Poll: Filter Sock Media... Good or bad???

I agree.   Don't use them.  If you do use them get a large mesh sock instead of a fine material sock.

Just my $.02.

I use a micron sock on my tank.  All the water goes through it before entering the tank again.  My tank still has an over abundance of critters scurrying at night.  On the rocks at night there are 1 for every1/4 inch of rock and sand space.  It looks like a bug march.  My phosphate levels have never gone above zero.  I think it works well for my tank.  I don't have a refugium.  I wouldn't think you would need a sock if you had a good refugium, but the only thing with a refugium is you can't be putting on a high power motor that is typical of most of our systems.  I only change my socks when they are too dirty, and then I only turn them inside out and wear them again.  That last line was a joke.  Just seeing if anyone is paying attention.  I change my micron sock when it starts to overflow or maybe even a day or three after that.

Mechanical filter media are very useful where there is a lot of waste. It helps a heavily loaded tank so that the biological filtration can handle the rest. It should not be used on the output of a refugium, since the purpose of the refugium is to grow critters that will be pushed up into the main tank.

And by the way, a powerful pump does not hurt the tiny critters. They are suspended in water and these humongous paddles push the water with the critters suspended in it. This is information you can see for yourself by viewing the WMAS video of John Walsh in 1997 or 98. He is the guy who set up SeaQuest, the first large scale marine ornamental fish breeding facility. It's still operating and they do about 30 or 40 different fish now!

Washing the filter socks in soap in the washer is okay because the rinse cycle of the modern washing machine adequately removes soap residue.

The images of my tank in the Gallery, show a tank that never used any mechanical filtration for almost 10 years and yet it was beautiful. Anyway Adam always told me so. If you look closely you can see clown eggs and one of the young ones after metamorphosis. (Sorry, the images were taken early in the digital camera era, so the resolution is low.) Adam still has that fish as far as I know. It's about 2-3 years old now.

So, My opinion is that a filter sock is only necessary with a lot of fish if you don't have other ways to handle all the waste, meaning a sand bed a refugia and a skimmer.

Remember, that waste could be food for other organisms. If you eliminate the waste those other organisms will not do so well. Sponges and sea squirts are part of the benthic zone. They seem to do very well in dark, lower circulation and higher detritus environments or areas of the tank. I love turning rocks over to see how many different types of benthic organisms are growing there.

Mark