Question for long time roller mat users

[nldemo]

Hello and happy holidays!

Per the title, I have a question for users of the roller mat over an extended period of time.

I am looking to upgrade my sump next year, and a roller mat has been on my wish list. I talked to a pro about it, and he said forget the roller mat, they have too many parts that can bust and cause issues and are expensive to replace ; just go with filter socks instead. Filter socks may also be quieter (unsure), and he would make more money selling me a roller mat, so I'm not sure...

What do you guys think? Any issues with your automated filter sock solutions?

He also recommended an automated carbon dosing solution over the biopellet reactor i have now . To be fair, my biopellet reactor has not made a dent in my nutrients yet. But I'm still hoping...

 

[blaxsun]

Maybe with some of the (other, older) fleece rollers, but if you get a Red Sea ReefMat - you're laughing. Filter socks are an inhuman form of punishment for past reefing sins, and I can thankfully say I'm so glad to be finally rid of the infernal things.

My ReefMat(s) have been flawlessly running for close to 8 months now - zero issues. YMMV, but it was completely worth it to clawback some "wife points" from having to continually use "her" washing machine for filter socks.

Once you go "mat" - you'll never go back!

 

[PeterC99]

Forget the roller mat. This is the way to go. Replace a small piece of filter floss every week. Only take seconds. Cheap, quick, and effective.

 

[PeterC99]

Dupe

 

[JDCagley]

I like my reef mat 1200. I will say this - don't beleive the numbers they give on expected roll life. I currently average 30" per day - which is my best (lowest value ever). My tank is only 10 months old, and I went through some new-tank/dry-rock growing pains (dinos etc.) and I was burning through a roll every 4-7 days (@ now $31.99/roll). It was exhausting getting through the 'dirty' phases. I am now seeing roughly 20 days per roll. Is it worth it - I would say yes.

 

[srit1]

My DIY roller mat has been running for years without issue. There are only 2 moving parts, one of which is a float valve. It is equivalent in failure points to my DIY ATO. A filter roller can be completely silent if you get your down pipes submerged at the right depth (which is easy to do). For me, the filter roller moved my (filtration) maintenance to a monthly cadence which was my intended goal.

Edit: if you do go with a filter roller, strongly consider buying coolant paper as opposed to the media the manufacturer sells. precon sells custom sizes here in the US

 

[blaxsun]

I like my reef mat 1200. I will say this - don't beleive the numbers they give on expected roll life. I currently average 30" per day - which is my best (lowest value ever). My tank is only 10 months old, and I went through some new-tank/dry-rock growing pains (dinos etc.) and I was burning through a roll every 4-7 days (@ now $31.99/roll). It was exhausting getting through the 'dirty' phases. I am now seeing roughly 20 days per roll. Is it worth it - I would say yes.

I agree with this 100%. I'm seeing 25-ish days between rolls with mine, but there are probably other unique factors with my setup.

 

[blaxsun]

Forget the roller mat. This is the way to go. Replace a small piece of filter floss every week. Only take seconds. Cheap, quick, and effective.

Haha, you're a glutton for punishment!

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I’ve been runnng a roller, a Clarisea 5000, for over three years now. I would never go back to socks. It’s not noisy at all, and neither are any others I’ve seen in action. You do need to clean them occasionally, same cycle as your return pump works for me. Some do have failures, like mine, every two years I need a new motor at $75. The third Gen Clarisea does not have that issue. I can’t speak to the longevity of the reef mat as it’s relatively new. For the year or so they’ve been out I haven’t heard of any major issues. I think they may not be up to date on current items with their concerns

 

[Kalinina]

I recommend the deltec filter roller. I put up a new tank in the spring and had the deltec VF8000 for a different tank but decided to use it in this build. It’s a little big for this tank (tank is 84x24x31) but I’m loving it. I’ve gone though maybe 1/4 of the original roll, if that, probably less. I highly recommend them. I would have purchased the VF5000 if I bought it specifically for this tank. But it’s super easy to plumb in, and have never had any problems.

here’s a few pics I took when I first set the tank up.

