Salvatore

He guys, just want to start up a pole and see what you all think. As far as a fish only salt water tank, how necessary is it to have live rock? I know it defiantly has its pros for the overall filtration of the tank but if you have to medicate what do you do?? A lot of medications will kill off live rock. Is it good enough to have a strong filtration system and that is it?? You can by many supplemental foods that you would not get because of the lack of the rock. Prows and cons, what do you all think

Tumbleweed

I would defently go with Live Rock in a tank. Even if it is a Fish only tank. The benefits way out way the cons. Having a biological filtration, suplemental food for the fish, looks, homes for the fish to make them feel safe. The only cons I can think of is price, and medications. And the medications isn't really a con, because you really should never medicate your main tank anyways. In getting into keeping a salt water tank, 1 of the most important buys is a quarentine tank. You should have one. If you don't want one or think you don't need one, then keeping a SW tank might not be for you. You will in the long run spend more time, money, and fustration on your tank with not haveing a quarentine tank, then you ever would by having one.

sgould

Definately go with live rock, IMHO. Filtration, added life in the tank, asthetics, etc...I actually can't think of much in the way of cons.

Trio123

With live rock is the easiest. You can keep a tank without live rock and supplement with good equipment but it is much harder to keep it healthy and create a nice habitat for the fish. There are mangrove tanks but those are much harder and still usually have a little live rock. But if you wanted to keep a tank without rock in it what you can do is put the rock else where in the system another tank just full of live rock or in an oversized sump. We do this is the store I work at and it seems to work well. And there are medications out there that call themselves reef-safe. And like they said, that is the one nessacary use of a pain in the butt quarentine tank

GreenMan13

Live Rock, same as above, only con would be cost but thats not even factoring in what you would spend to make up for not having the LR.