Filter Socks. Bad for reef inhabitants?

[rick s]

Is it possible for filter socks to clean the water too well? Can they remove too much?

I started using a 100 micron filter sock four weeks ago for a couple reasons:
1. Keep the gunk from building up in my sump and on my sump pump(s) intakes.
2. See if it would help remove enough nutrients to help me kick my cyano and bubble algae.

I’ve had a feather duster for over 2 years and a coco worm for about 1 year. Neither of them have ever appeared stressed in all that time.

Two weeks after I started using the filter socks the coco worm popped it’s head. I see no signs of life in the tube.

One week after that, my feather duster popped it’s head. No signs of life in his tube either.

Coincidence? Or is it possible that the filter socks are removing too much from my water?

[surfnvb7]

what are your nitrates currently at?

what other chemicals are you using to clean your water? (i.e. carbon, phosban etc.)

[J. Montgomery]

100 micron (0.1mm) is not small enough to trap many planktonic organisms or bacteria. I don't know what feather dusters eat exactly, but . . . I'd imagine that if you were cutting off a big portion of the food supply then other things would show stress.

My large peppermint shrimp ate ~8 medium sized feather dusters that live in my sand bed, leaving only two or three.

Anyone else using filter bags and having trouble with filter feeders?

[Charlie Davidson]

Clams are doing well! (except for those D@mm pyrmid snails)

[phurst]

I started about a week ago and haven't noticed any ill effects yet. I have lots of small feather dusters and they're all fine as far as I can tell.

[Hopeful Reefer]

I have had several feather dusters and one thing I've noticed, they do pop their crown from time to time...leave the tube there...leave it be...and in a few weeks/months you will suddenly see a new duster appear seamingly out of nowhere...I've had that happen to both of the feather dusters I have...

As for the filter sock...I have (I believe) a 200 micron sock...as reported in my filter sock thread posted this morning also, it gunks up totally after about a day of operation and I am forced to take it out and clean it...so I haven't had it in operation long enough for it to pull enough out of the tank to hurt anyone in the tank yet...

[samdaman316]

Rick,
I've used the filter socks for a few months now. Fish, clam, corals, and all the sponges attached to the rock are looking good. My sump stays Rick S clean!!!!

[twon8]

i run a filter sock occasionally on my 180; when i change water or stir stuff up. i don't think that two weeks would be enough to strip the water of nutrients to cause the crown loss, but them coinciding does make me wonder.

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11232037#post11232037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by twon8
. . . but them coinciding does make me wonder.
Makes me wonder that something is going after them!