 

[shakey]

I have a Clarisea sk5000. 7 months in without a glitch. I know thats not a long time, but I really like it. I will never go back to filter socks. It's worth ever penny to me.

 

[nldemo]

wow, the forums are hopping tonight thanks for all the replies!

If I can get a couple years out of it before having to replace any parts, I'd say that's pretty worth it.

 

[nldemo]

Forget the roller mat. This is the way to go. Replace a small piece of filter floss every week. Only take seconds. Cheap, quick, and effective.

does anybody even sell these?

 

[nldemo]

I recommend the deltec filter roller. I put up a new tank in the spring and had the deltec VF8000 for a different tank but decided to use it in this build. It’s a little big for this tank (tank is 84x24x31) but I’m loving it. I’ve gone though maybe 1/4 of the original roll, if that, probably less. I highly recommend them. I would have purchased the VF5000 if I bought it specifically for this tank. But it’s super easy to plumb in, and have never had any problems.

here’s a few pics I took when I first set the tank up.

nice custom job there you seem to have the same issue as me, big tank - non ideal sump. Mine is a wet/dry waterfall and I can't wait to replace it.

 

[nldemo]

Edit: if you do go with a filter roller, strongly consider buying coolant paper as opposed to the media the manufacturer sells. precon sells custom sizes here in the US

coolant ? is that the brand?

 

[LPS Bum]

Hello and happy holidays!

Per the title, I have a question for users of the roller mat over an extended period of time.

I am looking to upgrade my sump next year, and a roller mat has been on my wish list. I talked to a pro about it, and he said forget the roller mat, they have too many parts that can bust and cause issues and are expensive to replace ; just go with filter socks instead. Filter socks may also be quieter (unsure), and he would make more money selling me a roller mat, so I'm not sure...

What do you guys think? Any issues with your automated filter sock solutions?

He also recommended an automated carbon dosing solution over the biopellet reactor i have now . To be fair, my biopellet reactor has not made a dent in my nutrients yet. But I'm still hoping...

Can’t speak to other rollermats, but my ReefMat 1200 is dead silent. There’s no water cascading over the top, like you get with socks. It comes directly from the main drain to the corrugated hose inlet.

If you’re not changing out and cleaning your socks at least weekly you’ve got a detritus trap. Maybe even more often depending on your bioload. That’s not an issue with the ReefMat.

No problems to speak of. Just more expensive (initial cost plus replacement rolls). Overall, can’t imagine I’d ever go back to filter socks. Rollermat all the way!

 

[LPS Bum]

I like my reef mat 1200. I will say this - don't beleive the numbers they give on expected roll life. I currently average 30" per day - which is my best (lowest value ever). My tank is only 10 months old, and I went through some new-tank/dry-rock growing pains (dinos etc.) and I was burning through a roll every 4-7 days (@ now $31.99/roll). It was exhausting getting through the 'dirty' phases. I am now seeing roughly 20 days per roll. Is it worth it - I would say yes.

Wow. That’s pretty quick to burn through a 1200 roll.

What length do you have the auto advance set to? I changed mine to the lowest possible setting (0.2-0.4 inches) and it definitely cut back on the usage. I’m ok with a little bit dirtier roll in exchange for increased longevity.

Agree 100% that it’s worth it.

 

[haitian_reefer]

Are you really reefing if you don’t have a Redsea Rollermat?

 

[PeterC99]

does anybody even sell these?

Yes or you can get 3D printed.

 

[blaxsun]

Wow. That’s pretty quick to burn through a 1200 roll.

What length do you have the auto advance set to? I changed mine to the lowest possible setting (0.2-0.4 inches) and it definitely cut back on the usage. I’m ok with a little bit dirtier roll in exchange for increased longevity.

Agree 100% that it’s worth it.

Depends on the bio load. I set mine to 2.0-2.2" a week ago but wasn't happy with the consumption rate, so I've adjusted it back down to 1.0-1.2". This is for a 200-gallon system with 50 fish and 250+ inverts, mind you.