LOL, TO MUCH INFO, and its all different

[jeff10]

So Ive read the forums, Ive talked to multiple LFS, talked to people I know who have Salt Aquariums and man...LOL, everything contradicts everyone lol
Since I am into Fish and am not into Corals, Inverts etc... I have been told I do not need Live rock or live sand. Wont hurt to have a Live rock in there but I got an Emperor 400 on my 40 Gal. tank, do not worry about it.?.?.?.?.?.

I was told it would just help my aquarium get set up faster??? but since I am not into the reefs, I do not need them...??
Since I live in South Texas (Spring which is 30 miles north of Houston) and the house is always around 72-76 degrees You do not really need a heater?.?.?.?. I am probably getting a heater though

Since I am not getting any corals etc...And that Emperor 400 is a great Filter, no need to worry about an extra current?.?.?.?.?.?.

Soooooooo, I am going to compile every answer I can get and continue to be a sponge and ask here and thank you in advance for your answers

 

[ibanez]

You want liverock, it is the best form of filtration. You want a heater, just for backup and stability. You want more current to avoid dead spots that accumulate cyano bacteria and detritus.

 

[florida joe]

You can add the live rock for aesthetic value
if the LR already has beneficial bacteria on and in it you are ahead of the game as far as your tank stabilizing a bio load.
Go with a good quality heater although you live in a warm climate it will help keeping temperature fluctuation to a minimum.
You want water movement with in your tank and surface agitation for gas exchange

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by IbanEz
http:///forum/post/3260368
You want liverock, it is the best form of filtration. You want a heater, just for backup and stability. You want more current to avoid dead spots that accumulate cyano bacteria and detritus.

Well said on all points and let me add:
Live rock looks better, and gives the fish a natural place to swim and enjoy their lives. They love to nibble at the rock all day long.

 

[florida joe]

the best form of filtration.
IMO live rock is not the best form of filtration, in fact it is not even the best natural form of filtration

 

[jeff10]

This is why I post Good answers to satisfy my nerves lol

 

[meowzer]

LOL...Jeff you are going to find a lot of different opinions too.....BUT I like live rock and sand too, and YES you need some powerheads for water movement, a heater for stability, don't forget test kits too....they are just as important to have IMO
The emporer 400 should be good for your size tank, BUT personally I hate bio wheels....I even took them off the filters on my FW systems....

 

[ibanez]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3260372
IMO live rock is not the best form of filtration, in fact it is not even the best natural form of filtration
What is the best form of filtration? I view liverock as that because it has tons of surface area for bacteria which doesn't accumulate as much garbage as a mechanical filter, it is closer to the fish so the waste stays in the water column for a shorter period of time before being converted. If you mechanical filter should stop or fail, it is the bacteria on the rock that keeps your tank from spiking ammonia. But in your opinion, what is the best form of filtration?

 

[florida joe]

IMO the best form of filtration is a multi media setup. Mechanical and natural. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and algae on the natural end. Filter material and protein skimmer on the mechanical. Ammonia introduced into our tank via organic breakdown is filtered though our filter media via our plumbing the areas that have a constant flow of nutrient rich water have the greatest chance of nitrifying bacteria colonization. Live sand gives you a much greater chance for di nitrification then live rock does. experts such as J. Sprung have gone so far as to say that with the advances in mechanical filtration. live rock is no longer needed for any type of filtration

 

[ibanez]

I see your point, but the more technology in your tank, the more damage can be done by a power outage or technological failure. The more you rely on technology the worse things are if something fails. I am in agreement with the live sand, anaerobic bacteria, and macro algae, I also employ the technology but would not replace the natural with technology. Being that ammonia is the most toxic waste produced in the aquarium from our live pets, the bacteria found on the live rock IMO, is the best form of filtration in our aquarium with macro algae being a close second, these are just not the only form.

 

[florida joe]

how do you get water movement in a power outage live rock is also dependent on water movement for nitrification

 

[speg]

I'm going to second the thought on liverock being the best form of filtration. Even moreso when pods and bristle worms take them over.

 

[ibanez]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3260392
how do you get water movement in a power outage live rock is also dependent on water movement for nitrification
During a power outage, we gotta stir the water, or a battery backup air bubble unit, but still much of the fish waste falls on the good bacteria on the live rock. However, during tech failure, say your skimmer is very efficient at pulling out waste, your bacteria isn't in place to handle the bio load of the tank, if the skimmer pump stops working when your on a three day vacation, you could be in trouble.

