FO set-ups without live rock.

[teetee]

Hello everyoine, I have a FO 135g set up with no live rock. Isn't that possible? The reason why I ask, is because a clerk at my lfs was shocked when I mentioned that I had a marine set up with fish only but no live rock. He truly seemed perplexed by the concept. Now this is a person who I know to be quite knowlegeable in matters of this hobby; consequently, I myself am now perplexed. Isn't my set up fine? It has been running for 3 months now, all is fine, no casusalties, etc. Is live rock the only way to go these days? TIA T.T.

 

[kdlbem]

I have a 75 FO w/ no lr or ls, and it's fine. I think it's just better for the fish to recreate their habitat as much as possible. plus the lr provides lots more filtration, naturally. What type of filtration do you have running? If It's adequate, you shouldn't need the lr.
HTH, B

 

[tangman99]

I have a 90 gallon with no live rock and cc substrate. I've had this tank up and running for 8 months now with no problems. Live rock is good to have, but not necessary for a successful tank. I do tend to have higher nitrates. They get up to around 40 at water change time. If you do regular water changes (which you should do whether you have live rock or not) you should be fine.

 

[jacrmill]

LR is not a necessity. it has many benefits, but you can have a very succesful tank without it. however there are many fish you cannot have, and many others i wouldnt recommend because they hide or feed on LR. as mentioned above LR has a very good filtering capacity too. not to mention it looks really cool, and provides a more natural environment for the fish.