Iwagumist Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 This is a totally noob question from a total reef noob. I am thinking of setting up my first ever nano tank and I don't know if I should use live rock and live sand, or if I should use regular rock and sand ? What are the pros and cons of both? What is the point of using live rock or live sand when it costs more? What purpose do they serve? Link to comment
Themerchant Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 live rock and live sand will be best since it will help with biological filtration. Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Over time and as a part of the cycle of the tank your "normal rock/sand" will become "live" as bacterium build up on it. The reason to use "live" rock is that it already comes with said bacteria and thus somewhat jump starts the cycle process. It can also come with helpful and unwanted hitchhikers including "bad" algae, crabs, worms, and so on. On the plus side I have had a Linkia star hitchhike in. I had to give it away because the size tank I had wouldn't support it and it would have died. However that nice find was far outweighed by the nasty things that came in. For example a gorilla crab that was a complete PITA to get out and cost me a couple of fish. I knew a guy who got a octopus as a hitchhiker. Not fun since it can and will eat your fish. I soak my rock in a muriatic acid and RODI water solution to burn off phosphates that may be on the rock, then give it a long iodine bath, then give it several rinses and soak it again in RODI water to make sure everything that could go in the tank is not going in the tank. If I need to "seed" it I will toss it in a bucket with my own salt water that I made, a heater, and a small pump to move water a bit. I then add a piece of frozen shrimp or the like in to kick off a cycle then monitor the parameters until I am where I want to be. At that point it goes in the tank. My bottom line: Nothing goes in a tank of mine if I didn't personally choose to put it there. That way I get no surprises. Link to comment
Themerchant Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 pro: using live rock and sand can help cycle tank faster con: cost more Link to comment
spectra Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Also do not forget pest do come from some live rock. Also can get nuisance algae. I have done it both ways and think a bag of live sand and dry rock works the best. You can get some nitrifying bacteria and tank will cycle in a few weeks if that. Link to comment
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