long night thinking

[babyb]

so i have been thinking and doing alot of research about upgradeing and how to aford it
this is what i came up with( with help from fellow enthusiast)
**** why we have live rock****
live rock is a host for bacteria so why could you not just fill the sump up with sponge, it has plenty of room for the bacteria to thrive and it will filter out crap
it has more surface space than bioballs
and its cheaper than rock
****home made-vs-bought****
rock to buy is about 6 something
well 40 lbs of oyster shells (crushed) is $8
and portlant cement type one is $10 for 90 lbs
that means it is $.21 per pound
or 5 lbs of rock salt ( no it will not hurt the tank if you let it cure and keep an eye on it) for 2
and portland cement type one is $10 for 90 lbs
that means it is $.51 to make
****sand*****
to buy sand for a tank is a little pricy
limestone sand ( pure without the sparkly stuff) is $9 for for 450 lbs
--- can be used as live sand (i think) and to be made into rock but thats a different rec.
please give me input, i could be way off, i have just been surfing the sites and thinking about all this and i think it could work but i want some of you all to give some input
thanks babyb

 

[jon321]

Would all this work? Probably. My two thoughts would be:
1) Sponge, bioballs, etc are inferior to live rock for filtration because they trap particles which then break down causing nitrate problems. They also do not have the anoroxic regions suitable for bacteria to break down nitrate into nitrogen gas.
2) There are many reasons people buy their live rock instead of making their own. A huge point of live rock is all the critters, moreso than the bacteria. Sponges, coraline, copepods, mini stars, bristleworms all contribute to the diversity of a reef tank. Also the natural appearance. I have NEVER seen home made rock that you could not tell was home made. It simply does not have a realistic appearance. And finally, home made rock is much more dense than quality live rock. This means less surface area for colonization and more stress on your tank bottom, stand, floor, etc if you are using a large quantity.
9 times out of 10 I think you would be happier going the traditional route, even if it means a smaller tank or a longer "saving" period.
My $0.02.
Jon

 

[madman33]

i think home made roack can be used just not as the main raock formations...what i would do is sculpt kind of like a mountainish thing with lots of hole etc or what ever but just something to hold your lr so you would have to buy so much of it if you didnt think you needed that much bacteria. I think that makes ense lol let me know if it doesnt.

Mad