Mechanical Filtration

[ConanTheLibraia]

A tank with a bunch of live rock would not require mechanical filtration, right? Is mechanical filtration bad if used? If a filter was used with a biowheel and no filter pads, would this help the tank or is it more of a waste of money?

 

[nugrad2005]

I'm pretty sure you still need mechanical filtration if you're using LR as a filter. The rock only provides biological filtration. When i think of mechanical i think of carbon and a skimmer which you need with rock(skimmer absolutely, carbon is optional).

A filter without any media is just a powerhead and yes you would need some sort of device to create waterflow. The biowheel attached to the filter is just there for extra biological filtration which the rock is already doing. I think it would be necessary at first to develop the bacteria, but once its established, you could take the biowheel off and the tank would still thrive.

In fact the wheel can actually lead to a build up of nitrates which is why most people who have alot of rock in their tanks get rid of bioballs/biowheels/etc.

-Dan

 

[Hara]

I'm pretty sure you still need mechanical filtration if you're using LR as a filter. The rock only provides biological filtration.

If you have a sufficient amount of liverock, you do not want to have a mechanical filter on there. They will just work against each other as they are nitrate factories. The common practice with a liverock/livesand tank is to use a protein skimmer as additional help.

 

[ConanTheLibraia]

Is there a rule of thumb on how much live rock you'd need per gallon or according to tank size for good filtration? Also since I have a ton of little questions, when cycling a tank, when is it right to put liverock/sand in? Would you just have liverock and or sand in from the start to help the cycle? Also, when is it appropriate to put corals and anemonies? Should they be treated like fish and wait until the cycle is complete to build up a reef?