I do not enjoy disposable products, and when i learned that some filter socks were DESIGNED to be reused, i went looking through Amazon for reviews from individuals who had reused theirs.
The 200 micron ones that I chose were $40 for 8.
While some folks change theirs once a week, i tend to get about a month out of mine. I could go to every 2 weeks for better tank water quality, but I am a bit lazy with some things.
When researching how to clean them, most folks choose bleach. While bleach is generally considered an acceptable product in most households for cleaning just about everything, I have strayed away from it in favor of products far less harsh. Whenever I can, i prefer hydrogen peroxide or another oxygenator.
I have a local pool & spa supply store that sells the near-industrial concentration of it without causing a fire hazard in the form of this 27% h2o2 product:
It is 1 gallon for 16 bucks. Even if diluted down to the 3% that is common in drug stores, the value in this product becomes readily apparent. The dilution is not necessary for this application, but i am a cheapskate diyer. You might be, too.
While i forgot to take a before picture of my socks, let me just say that they were pretty bad.
I had 10 at hand that were dry and filthy. So i put them ina 5 gallon homer bucket, coated them with a quick splash of the peroxide and poured some down their mouth and let it sit for about half an hour.
I recommend you use gloves and keep it away from wood and paper. Strong concentrations of h2o2 are fire/ignition hazards. Do not fucking try this at home, kids.
Your hands will look like this if you do not use protection. I was always a fan of the h2o2 sting, and you might be to, but definitely avoid contact with open or healing sores and scars.
After about half an hour, i add about 2 gallons of RO water and stir it with an algae scraper wand. For the most part, this just gets the bubble action going again and gives a beautiful clean salt water and ocean breeze smell. Every critter that was in the socks will make a final appearance at this point.
Over the next several (4 is good) hours, i stir it 3 to 5 more times,and am left from brown filth to this:
I dump the water down the drain (safe), say good bye to a tremendous amount of sediment and let it soak in hot tap water over night. In the morning i give it a solid shake.
This time, i chose to throw them in the washing machine. I have a hand washer, and in the future i will use it, but for the sake of this tute, i will show the results that, i am dissatisfied with in the electric washer in the next post.
The 200 micron ones that I chose were $40 for 8.
While some folks change theirs once a week, i tend to get about a month out of mine. I could go to every 2 weeks for better tank water quality, but I am a bit lazy with some things.
When researching how to clean them, most folks choose bleach. While bleach is generally considered an acceptable product in most households for cleaning just about everything, I have strayed away from it in favor of products far less harsh. Whenever I can, i prefer hydrogen peroxide or another oxygenator.
I have a local pool & spa supply store that sells the near-industrial concentration of it without causing a fire hazard in the form of this 27% h2o2 product:
It is 1 gallon for 16 bucks. Even if diluted down to the 3% that is common in drug stores, the value in this product becomes readily apparent. The dilution is not necessary for this application, but i am a cheapskate diyer. You might be, too.
While i forgot to take a before picture of my socks, let me just say that they were pretty bad.
I had 10 at hand that were dry and filthy. So i put them ina 5 gallon homer bucket, coated them with a quick splash of the peroxide and poured some down their mouth and let it sit for about half an hour.
I recommend you use gloves and keep it away from wood and paper. Strong concentrations of h2o2 are fire/ignition hazards. Do not fucking try this at home, kids.
Your hands will look like this if you do not use protection. I was always a fan of the h2o2 sting, and you might be to, but definitely avoid contact with open or healing sores and scars.
After about half an hour, i add about 2 gallons of RO water and stir it with an algae scraper wand. For the most part, this just gets the bubble action going again and gives a beautiful clean salt water and ocean breeze smell. Every critter that was in the socks will make a final appearance at this point.
Over the next several (4 is good) hours, i stir it 3 to 5 more times,and am left from brown filth to this:
I dump the water down the drain (safe), say good bye to a tremendous amount of sediment and let it soak in hot tap water over night. In the morning i give it a solid shake.
This time, i chose to throw them in the washing machine. I have a hand washer, and in the future i will use it, but for the sake of this tute, i will show the results that, i am dissatisfied with in the electric washer in the next post.