Scrubber with NO live rock

[dtyharry]

Tell me if I am being dull but if a scrubber eats ammonia as a primary food then there is no necessity for live rock. If the algae eats the ammonia it will not be converted into nitrite and then nitrate. Sounds simplistic tell me if am missing something but far less bacteria will be needed in the tank which will also do wonders for the dissolved oxygen levels

[SantaMonica]

Basically true, but the problem is after you clean the screen.

[dtyharry]

Am thinking of setting up a seahorse tank with an alternative layout of marine rope, netting etc and so do not want live rock in the set up, probably a 2 feet cube tank. Want to keep things really simple so was thinking of two screens in a taller than normal lid which would drain straight back into the tank and if the screens were high enough could be lit from the main tank lights.

Dont want any external filters etc so just thought this could be a viable alternative, removing the ammonia before I have to worry about nitrite, nitrate etc and how to remove it.

Do you think the pods would be a sufficient source of food? Was thinking of two, two sided lit screens of approx 6 x 6 inches, approximate tank size 50 uk gallons. Great site by the way!

[new2scrub]

think I would build 2 screens, each large enough to do all the filtering and clean a different one each time

[SantaMonica]

You'd have to put the lights on the screens, and any leftover light would be for the tank. And I would still have sand.

It would make tiny baby copepods, probably only large enough for seahorse fry. If you wanted larger pods you would some gravel of various sizes.

Easier would we to make this:

http://www.radio-media.com/fish/NanoBuiltIn.jpg

[dtyharry]

What about mandarins and similar fish, would pod production be sufficient to maintain a couple of these? Just throwing some ideas around because it is intriguing to think that such a simple screen can do a similar job to all those thousands of pounds of equipment most people seem to think is necessary to run a marine aquarium. The sumps and plumbing would not look out of place on a nuclear reactor!

The modern trend seems to be for pastel sps tanks, does anyone maintain such a tank with a scrubber or is it deemed unnatural?

[SantaMonica]

Yes mandarins, scooters, anthias, pipefish.

Yes sps.

[dtyharry]

If I was not going to use live rock how would I go about starting the screen going. An ammonia source would presumably be needed and I don't want to add a fish like some do. Presumably some food would do the job. Will I get the normal ammonia level rise and subsequent fall? Presumably if the screen is going to consume the ammonia then nitrite and nitrate levels will not be seen.

[SantaMonica]

You can start it now but it won't grow much.