Fish only.. Getting started

[kcmo lawman]

You could do that, but I would advise against the use of the Bio Wheels themselves. They tend to become nitrate factorys. On top of my powerheads, skimmer, and live rock that I use for filtration I also have an Emporer 400 Bio Wheel filter that I use for added water movement and phospate removal if needed. With my Emporer I took out the Bio Wheels so it is just a big box with a spray bar for some added water flow. This allows me to move more water and put in some filter media to help with the water quality if needed.

Bradd

 

[FreddytheFish]

Can i use just regular sand and some big rocks and have a "good" tank that will function well?

Course you can. You do not have to have live rock in a tank. It is reccomended, but not a must. You could always just get a couple lbs. and some non-live rock. If you don't want to, you don't have to get live rock.