Can I setup a 30 gal long without live rock?

[skip_16157]

Looking for opinions on setting up a 30L with only using a couple of lbs. of LR. It will house a Maroon clown, Mandarin goby, Coral beauty some crabs and snails.

I will have a sand bed, 2 PH's, a power filter and a protein skimmer. Is this a managable setup?

[d9hp]

You can always do without LR, but it is a good thing to have. Will the sand bed be live?

Can you get some dead rock.

I think it would be fine, but LR is always a good thing.

[fishfreek]

You would probably be best off with some form of external filtration on a setup like that as the main purpose of the LR is to act as a bio filter.

[skip_16157]

Yes, the sand will be live.

What kind of external filtration would you recommend?
I do not have room for a sump.

[Anemoneman]

I have a 29 with very little live rock with a DSB that works. The sand bed critters will process a lot of waste. The sand bed will house sufficient quantities of nitrifying bacteria to get the job done. It may take a little longer to cycle (that's been my experience). I've kept a porcupine puffer (a very messy fish) in the 29 for over a year now. It still has the same amount of LR as seen in this pic http://home.attbi.com/~anemoneman2/pork_tank1.jpg
You will need an efficient protein skimmer. I recently added a refugium to this tank to lower nutrients (bit of a cyano outbreak) and have gone through a major hair algae outbreak. It may be little more work to keep algae in control IME but it can be done. I think it would be possible to have a tank with no LR and only a DSB.

[Hara]

That mandarin goby will want rocks, full of copepods that never run out....wont live without it.

[loganj]

Will need to be a mature sandbed for the Goby too. Possibly would be a good application for a fuge like Mark said. That would help keep the pod population up. I don't know if there is a minimum size tank in which the sandbed would keep a mandarin fed though...the fuge should offset the tank size if you chose to use one.
Logan J

[d9hp]

A fuge will most likely be needed to encourage pod life, for the Mandarin.

[skip_16157]

I think I will be skipping on the goby, since I know I won't have a sufficient DSB for a while.

I definitely do not have room for a refugium. There is just no room for a seperate tank.

How do I get copepods in my tank. I have a 55 thats been up for 5 months with a DSB and 50lbs of LR. I don't believe I have any in this tank. Does anyone have a Pic. Is there a setup that will work to produce copepods without using a refugium.

I intend for my tank to look like Anemoneman's 29.

Thanks

[Anemoneman]

Are you seeing worm trails and bubbles against the glass in the dand bed of the 55? If not you need to get a detrivore kit ASAP. If you do have worm trails and can see worm tentacles on the surface, then use a couple cups of this sand to seed the bed of your new tank. These are the critters that stir the bed and process waste. Look at the surface of your existing DSB with a strong magnifying glass (about 7X) and you may be able to see some bugs. Look where algae is growing or where a rock is next to the glass. They don't like being in the open but you may still find them there.

[skip_16157]

Currently I have about 10 hermit crabs and some snails.

What is a good combination for a detrivore kit. My water chemicals are currently ok (ph 8.2ish, trate =0, trite=0, amon. =0).

I do see very few worm trails but no bubbles. I'll try the mag. glass when I get home.

Thanks for the help.

[Anemoneman]

but no bubbles

Probably not an issue since this is a relatively new tank. The bubbles are caused by denitrification and are gas escaping from the lower regions of the sand bed.
The best dource for detrivores is from an established tank via a cup or two of sand. Aside from that you could spend a bundle on one of those detrivore kits I've seen at Inland Aquatics or GARF. From what I've heard you get a very small quantity of critters for a large quantity of money but that may be your only option.