must you have live sand?

[border324]

hi questio must you have live sand? and live rock to have a coral set up or even a fish only. all i have is about 3 inchs of crushed coral and a bunch of rock and is made for salt water but not live rock. could this be why i am having problems?
thanks
michael

 

[triggers]

Well in all honesty No you don't need live sand for a reef. Most will prefer but you don't have to have it. I have seen both Fish only and Reef tanks without sand at all, just bare bottoms, but its not very appealing. As for live rock, IMO, I think it is a must for Live Rock in a reef tank, but in a fish only tank, I would have to say it is NOT a must to have Live Rock.

The fish in saltwater are delicate but the corals are even more delicate so Live Rock is in my mind a must in a reef tank. I have never seen or heard of a reef tank without live rock. Maybe it has been done.

 

[reefrunner69]

could this be why i am having problems?

Rather than answer the original question....lets go about this another way. Why don't you tell us about your system and tell us what kind of problems your having.

 

[border324]

well i cant seem to get the hang of this salt water tank i have been in it for a year now and all my fish die except for my clown and he has lived since i first got the tank.
i can never keep my ph to stay at 8.2 and as much as i change my water i can never get my nitrates to go down to 0ppm ammo, and nitrites are fine they at 0ppm! my fish keep getting stressed out and they get sick and die! i have tryed copper! and i just added a protine skimmer a few weeks ago.
about my tank!
55 gallon saltwater
2.5 inchs of crushed coral
40 pounds of rock not live rock
250watt heater
power head just 1 should i have 2?
xp2 filter rated for 75 gallons (what filter is the best in you mind?)
seaclone 100 protine skimmer

i have no sump is that a must too? whats it for?
and i think i am feeding all wrong! how and how much do i feed?
if you could help please do so?
not going to give i just spend more money on fish! :?

thanks
michael

 

[triggers]

How many times do you feed in a week?
How many gallons of water does your pump circulate in an hour? If your don't have good circulation your fish will not get the oxygen they need to survive.

I feed my fish everyother day. I feed them as much as they will eat. Make sure to take all the uneaten food out so it doesn't pollute your tank.

a lot of sumps are used to for dsb to grow beneficial bacteria. Some people us their sumps for filter media such as Activated Carbon bags, nitrate reducers and other water buffers.

Hope this helps.

 

[border324]

is a sump a must? if so how do i get one or build one?

 

[triggers]

What kind of tank are you going for Fish only or Reef?

 

[steve-s]

is a sump a must? if so how do i get one or build one?

They are very beneficial but are not a must. I have a 90 gal reef tank that is set up much the way yours is now and has been operating as such for seven years.

Filstar XP3
3x Zoomed powersweeps
BakPakII skimmer
250w Ebo heater
Insane amount of LR (that's the ticket IME)
1½-2" argonite sand.
0.0 NH3
0.0 NO2
<5 ppm NO3

Would I prefer a sump to hide all the excess "bulk" of the equipment? Yes. Would my tank operate any better because of a sump? No.

Cheers
Steve

 

[border324]

i really would like to be able to just learn to keep good water quality befor i jump in to reef set up. so i would say i am going with fish and a few inverts mabey!
now all that stuff you mentioned you have. do i put all that sand and live rock in my sump?
even the heater?
and what are 3x zoomed powersweeps? do i put them in there too?
thanks
michael

 

[steve-s]

The only things that can really go in the sump equipment wise are the skimmer and heater. Depending on the GPH to and from the sump, power heads are not always needed in the main tank but are still a good idea. Other equipment like chiller, refugium and other bulky items can be plumbed "off" the sump keeping them out of view.

LR and sand can be placed in the sump for additional filtration as well as in the main tank. If the main tank is without substrate, it would be considered a >>berlin system<<. How you decide to set up the tanks filtration system is really up to you and how you want the display tank to look. The key to any system is making sure it's effective and the animal load does not excede it's capacity to process wastes.

>>Here<< is a link that will give you alot of options and great info on the many types of set ups available. Each has it's pro's and con's and needs to be considered.

Cheers
Steve