Homemade Filter Socks (1 Viewer)

[r_jay]

So the other day I was looking at a filter sock at a LFS when I thought, Well this looks like something I could make myself!

So today I went to the fabric store, bought a yard of 100% Polyester Felt($4.99) along with some plastic stuff($.99) for the ring, all for $5.99!

I asked my lovely wife to teach me how to use the sewing machine properly and she even volunteered to make the first sock:


The finished product after 2 minutes work:


I put it to work right away, and it's AWESOME!


So tonight I made 3 more all by myself! hooray! lol I have enough material to make 12 more too.


So in the end if I get at least 15 socks out of this project it brings the individual cost to about .40 cents each! yeah i am excited about this project!

 

[soymilk]

awesome....
i can't believe i paid 8 bucks for these things now. /facepalm.

I would like 10 please... wheres the line?

 

[gabe_j]

lol nice thinking!

 

[cichlidtx]

Great idea, I paid over $10 and it's to long. Now I can make custom sizes. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Mtaswt]

for that price you can almost throw them away when you done......

 

[Scott]

well, looks like Im off to the materials store for some poly felt! Thanks for the wisdom!!

 

[bevoboy]

Now that's thinking with your dipstick, Jimmy! I just bought 5 socks from BRS. But with this new knowledge in hand, they may be the last socks I ever pay retail for.

 

[RR-MAN]

Great idea...I just bought 3 of the PM bags for $10 each.

 

[karlo]

Cool

I wonder what the store employees are going to think when they start running low on the fabric all of a sudden and grown men buying yards of this...hmmm

 

[HorseyStripe]

you should have just posted them for sale for $4 each...and made a killing now everyone is going to do it themselves and you have no monopoly on the market

 

[r_jay]

lol, I started using my "stinky old feet socks" as improvised filter socks (got new ones for Christmas) but after looking at socks made by PM they seemed pretty easy to make.

glad I could be of assistance! I didn't measure anything either, just eye balled so if I can do it, anyone can.

 

[lemonyx]

Usually those filter socks you get form the store will filter down to 100 microns. Not sure if the polyester will do that. :?

 

[r_jay]

don't know about the microns but so far it's been a week and they are pretty awesome.

Made 10 just for horseystripe so he will be a good tester too.

I have had to rinse them out every 3-4 days (as long as I dont stir up the tank) to keep them from overflowing, but everytime I do they are covered on the inside with goop and my skimmer seems to be pulling in alot less too.

 

[bevoboy]

Usually those filter socks you get form the store will filter down to 100 microns. Not sure if the polyester will do that. :?

Now why you gotta go raining on that man's parade?

I have had to rinse them out every 3-4 days (as long as I dont stir up the tank) to keep them from overflowing, but everytime I do they are covered on the inside with goop and my skimmer seems to be pulling in alot less too.

And there you have it. Sounds pretty effective to me.

 

[HorseyStripe]

dude...i pulled one out after 24 hours apparently there was a LOT more #$%$ floating around my tank than i thought...hell i couldn't see it before it got in the sock...

the doggone thing was COVERED...looked like i took it outside and dipped it in mud...

AND i did a scientific experiment that proved these filter socks go down to 98 microns...so, better than the store...go ahead, prove they don't...

besides...whens the last time you looked at your tank and said "oh that damn 101 micron piece of junk floating around my tank!....grrr....i wish i could just remove it..."?

 

[r_jay]

AND i did a scientific experiment that proved these filter socks go down to 98 microns...so, better than the store...go ahead, prove they don't...

besides...whens the last time you looked at your tank and said "oh that damn 101 micron piece of junk floating around my tank!....grrr....i wish i could just remove it..."?

lol, thanks man my parade wasn't rained on but appreciate the experiment!

 

[Tnconcept]

thats a good idea there Ray

 

[r_jay]

...lightbulb!

ok so I moved my biocube today and it stirred up some crud. So i used my usual blue/white poly fill pad in my media basket to clear up the tank. Tonight while I stared into my cloudy tank, (dissatisfied with the performance of the poly fill) I had an idea!



yeah, it's awesome. here's another pic so you get the full awesomeness.

 

[flexrac]

nice!

 

[r_jay]

since horseystripe bought almost all the extra socks i had, I made 10 more plus 4 mini 4"x4" socks for the biocube. I am getting better at sewing (my mom would be so proud... and confused, lol)