Bleaching Filter Socks
- Thread starter Tig Phish
- Start date
I do this and then put them in a bucket of water with an overdose of prime, fish haven't had an issue with this in over a year
Using bleach is fine, you just need to be sure all trace of bleach is gone before putting the sock back into use.
I soak the sock overnight in a bleach solution, let them air dry a day, and rinse the next (3rd) day using water infused with a dechlorinator (I use a sodium thiosulfate salt mix I mix myself, but any commercial dechlorination product will do). I find mixing with the sodium this, much less expensive, and a bucket of it lasts a year or two.
To do this I have 3 socks for each effluent. One filtering, one soaking, and one dying.
To clean the sock, I find just soaking is enough, no need to actually wash in a machine and agitate, the bleach does it all, oxidizing all organic matter
I soak the sock overnight in a bleach solution, let them air dry a day, and rinse the next (3rd) day using water infused with a dechlorinator (I use a sodium thiosulfate salt mix I mix myself, but any commercial dechlorination product will do). I find mixing with the sodium this, much less expensive, and a bucket of it lasts a year or two.
To do this I have 3 socks for each effluent. One filtering, one soaking, and one dying.
To clean the sock, I find just soaking is enough, no need to actually wash in a machine and agitate, the bleach does it all, oxidizing all organic matter
Whats ur bleach solution? So thats 8 hours in bleach solution, air dry 24 hours, 8 hours in prime conditioner?
Just curious why would u use bleach?......shouldnt just washing them work....if there is something in the tank wouldnt getting new filtwr socks be safer?
u no what, i thought the same as well. Past months just been washing socks in washer with no soap/bleach. But the socks keep on clogging after 3 days or so. New socks clog after 7 days, so washing them hadnt been rly getting them clean. apprently bleach or H2O2 will dissolve all the $hit/matter. im sure pressure washing with garden hose inside out will work as well, but bleach seems easier. i mean tons of keepers been doing this to their socks for years now
I just mix a cup or 2 of bleach with water in something (like a 2 liter soda bottle) that the sock fits into.
In order to be totally safe, you would need to use a chlorine test strip after the last soak, at least until you get a feel for how it generally goes. I tested the first few times until developing my own schedule, with my tap water soak.
I have also simply hosed them down, whether the pressure of hosing shortens the socks life span, may be another matter.
Then again, after a while the socks can build up a colony of beneficial bacteria if only rinsed (not bleached), so it depends on what you want for an end result.
There are never any absolutes in fish keeping.
In order to be totally safe, you would need to use a chlorine test strip after the last soak, at least until you get a feel for how it generally goes. I tested the first few times until developing my own schedule, with my tap water soak.
I have also simply hosed them down, whether the pressure of hosing shortens the socks life span, may be another matter.
Then again, after a while the socks can build up a colony of beneficial bacteria if only rinsed (not bleached), so it depends on what you want for an end result.
There are never any absolutes in fish keeping.
u n me both brother. but after reading the extensive filter sock threads n tons of others, turns out its perfectly safe as long as u either wash it well n air dry or sock in some conditioner (prime). im using 150 microns. just took the socks out the washer, clean AF. no smell of bleach either. im still gonna air dry it n soak in prime. tell me how ur overflows work out for the eurobrace tank, i tried overflows for the pentair, just never could get enough flow
Will do ....its a pain right now.....i dont trust pvc overflows for large tanks .....might have to leave the above ground sump until i can custom male an overflow box