Aggressive Tank with live rock?

pamplona

Member
I was just given a 90 gallon tank with a wet/dry filter and a fluval 404. I was thinking of throwing my volitan lionfish in there with a snowflake. Do you think it absolutely necessary to throw in live rock or could i get away with the bioballs/biomedia/live sand.
 

squidd

Active Member
I think your eel would prefer to crawl around and hang in a rock "cave" rather than a pile of "balls" in the tank..:thinking:
 

unleashed

Active Member
the eels realy should have some LR to hide in make him feel more at home.you dont have to have a huge amount of rocks if your wanting larger agressive fish but it will give others a place of refuge
 

liontamer

Member
Live rock is pretty much a necessity for marine environments, especially for the aggressive ones. It provides shelter, a natural looking environment for the fish. It is decorative, it heps to break down bacterias for u and watnot. I wouldnt do without it. And, oh, dont just "throw yer fish in", thats not very cool...
 

civickid

Member
Im setting up a 220 agressive and i have about 20 pounds of live rock and about 90 pounds of base rock from reeferrocks.com. Its pretty cheap too. and looks like live rock.
 

squidd

Active Member

Originally posted by Liontamer
.... I wouldnt do without it. And, oh, dont just "throw yer fish in", thats not very cool...

And if you do get LR...I wouldn't "throw" that in either...
Could get ugly...:D
 

fishnerd

Member
I don't feel LIVE rock is a necessity, but if you want an eel, get some rocks for hiding/lurking spaces.
Live rock is definately beneficial, but a good wet/dry and skimmer will suffice. (IMO)
 

unleashed

Active Member

Originally posted by fishnerd
I don't feel LIVE rock is a necessity, but if you want an eel, get some rocks for hiding/lurking spaces.
Live rock is definately beneficial, but a good wet/dry and skimmer will suffice. (IMO)

what is the purpose of setting up a fish tank in your home be it fresh brackish or marine? your bringing a living ecosystem into your home.whats the sense of building a natural enviroment if your not going to use what nature has provided to keep it up and running.if you set your tank up as close to nature would itself you need all the fancy expencive addatives to keep it alive.dont get me wrong there. is nothing wrong with using a filter system on our tanks
they give us a boost for what we as fishkeepers lack that nature provides for these fish.the least we can do for our fish we have taken from wide open spaces for our own selfish benefits is to at least to to mimic their natural habitat the best we possibly can.I mean seriously yes these are fish .take a good look at your fish tell me none of them develope a personality.if you can't find one your not looking hard enough.when we take on the responsabilty of keeping nature hostage for our pleasure we also have the responsabilty of keeping it healthy to the best of our capability.Im sorry but any one that can't see this is no better than these so called pet stores over stocking neglecting to take proper care for what they harvest for pure profit.the ones most of us refuse to suport.if you dont know what your tank requires read read read .its all at our fingertips we no longer have ignorance as an exuse.with out knowlage our fish will cease to exist in our homes.
 

shoimen

Member
I totally agree with unleashed.
We are taking creatures from their natural environment and the least we can do is mimic that envirnment to the best of our abilities.
Live rock has an abundance of advantages as to using lack rock. It provides a natural filter/cleaner. It looks cool. It may be a bit more expensive, but its definately worth it. And if cost is an issue, this isnt your hobby.
:happyfish
 

fishnerd

Member
Any porous, calcerous rock will, in time, serve the same purpose (biologically) as live rock. It may not have the same aesthetic pleasure as "live" rock, but aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder anyway.
I have spent a lot of time underwater, and believe me, dishwashers, cinder blocks, and anything else that serves as shelter is a haven for marinelife. Fish don't care if its a coral head or a car tire, as long as its a safe refuge for them to seek shelter in.
UNLEASHED-
If you want to create a truly natural environment, you will also need to add predators, chemistry fluctuations, and seasonal changes such as lunar cycles, storms, temperature changes, tides, etc, etc, etc. Considering this, is LIVE rock really that necessary in a FO system?
BTW- most public aquariums do not use live rock, and the AZA sees no need for them to do so.
Once again... live rock is beneficial, but a good wet/dry and skimmer will suffice.
 

fishnerd

Member
Another thing, there is only one ecosystem known to mankind... The Planet Earth. There is no such thing as an ecosystem in a home. One must feed, add water, do water changes, add buffers, FILTRATION, provide light, etc.
Try unplugging everything and stop feeding and see how long your "ecosystem" survives.
PS- I am just returning the flame.
 

liontamer

Member
"The FORUM, the FORUm, the FORUM's on FIRE. We dont need no WATER let the motherF**ER BURN!!!!!"
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
 

unleashed

Active Member

Originally posted by Liontamer
"The FORUM, the FORUm, the FORUM's on FIRE. We dont need no WATER let the motherF**ER BURN!!!!!"
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

lmao.I didnt know we started a fire.ok who has the marshmallows
 

mumbulog

Member
Recently from this site I have learned that with the correct rock, the correct water levels in your tank, and time you can turn base rock into live rock over time. I bought 100 lbs of base rock to build a reef wall and then I am putting live rock on top of it as I can. I have 8 lbs in my tank and 5 lbs in my refugium. I am also adding calcium to my tank daily. Well I've noticed that some of my base rock is growing coraline algae nicer than the live rock. I know this is off topic but on the rock issue, you don't have to go poor buying live rock!
 

unleashed

Active Member
agreed mumbulog
I purchase LR when ever i see a nice peice at my LFS but at 5- 6 bucks a lbs 1 rock cost me anywheer from 40 to 60 bucks.I have purchased more base rock than LR within a yr the base is alive and thriving base rock cost me an est 2.00 a lbs vs 5 - 6.00
onle small LR will spread life to the rest of the base.but for the SFE having one myself I know they are escape artist and they do so much better if they have a place to hide mine goes crazy trying to find a place to hide if i remove his rocks to the piont he crawls into the hanger of the powerhead
 
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