Beginner marine tank questions.
- Thread starter mdub
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Also, is a white-only LED light system sufficient for my fish only setup?
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
There are specific kinds as all LEDs aren't created equal. You need high powered LEDs, while most are really accent lighting with under 1 watt of power to each diode.
ReefGuy77
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
You can use dry rock; however it won't become live rock over time. You can seed the dry rock with a small amount of live rock. This will be your best shot of having the dry rock look like live rock over time. As far as lighting, if it's a FOWLR white only would be fine.
Mattyfelts
Aquarium Advice Addict
correct about lighting incorrect about rock
dry rock can become live over time (without anything seeding it) and look the exact same; both can grow coraline algae, both can turn darker, both will be live.
ReefGuy77
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I did not mistype my statement, dry rock does not become live rock without seeding it. There is not way to get the biodiversity on dry rock without seeding it with quality live rock. There is a lot more to live rock then coraline algae. If you want to use rock as a natural filtration, coraline algae on dry rock will do minimal for you. Also, dry rock that was once live rock will have dead organisms in the small cracks and crevices that you would never be able to fully clean out. This and coraline algae can seal the pores in the rock, reducing the biological filtration capacity.
Now with that said, back to mdub's questions, live rock is not necessarily required for a fish only tank, as long as you have some other filtration.
Now with that said, back to mdub's questions, live rock is not necessarily required for a fish only tank, as long as you have some other filtration.
Live rock just means it has the bacteria to breakdown waste and complete the nitrogen cycle. So yes technically dry rock becomes live rock over time. I agree that adding a piece of live rock in to seed some critters is beneficial as well but you can run a tank off completely just dry rock.
But we digress and are here to help!
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But we digress and are here to help!
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I strongly disagree I even seen cinder-blocks become live over time.
Dry rock will become live over time as the bb builds , seeding your rock will help encourage Coraline growth faster , the reason some use dry rock over live is to prevent any bad hitchhikers , dry rock will take longer to build bb but once you introduce fish inverts and coral things will change , yes live rock will cycle faster but dry rock will cycle it may take longer A nice size deli shrimp will help get you on the way , macro algae in the tank with dry rock can grow and start the life cycle of the rock , shrimps crabs , snails ect once they lay eggs help it along also , is one better than the other not really one just gives you a faster head start , in the end things will be the same,
this tank was all dry rock 6 months later it was flourishing with growth,
Before:
water was still murky when this pict was taken
After:
It's not what you start with it's how you introduce things to start that life cycle , I believe this rock became as live as it could be
I so wish I never broke down this tank It was one of my all time favorites
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes...I also agree, dry rock will become live rock without any seeding what so ever, except for an ammonia source. All the "bio diversity" like algae, pods, starfish etc are unnecessary, unless you like that sort of thing. The above mentioned do nothing to make a tank better....though sometimes worse. Feed a little too much, or export too little, and introduced algae can quickly become a nuisance.
I have a 10 gallon tank with a 2 watt LED hood. There are 2 led lights in the hood and I'm not sure if the wattage means per light, or total, or if that even matters. So does anyone know what, if any, kinds of corals I could have with that?
garfield85
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2015
- Messages
- 1
Starting a bio cube 14 don't wanna use live rock any suggestions also with sea horses
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Start up your own thread. You're not going to get answers on someone else's.
Edit: I see you're new. There should be threads on how to start your own thread on the site.
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cgthebeast
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's more about par now days anyway, but the basic lights like that won't really support any coral. They simply can not supply the light needed. I have a Chinese black box over my 10g, there good lights an cheap for the market, 78$ to be exact.
