lava rock question - Page 2 - Aquarium Advice

porksnorkel · 06-25-2008, 08:10 PM

so now for the next volley of questions...but first a pic of what i have to work with.

it is a 125g tempered glass w/ 1 emperor 400, and 2 280's.

as u can see i have plenty of rock. now i am assuming that the nitrifying bacteria for salt tanks is the same or similiar enough to freshwater tanks[correct me if i'm wrong].
this lava rock can then become live rock if seeded properly. so will i need actual ocean live rock [live sand not optional unless black], or can i seed it w/ the filter media from my other freshwater tanks?

next question is will the fluval FX5 work on a salt tank? how bout the emperors? would the emperors crap out in salt or are they just useless in a salt application?
i would rather not have a sump for reasons i won't go into[mostly because my tank isn't drilled], and i do have room in my canopy to hide a protein skimmer.

JoshsReef · 06-25-2008, 08:24 PM

I use both emperors and a fluval fx5 on my tank. Your not really far from a fowlr at all. The sand you have will become live once the tank is up and running. All you really need to do is get a a couple pieces of lr, maybe 10-15 pounds, scatter it with the rock you have and throw a couple pieces of raw shrimp in and you will be on your way. The rock and sand you have will eventually become live, however I would reccomend geting a hammer and chissel and breaking that stuff up somewhat. That size tank you will prob want a skimmer however a sump isnt a necessity although prefereed. You could use the fx5 for chemical media and you could use the emperors as a mini refugium (my emperor is full of lr rubble and chaeto - macro algae). Hope this helps

cmor1701d · 06-26-2008, 08:58 AM

Josh has some good points. I also would break up those boulders to get more variety in the size of the rocks and create more surface area for the bacterai to grow on.
Is that rock very porous? It doesn't look like it from the photo.

Unless your tank is right up against the wall you can easily add an overflow box to teh back to feed a sump. That will give a lot more options. You can hide heaters in there, grow some macro algae, increase the water volume and put teh PS under the cabinet. A HOB PS large enough for that tank (Aquamedic Turbfloter multi?) would need that much room in the back anyway.

porksnorkel · 06-29-2008, 09:06 AM

ty for all the help guys! i'm gonna keep researching this, and i'll get back w/ u in a month or so for an update and more questions.

cmor1701d · 06-29-2008, 01:22 PM

BTW, the bacteria in SW are different than the bacteria in FW. They accomplish the same task but are different though closely related species.

Good luck and stop back often.

06-26-2008, 08:58 AM	#13
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,894 Images: 43	Josh has some good points. I also would break up those boulders to get more variety in the size of the rocks and create more surface area for the bacterai to grow on. Is that rock very porous? It doesn't look like it from the photo. Unless your tank is right up against the wall you can easily add an overflow box to teh back to feed a sump. That will give a lot more options. You can hide heaters in there, grow some macro algae, increase the water volume and put teh PS under the cabinet. A HOB PS large enough for that tank (Aquamedic Turbfloter multi?) would need that much room in the back anyway. __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

06-29-2008, 01:22 PM	#15
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,894 Images: 43	BTW, the bacteria in SW are different than the bacteria in FW. They accomplish the same task but are different though closely related species. Good luck and stop back often. __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

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06-25-2008, 08:10 PM	#11
porksnorkel Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: orlando,fl Posts: 112	so now for the next volley of questions...but first a pic of what i have to work with. it is a 125g tempered glass w/ 1 emperor 400, and 2 280's. as u can see i have plenty of rock. now i am assuming that the nitrifying bacteria for salt tanks is the same or similiar enough to freshwater tanks[correct me if i'm wrong]. this lava rock can then become live rock if seeded properly. so will i need actual ocean live rock [live sand not optional unless black], or can i seed it w/ the filter media from my other freshwater tanks? next question is will the fluval FX5 work on a salt tank? how bout the emperors? would the emperors crap out in salt or are they just useless in a salt application? i would rather not have a sump for reasons i won't go into[mostly because my tank isn't drilled], and i do have room in my canopy to hide a protein skimmer.

06-25-2008, 08:24 PM	#12
JoshsReef Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Northern Kentucky Posts: 225	I use both emperors and a fluval fx5 on my tank. Your not really far from a fowlr at all. The sand you have will become live once the tank is up and running. All you really need to do is get a a couple pieces of lr, maybe 10-15 pounds, scatter it with the rock you have and throw a couple pieces of raw shrimp in and you will be on your way. The rock and sand you have will eventually become live, however I would reccomend geting a hammer and chissel and breaking that stuff up somewhat. That size tank you will prob want a skimmer however a sump isnt a necessity although prefereed. You could use the fx5 for chemical media and you could use the emperors as a mini refugium (my emperor is full of lr rubble and chaeto - macro algae). Hope this helps

06-29-2008, 09:06 AM	#14
porksnorkel Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: orlando,fl Posts: 112	ty for all the help guys! i'm gonna keep researching this, and i'll get back w/ u in a month or so for an update and more questions.