Filtration

[mrebolton]

I have a question about filtration. If live rock is not able to be aquired, what other options is there for biological filtration. Is it possible to have a saltwater tank without live rock? Can fake corals and base rock be used instead? Is live rock the only way to reduce nitrates?

[mysis]

Live sand also reduces nitrates, Protein skimming, sumps, where there is media that can hold high levels of anerobic and aerobic bacteria, which help bring down nitrates. algae, in the refugium or main aquarium will use phosphate and nitrate nutreints to feed off. Yes it is possible to have a tank with no LR, Fake corals will be a bad idea, as they will be collecting detruits.

But i have to ask, why can't you get LR, you should be able to get it online, or at an LFS.

[gbolton]

Live Rock does not reduce nitrates directly. The live rock is used in place of filter media as a place for the bacteria that remove ammonia and nitrites from your water column to reside. The breakdown of the nitrites still results in nitrates. The breakdown of Nitrates only naturally occurs in an anaerobic environemnt such as in a deep sand bed, this is not likely happen in the live rock as the rock should be pourous and the flow of oxygenated water in the tank will not allow for the proper environment.

In place of live rock from a store you can use and Rock that does not leach dangerous chemicals into the tank. The rock will still colonize with the appropriate bacteria to remove ammonia and nitrites from the tank.

[mrebolton]

Currently just moved to Hawaii and this is the dumbest state as far as rules go. No coral or live rock is to be sold, collected, or removed from the ocean. Its against the law. No LFS out here has any live rock or corals, but the fish out here are fairly cheap. Yellow Tangs, $7.00. Purple Tang, $15.00, Clown Trigger, $30.00, having a tank with live rock that your fish and you will enjoy, priceless. So at least I have cheap fish on my side. So if I go with a setup like this, Emperor 400 Bio Wheel, CPR BakPak 2 Skimmer(with bio bale), and a reverse flow UGF with some CaribSea substrate, will that work fine?

[OrionGirl]

You can also get lace rock and put it in--it will be colonized by the bacteria with no problems, you just won't get the hitch hikers and such. I'd skip the bio-wheel--they tend to create more evaporation and slat creep than is desirable, and with sand and base rock, you'll have plenty of places for bacteria to grow. Ditto on the UGF--it will just eliminate any anaerobic places within the substrate that might help reduce nitrates, and also pull solid wastes into the substrate where it can cause increased nitrates.