(upbeat music)
- Hey, it's Thomas here.
And today we're doing a quick review on
Theiling's Compact Rollermat.
If you're tired of having to clean
and swap filter socks every other day
and want to be able to remove all the uneaten food,
fish, and coral waste and other debris from the water column
before it breaks down into nutrients that can fuel algae
and cause other nutrient related issues
with one of the most affordable
and easy to implement fleece rollers out there,
then check out Theiling's Compact Rollermat.
Mechanical filtration is one of the simpler forms
of filtration, trapping debris and waste,
removing it from the water column
before it has a chance to break down
into ammonia, phosphate, nitrate,
and other unwanted nutrients that can fuel algae
and foul the tank.
Sponges, foam, or floss pads and filter socks
are all commonly used and do a really great job
but they all share the exact same flaw.
If they aren't regularly removed, cleaned, and replaced,
the waste they trap just breaks down anyways,
since it's still in the water in your tank
which means you have to stay on top of frequent maintenance
for them to work effectively.
Enter the automatic fleece roller
which is becoming a very popular option
since it takes the often daily chore
of swapping out your mechanical media off of your plate,
so you have less dripping, washing, and replacing to do.
'Cause let's face it, if it's not something you want to do,
you're probably not gonna do it often enough.
And then that just defeats the whole purpose
and your mechanical media is not really helping.
Thankfully, Theiling has made adding
an automatic fleece roller to your setup much easier
with a rollermat compact.
It is a simpler drop-in solution
rated for up to 500 gallons per hour of flow
that is ready to go right out of the box.
Let me show you.
You just screw on the stepped barb fitting
and it's ready to get hooked up to your drain line
using 1 inch, 1 1/4 inch or 1 1/2 inch tubing.
That's it.
Alternatively, the threading also works
for standard 1 1/2 inch PVC fittings
if you want to use PVC plumbing for a custom fit.
This compact version of Theiling's rollermat
can either sit inside the sump with the included stand
or if you have a rimless sump, you can actually hang it
on the side, using the clip on the back.
Just make sure that the water depth
is no more than four inches up the black body
of the rollermat.
How it works is pretty simple.
Water enters through the inlet pipe at the center
and has to pass through the fleece
before making it into the sump.
As the fleece traps waste,
the water level inside the rollermat rises
and lifts up the internal float switch
which activates the motor and spools up
some fresh new fleece while removing the old fleece
taking out the junk gunk debris and waste
from the water column before it gets a chance to break down.
It also has a roughly one inch backup drain.
So if for whatever reason, the water level
inside the roller mat gets too high,
whether something clogs up.
When the flow rate is too high,
it can safely exit back to the sump.
Similar to a felt filter sock,
it's going to pull out the vast majority of fiscal waste
like uneaten food, fish, and coral poop,
strands of wayward algae, as well as other debris
preventing all of the nutrients bound up in that waste
from being broken down and released into the tank.
Anything small enough to actually pass through the fleece
is going to be a prime candidate for removal
by your skimmer.
Once the fleece roll is all used up
swapping it out is easy enough.
Turn off the rollermat with the switch on the back,
remove the empty roll side first,
open up the clip at the inlet pipe and remove the inlet.
Then remove the old roll, take the ends of that spool
and slip them onto the new roll.
Attach the end of the new roll to the opposite roller
with the gears, roll a bit on so it's holding snugly,
and then reinsert the inlet pipe.
Clamp it in place and set the new roll into the rollermat.
Then you can turn it back on and it's ready to go.
Each roll can last around three months or more
for the average reefer,
depending on feeding, bioload, maintenance habits,
and other filtration.
And at just under $17 per roll when you buy a three pack,
that will average out to about $6 or less monthly,
which is super affordable.
More so than I was expecting.
And honestly, in my opinion, well worth not having
to deal with swapping and washing and cleaning
filter socks every other day, or dealing
with floss every other day and dripping everywhere.
The appeal is, I get it.
In fact, Ryan has been a huge fan
of automating mechanical filtration
ever since adding the original Theiling rollermat
on the BRS 160 and has also added a fleece roller
to the BRS 360 build, which definitely says a lot.
Once you hear Ryan explain how his fleece roller works
in conjunction with his other filtration,
it's all just gonna click.
You can check it out in this video right here.
Even if you plan on sticking with your filter socks
or your other mechanical filtration method,
knowing this is really going to be food for thought
and give you kind of a new perspective
on how it's going to affect your skimmer or your macro algae
and that might change your plans.
So check it out.