remove mechanical filter for a bigger skimmer

[csababubbles]

I have a decent skimmer for my 125 tank and mechanical filtration (filter sock). if I remove the filter sock I can get a much better skimmer in there. but is it worth it to remove the filter sock?

 

[luke33]

Just depends on you. Do you want to spend money on a larger skimmer or do you want to keep cleaning your filter sock. If your tank is going well and corals are growing then why mess with what works. If you are having some probs maybe a time for a change.

 

[csababubbles]

the thing is is that I already have an extra skimmer laying around not being used. i just can't fit both the sock and the larger skimmer. Its a fowlr so i can't really use the corals as a gauge. The fish seem good but they are still small, i am just wondering about when they get larger with a heavier bio-load.

finally, i actually just replaced the bioballs with the filter sock not long ago so I can't really tell what the filter sock is doing to the tank.

luke you seem to really know your skimmers, what are your thoughts of this skimmer supporting a 125 fowlr with a heavy fishload:

LifeReef VS2-24
If you have just a second could you look at the specs real quick and your thoughts whether its enough:

go to lifereef.com, click on the logo, click on "lifereef products" in the upper lefthand corner, click on protein skimmers, and scroll down its the first one. Its about 6" diameter (but there is an inner 4" tube that the bubbles are restricted to) the neck is 3"-4", the height is 22" tall, and there is a little giant pump on it with 900 gph. Its a venturi type skimmer. A cup a week of dark skimmate.

 

[luke33]

Casa, when you say a cup a week do you mean 8oz or a full collection cup. I have a 125g and i get a good collection cup a week of dark brown every 4 days. I generally average around 12-16oz every 24hrs. That is a full reef with 9 fish that are fed three frozen cubes every other day. Now your fish are puffers right and some other larger fish. Personally I don't care for that design of skimmer at all. However it will most likely work with biweekly water changes and monitoring of your trates for now. Once those fish get large you may have a hard time with trates getting high. I guess it depends on how much maintenece you want and how much you feed your fish. I know i fed my dfp ALOT when i had the predator tank set up.

 

[csababubbles]

your point is very good, but here is my main thought:

the filter sock gets out all the food bits, crap, and whatnot before it can break down and pollute the tank further. so isn't that more important than a larger skimmer (as long as there is already an ok skimmer in place like the lifereef)

i mean dont get me wrong, i got another tank that gets fed like 6 ounces of food a day and i got both filter sock and a dual skimmer set-up (hopefully that askoll and extended collection cup gets here soon so it will be even better) on it and its a great combo, but for the 125 tank in question i need to prioritize.

 

[DonW]

The sock will do wonders for particulate matter and as long as its changed frequently it wont cause problems. FO is different than a reef. Bioball actually work very well for FO tanks. The reason people remove them is that they are to efficient. For FO it doesnt really doesnt matter.

Don

 

[csababubbles]

I removed the bioballs so that I could run a filter sock and/or bigger skimmer. I had enough liverock so I did not see a need for them. I really hated switching out that filter pad on top of them, plus it was a waste throwing them out all the time instead of just washing & re-using filter socks.

 

[DonW]

I removed the bioballs so that I could run a filter sock and/or bigger skimmer. I had enough liverock so I did not see a need for them. I really hated switching out that filter pad on top of them, plus it was a waste throwing them out all the time instead of just washing & re-using filter socks.

How long does it take to fill a filter sock on your tank? What micron? With FO you really have alot of freedom to do what ever fits your schedule.

Don

 

[csababubbles]

i have 5 micron socks

on my 220 tank i have to change them every day because they will overflow if i wait longer. next time i am getting 50 micron or 100 micron cause everyday is getting ridiculous.

on my 125 and 40 tanks i change them every 2nd day cause the flow through them is much slower then the 220 tank.

 

[luke33]

There's so many different ways you can run a tank that work its really up to the owner to decide. Bioballs do there job well. Now adays there's no need for bioballs if you have lr in your tank. A filter sock works great as mechanical filtering. In combination with a skimmer its a great team. A better skimmer may eliminate the need for the sock. But thats more cash. I use to run filter socks and they got filled with gunk to fast and it was just to much work for me. And honestly i don't see any diff in my tank with or without. Its going to be up to you, but you sound like you have a good grasp on things and your doing things the right way. This isn't a yes or no answer : ) And since its a FO, trates aren't going to be a big concern. I wouldn't want them to get to high though.

 

[csababubbles]

i think i fear my sump getting filled with detritus the most. it bothers me settling in there. i guess i can just keep a small pump in there to keep it from settling so that the skimmer could pick it up. shoot that sounds like it may just work. i think i may try that. sounds like a good compromise.

 

[DonW]

i have 5 micron socks

on my 220 tank i have to change them every day because they will overflow if i wait longer. next time i am getting 50 micron or 100 micron cause everyday is getting ridiculous.

on my 125 and 40 tanks i change them every 2nd day cause the flow through them is much slower then the 220 tank.

I wouldnt want to change them that often either. You have the freedom to do whatever fits your schedule with FO. With a reef its alot different. I suggest you just do whatever fits your wallet and schedule best.

Don