filtration-13.html
Pet Solutions carries Eshopps filter socks including an interesting rectangular filter bag: http://www.petsolutions.com/storefr...=caquarium+cfiltersFish&sorter=relevance-desc
There have to be dozens more sources, so if you know of one, please post!
What kind of filter socks are best?
Filter socks come in several styles and a few different materials:
Drawstring bags have no ring and are just a bag with a drawstring closure.
Metal ring bags have a galvanized or stainless ring sewn into the top of the bag. They can be bought with or without fabric handles.
Plastic ring bags have plastic rims that are either sewn or heat-fused to the top of the bag. They have integral handles.
The two materials usually used in aquariums are polyester felt and polypropylene felt. Polypropylene felt is "singed" or heat-bonded on the outside, while polyester felt is "fuzzy" inside and out. There is no huge difference in the two materials. I have found polypropylene to be somewhat more durable, but I think the polyester is easier to clean.
Filter socks are either sewn together or welded. Welded bags have the advantages of no threads to come loose and no needle holes to allow bypass.
What size of filter sock to get?
The simple answer is, the biggest you can fit in your sump/filter. The larger the bag, the less often you will have to change it and the greater the flow that it can handle. A 7" bag has over triple the surface are of a 4" bag of the same length, so keep that in mind when designing your setup.
What micron size is best?
Smaller micron size will get cleaner water. It will also clog faster. The best thing to do is get a variety of micron ratings and play around. I think it is always best to start with something bigger (100-200 micron) - 50 micron bags can fill up frustratingly fast, especially at first.
One option is to "nest" or double-up your bags. By placing a 200 micron bag inside of a 50 micron bag you can extend the time between changes without sacrificing water clarity. It won't give you as much time as just the 200 micron bag, but more than the 50 micron bag on its own.
How do you use filter socks?
Most people use filters as part of a sump filtration system. Some of the newer sumps come equipped with filter sock holders. It is also very possible to DIY a sock-holder in your sump. There are two basic ways to suspend your sock - by the handles or by the ring.
To suspend them by the handles is generally easier to DIY. You can use hooks of some sort, corrosion-resistant wire, stainless steel pegs (what I have done), or anything you can imagine. Drawstring bags, while they don't have a ring or handles, can also be suspended by tightening the drawstring around the drain outlet.
To suspend them by the ring you would need to cut a circular hole into a shelf or bracket of some kind. This hole needs to be sized so as to hold the bag's ring snugly. While this may be a bit trickier to do, it would actually support the filter sock very well. One disadvantage is that this configuration will make it a little more difficult to remove and replace the filter socks.
A few things to think about when planning your DIY build:
*I would highly recommend picking up a few filter socks before starting to build, it is much easier to have them on hand to test-fit everything as you go.
*Be sure that your design allows the filter sock to overflow without making a mess. As filter bags clog they fill higher and higher. If you don't change it in time water will flow over the top. As long as it flows back into the sump/filter it won't cause any harm except for a loss of mechanical filtration.
*The water level in the area where the socks are located should usually be about halfway or two-thirds of the way up the bag. It is possible to hang the filter sock completely out of the water as well, but as the bag clogs the filter sock becomes heavier and heavier. With smaller 4" sizes the weight isn't that much, but a 7"x16" bag can be very heavy when full to the top with water. I have had the handles tear off (after several months of use) when I had my filter bags too high.
*Filter socks need to be changed regularly, so be sure that they are easy to remove and reinstall without too much hassle or mess.
Though I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure you could utilize filter socks in an OverHead Filter pretty easily. One member (can't remember who, but I think it was a Gar person) built them into their overflows as a pre-filter. The DIY possibilities to these things are endless.
You could also buy an inline filter housing (also called a vessel) and plumb it into a closed loop system or a return line. It would make for a very nice canister replacement (for mechanical filtration only), but you don't see it often. The main drawback to these housings is the cost, they range from about $200 up to $500+.
How to clean filter socks?
There are a few methods, but most start with turning them inside-out and running some water through them to back-flush debris. I give them a good squeezing as well to remove as much gunk as possible. Some people use a hose to spray them clean, some people soak them in bleach and then hand-wash, and some people wash them in the washing machine.
I wash mine in the washer with a little bit (maybe two tablespoons) of dye/fragrance free detergent and a half cup or so of bleach. It helps a lot to have a somewhat full load, so I save up rags to wash with them.
I have found the polyester felt bags to wash up easier than the polypropylene, which is a lot stiffer material.
What else?
There hasn't been any single thread that covers all the aspects of filter sock use (that I know of), so I am going to give it my best shot. I'm hoping this can be a thread for questions and comments on All Things Filter Sock.
Add your experiences with filter socks and be as specific as possible:
What size, material, micron rating?
Flow rate, tank size, stocking levels?
Cleaning interval and method?
Where do you buy them?
Photos?
Filter Sock Overview
What are they?
Filter socks are industrial filters that are designed to either go in an inline filter sock housing or to be otherwise engineered into a fluid system. They have gained a lot of consumer-end use in the fields of bio-diesel manufacturing and, you guessed it, aquariums.
Also called filter bags, they are just that - a bag made from filter material. They come in various micron ratings from 1 to 300 (in aquariums we typically use between 50 and 200).
