Wade Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 The guy that's going to build my house recently jumped into the saltwater aquarium hobby. He bought a AIO 55 gallon bowfront and has is up and running empty for a couple of months. He said he used one bag of live sand and a couple more of regular sand (I'm hoping it was aquarium sand). All decorations are fake off the shelf stuff like grass, sticks, pottery, etc. Probably all resin or plastic stuff made for an aquarium. I've not set one up without live rock before nor do I know anyone else that has so I'm unsure how a tank like this cycles. I talked to him last week and cautioned him against adding any livestock before the tank has gone through it's cycle. I don't know what test kits, if any, that he's using to determine if the tank has cycled. He sent me some pictures this evening of the 6 clown fish he added to the tank. Eeeeek. He also spoke about being on course to add coral in two months. I'm guessing it'll be softies. My question to you all is, how does a tank without live anything or the porous material to harbor bacteria cycle? Is it pretty much like a QT that just needs frequent water changes? I'm obviously very concerned about the future success of the tank and it's inhabitants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Every surface in the the tank, whether artificial or not, provides a place for bacteria to live. The beauty of live rock is all the surface area it provides in a small place. Before live rock people used bio-balls and such to provide that surface area. He can definitely run a tank without live rock, but I wouldn't place bets as to its stability. If he doesn't want rock in the tank then can you convince him to put it in a sump? The rock doesn't have to be in the display tank. He could use something like the Cermedia Marine pure block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 It's surprising how little surface area is needed for nitrifying bacteria for the initial cycle. That being said, there's so much beneficial stuff on live rock essential for a complete marine ecosystem I wouldn't set up a tank without it. If he has access to some liverock that's already been QTed for a month (aka "cured") it would be safe to add. Sadly though, he clearly isn't thinking about what's best for his animals or his system, it seems just what catches his attention. Your concerns are well justified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 15, 2017 Author Share Posted November 15, 2017 I did find out today that he's got bioballs in the center chamber of his overflow/sump that's on the back of the AIO. He said it was up and running empty for two months before he added anything but I don't know if he was ghost feeding the tank. I don't think he was though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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