LiveRock Sump In Lieu of Wet/Dry?

[PsychoKnight]

Hi. Just converting from 20-some years of fresh, as of yesterday. Don't like live rock, about as exciting as looking at bio-balls for me. Like what it seems they do. Can I place a 40gal under my 57gal main tank & stock livesand & pack it with live rock, along with sufficient lighting (I can even install side-lighting if too much rock blocking light for lower pieces).

Why? I'm just starting to learn, but it seems to me that live rock might have denitrifying benefits which conventional bio-media doesn't, and this could reduce the amount & frequency of water changes for me. Does this sound right?

What will I have in the mainly FO upper tank? Just a few live rocks for hidding places which escaping fish might need, a few plant-plants (plants that actually look like plants, some of this marine stuff looks alien, but maybe it'll grow on me). Doing it this way would also allow me to maintain a low bio-load ratio by adding volume through the hidden lower tank.

What'cha think? Thanks.

P.K.

 

[1979camaro]

many people run a setup like you are describing...its called a refugium. it will work, and work well, but i live rock is vaulable in your display as well for creating breakups in territory. as far as bioload, territory will be your limiting factor if you run a 40g sump. not sure what a plant-plant is but there are certainly a lot of nice macroalgaes you could grow in your display. you will want a nice beefy pump to pull that water up out of your sump and you should be fine

 

[S.Reef]

Yeah...what camero siad. The plan sounds fine to me.