Filter Media: Good or Bad?

[jmart64]

I have filter socks in my sump but have been told by my LFS that I should remove them because they are nitrate factories... his suggestion was to rely on just the live rock and protein skimmer for filtration. I was hoping to get some opinions on this. I have a 125 with about 100lbs (I'm guessing) of live rock and an Aqua C EV180 skimmer.
Thanks,
Joe

 

[stanlalee]

filter socks are great IF and only if you change them regularly (like daily or at least several times a week). Many people do this. Seems way too tedious and expensive for me personally. Also they catch some good stuff and I'm not going to pic pods and such from them nor throw them out like trash. I have ZERO mechanical filtration. the only mechanical filtration I have is the sponge inside the return pump housing to keep debri from clogging it up.

 

[soulsigma]

Originally Posted by Stanlalee
http:///forum/post/3040139
filter socks are great IF and only if you change them regularly (like daily or at least several times a week). Many people do this. Seems way too tedious and expensive for me personally. Also they catch some good stuff and I'm not going to pic pods and such from them nor throw them out like trash. I have ZERO mechanical filtration. the only mechanical filtration I have is the sponge inside the return pump housing to keep debri from clogging it up.
So Stanlalee having a filter sock is not a good thing? I wanted to know before I add one.

 

[stanlalee]

they are a good thing if you dont mind replacing them often at $5-10 a pop and accept that you'll probably kill off a few trapped pods when you change them. If they just sit there unchanged lined with detritus where it cant be skimmed, utilized or removed with water changing its no different from a canister or any mechanical filter neglected. the detritus sits there and decomposes releasing nitrates and phosphates back into the water column. if its not going to be changed frequently your better off letting the detritus circulate where it can be skimmed out, utilized by corals, detrivores, filter feeders and micro organizms or siphoned out during water changes.