newbie-fish only tank - Live rock required?
- Thread starter gsiegel
- Start date
little_fish
Moderator
anything you put in your tank will become live, all live means is that it has a population of bacteria growing on it that can process the waste in the tank from deadly ammonia to less toxic nitrates. Without the "live" your fish would die of ammonia poisoning.
However, you dont have to buy all live rock (very expensive). You can buy mostly dry rock (much cheaper) and after the tank is cycled, all the rocks will be live. I personally like to buy dry rocks from MarcoRocks Aquarium Products You want to aim for 1-2 lbs per gallon, you will need a minimum of 310lbs of rock in your tank.
However, you dont have to buy all live rock (very expensive). You can buy mostly dry rock (much cheaper) and after the tank is cycled, all the rocks will be live. I personally like to buy dry rocks from MarcoRocks Aquarium Products You want to aim for 1-2 lbs per gallon, you will need a minimum of 310lbs of rock in your tank.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Rock certainly makes a tank look natural. I don't know what you were planning on using in the artificial reef -- like a foam or plastic rock substitute? You might want to check with the guys that will be setting it up on what they typically use. Using rock would be better than foam or plastic because the bacteria have a lot more surface area to colonize with rock.