For felt socks these ratings mean that a 50 micron bag will trap about 80% of all particles larger than 50 microns in a single pass. They are made of either polyester or polypropylene felt.
Monofilament mesh socks are given an "absolute rating" meaning they capture 99% of particles of a given size in a single pass. These bags clog very quickly and have limited aquarium filtration applications.
Where can you buy them?
At the Local Fish Store, if it is a good one. I bought my first filter socks at a LFS. They actually carried a few different ones at somewhat inflated prices, but it was well worth the $10.00 apiece I spent to get me hooked on filter socks.
Online, of course:
Mcmaster-Carr is a great source: http://www.mcmaster.com/#filter-bags/=a7jgrf
FILTERBAG.com has useful information and unbeatable prices on large quantities: http://www.FilterBag.com/Aquarium-Filtration-13.html
Pet Solutions carries Eshopps filter socks including an interesting rectangular filter bag: http://www.petsolutions.com/storefr...=caquarium+cfiltersFish&sorter=relevance-desc
There have to be dozens more sources, so if you know of one, please post!
What kind of filter socks are best?
Filter socks come in several styles and a few different materials:
Drawstring bags have no ring and are just a bag with a drawstring closure.
Metal ring bags have a galvanized or stainless ring sewn into the top of the bag. They can be bought with or without fabric handles.
Plastic ring bags have plastic rims that are either sewn or heat-fused to the top of the bag. They have integral handles.
The two materials usually used in aquariums are polyester felt and polypropylene felt. Polypropylene felt is "singed" or heat-bonded on the outside, while polyester felt is "fuzzy" inside and out. There is no huge difference in the two materials. I have found polypropylene to be somewhat more durable, but I think the polyester is easier to clean.
Filter socks are either sewn together or welded. Welded bags have the advantages of no threads to come loose and no needle holes to allow bypass.
What size of filter sock to get?
The simple answer is, the biggest you can fit in your sump/filter. The larger the bag, the less often you will have to change it and the greater the flow that it can handle. A 7" bag has over triple the surface are of a 4" bag of the same length, so keep that in mind when designing your setup.
What micron size is best?
Smaller micron size will get cleaner water. It will also clog faster. The best thing to do is get a variety of micron ratings and play around. I think it is always best to start with something bigger (100-200 micron) - 50 micron bags can fill up frustratingly fast, especially at first.
One option is to "nest" or double-up your bags. By placing a 200 micron bag inside of a 50 micron bag you can extend the time between changes without sacrificing water clarity. It won't give you as much time as just the 200 micron bag, but more than the 50 micron bag on its own.
How do you use filter socks?
Most people use filters as part of a sump filtration system. Some of the newer sumps come equipped with filter sock holders. It is also very possible to DIY a sock-holder in your sump. There are two basic ways to suspend your sock - by the handles or by the ring.
To suspend them by the handles is generally easier to DIY. You can use hooks of some sort, corrosion-resistant wire, stainless steel pegs (what I have done), or anything you can imagine. Drawstring bags, while they don't have a ring or handles, can also be suspended by tightening the drawstring around the drain outlet.
To suspend them by the ring you would need to cut a circular hole into a shelf or bracket of some kind. This hole needs to be sized so as to hold the bag's ring snugly. While this may be a bit trickier to do, it would actually support the filter sock very well. One disadvantage is that this configuration will make it a little more difficult to remove and replace the filter socks.
A few things to think about when planning your DIY build:
*I would highly recommend picking up a few filter socks before starting to build, it is much easier to have them on hand to test-fit everything as you go.
*Be sure that your design allows the filter sock to overflow without making a mess. As filter bags clog they fill higher and higher. If you don't change it in time water will flow over the top. As long as it flows back into the sump/filter it won't cause any harm except for a loss of mechanical filtration.
*The water level in the area where the socks are located should usually be about halfway or two-thirds of the way up the bag. It is possible to hang the filter sock completely out of the water as well, but as the bag clogs the filter sock becomes heavier and heavier. With smaller 4" sizes the weight isn't that much, but a 7"x16" bag can be very heavy when full to the top with water. I have had the handles tear off (after several months of use) when I had my filter bags too high.
*Filter socks need to be changed regularly, so be sure that they are easy to remove and reinstall without too much hassle or mess.
Though I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure you could utilize filter socks in an OverHead Filter pretty easily. One member (can't remember who, but I think it was a Gar person) built them into their overflows as a pre-filter. The DIY possibilities to these things are endless.
You could also buy an inline filter housing (also called a vessel) and plumb it into a closed loop system or a return line. It would make for a very nice canister replacement (for mechanical filtration only), but you don't see it often. The main drawback to these housings is the cost, they range from about $200 up to $500+.
How to clean filter socks?
There are a few methods, but most start with turning them inside-out and running some water through them to back-flush debris. I give them a good squeezing as well to remove as much gunk as possible. Some people use a hose to spray them clean, some people soak them in bleach and then hand-wash, and some people wash them in the washing machine.
I wash mine in the washer with a little bit (maybe two tablespoons) of dye/fragrance free detergent and a half cup or so of bleach. It helps a lot to have a somewhat full load, so I save up rags to wash with them.
I have found the polyester felt bags to wash up easier than the polypropylene, which is a lot stiffer material.
What else?