 

[handbanana]

Hey Jeff, Welcome!
As you can see the SW world has half a million options to choose. What works for one person might not necessarily work for another.
Heres my .02
Live rock has many benefits. Good biological filtration, looks good and you never know what you might get as a hitchhiker critter. On the other hand, Live rock MUST be cured before adding to an established aquarium of the potential for loss is pretty high. Curing can take a while too. But if your just starting out a tank, Uncured LR is a good way to start a cycle, without having a cocktail shrimp floating around in the tank for a few weeks.
Fish as well as inverts love to poke around in search of shelter or food and IMO some fish require LR for grazing and to allow the food they eat (copepods and such) to flourish and thrive without constantly being eaten.
You may want to stick to just fish but you'll need a clean up crew consisting of small crabs and snails and such. its cool to see them crawling around in the LR.
There are some down sides to LR as Joe said. It is Dependant on water flow to prevent algae and Cynobacteria from developing in force. And you could end up with a Aiptasia infested piece. I'm sure there are more, just cant think of them. :]
As for mechanical filtration goes I prefer canister filters to HOB bio-wheels but that is all opinion. Ive been told that Bio-wheels can cause trouble but I cant back that up so.....The choice is yours.
And skimmers is a whole new can of worms that I cant get into at the moment. Ill just say eventually you'll probably want one. and skimping on skimmers comes back with Cleats on to kick you in the butt.
Good Luck!

 

[jeff10]

Hehe, thanks you all, and on Protein Skimmers, I was told it is not needed as much as a good filter because a Protein Skimmer also sucks down the "GOOD" stuff you need as well as the negative?.?.?.?.? Hehe, you see, I am more twisted up than a pretzel with all of this, but I will figure it out

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by IbanEz
http:///forum/post/3260398
During a power outage, we gotta stir the water, or a battery backup air bubble unit, but still much of the fish waste falls on the good bacteria on the live rock. However, during tech failure, say your skimmer is very efficient at pulling out waste, your bacteria isn't in place to handle the bio load of the tank, if the skimmer pump stops working when your on a three day vacation, you could be in trouble.
So let’s look at live rock as a platform for nitrification di nitrification and algae growth. We can throw out the algae growth as algae will grow almost anywhere in our tanks and filter system.
First we have to start by assuming we have nitrification. Of course we do with a cycled tank. That is the whole platform on which we maintain our tanks.
Live rock can have nitrifying bacteria and di nitrifying bacteria on it. Can is the optimal word, is the live rock guaranteed to have these colony’s. No. the bacteria are opportunistic. Organic material may fall on our live rock but as it breaks down the water movement we so strive for carries the ammonia along its journey through our filter system. The colonization most likely accurse on filter media which comes in constant contact with the ammonia. Once that colonization takes hold the pattern of water movement will assure that most of the nitrification takes place at that area.
The growth of these colony’s is predicated on the amount of food (ammonia) introduced
Once we establish our live stock and feeding routine this amount varies only slightly. It is of my opinion that one can have a tank with live rock and never have any nitrification at all take place via the rock

 

[xcali1985]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3260381
IMO the best form of filtration is a multi media setup. Mechanical and natural. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and algae on the natural end. Filter material and protein skimmer on the mechanical. Ammonia introduced into our tank via organic breakdown is filtered though our filter media via our plumbing the areas that have a constant flow of nutrient rich water have the greatest chance of nitrifying bacteria colonization. Live sand gives you a much greater chance for di nitrification then live rock does. experts such as J. Sprung have gone so far as to say that with the advances in mechanical filtration. live rock is no longer needed for any type of filtration
My dad had a FO tank and not one ounce of LR or Sand, he had a CC base about 1 inch thick and a Canister filter and it ran for 3 years....0 deaths.

 

[jeff10]

Originally Posted by Xcali1985
http:///forum/post/3260442
My dad had a FO tank and not one ounce of LR or Sand, he had a CC base about 1 inch thick and a Canister filter and it ran for 3 years....0 deaths.
Yeah, a buddy of mine never used Live rock for his FO tank or the sand. Just a filter, and a protein skimmer, that was it. I am going to use the live sand though

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3260434
So let’s look at live rock as a platform for nitrification di nitrification and algae growth. We can throw out the algae growth as algae will grow almost anywhere in our tanks and filter system.
First we have to start by assuming we have nitrification. Of course we do with a cycled tank. That is the whole platform on which we maintain our tanks.
Live rock can have nitrifying bacteria and di nitrifying bacteria on it. Can is the optimal word, is the live rock guaranteed to have these colony’s. No. the bacteria are opportunistic. Organic material may fall on our live rock but as it breaks down the water movement we so strive for carries the ammonia along its journey through our filter system. The colonization most likely accurse on filter media which comes in constant contact with the ammonia. Once that colonization takes hold the pattern of water movement will assure that most of the nitrification takes place at that area.
The growth of these colony’s is predicated on the amount of food (ammonia) introduced
Once we establish our live stock and feeding routine this amount varies only slightly. It is of my opinion that one can have a tank with live rock and never have any nitrification at all take place via the rock

So are we to conclude that you believe live rock is not necessary, that it really has very little use as a natural filter?

 

[cms90740]

i've recently just begun my tank only a day ago, and at the moment i only have live sand in it, no live rock. so according to your posts i'd be successful with just sand and live rock isn't really a necessity? becuz every forum post and everything i read says live rock is essential. but if i don't have live rock do i need to change the water more often to keep nitrates down?