Is Live Rock more beneficial in the sump versus the main display?

Do you think that live rock is more beneficial in sump than it is in the main display tank?

  • In the sump

    Votes: 69 14.9%
  • In the display

    Votes: 188 40.6%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 59 12.7%
  • Not sure

    Votes: 147 31.7%

  • Total voters
    463

DeniseAndy

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I had to vote other as I keep a lot in the sump and only what I need in the display to make the aquascape I need for the animals. I have always overloaded my sump with rock. I have done this in my sps system, gorg, and now my softie/nem system. I have never had many issues with stability of parameters, just the typical hair algae issue I have now (never been this bad in like 10 years).

Because I keep so much in the sump, I always have spare live rock around for any small system or emergency situation for qt set up.

This is true for my large 210g display and my 40g/20g displays. I even use rubble in my 6g system in the HOB filter.
 

CnidaChris

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I voted display because it adds to the viewable biodiversity and also provides lots of hiding spots for your inhabitants.
 

Spinal Compass

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Live rock in the 300 gallon triangle display without sand because it's acrylic. I have a 200 gallon sump with 100# of sand with marine pure bioballs suspended above the sand in mesh bags using a PVC rack in the main compartment. Sump also houses a refugium in the secondary compartment and a protein skimmer in the third compartment and return pump in the fourth compartment. The sump is custom built as the stand to match the triangle tank.

20191208_133340.jpg 20200215_150030.jpg 20200215_150055.jpg
 

Spinal Compass

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Live rock in the 300 gallon triangle display without sand because it's acrylic. I have a 200 gallon sump with 100# of sand with marine pure bioballs suspended above the sand in mesh bags using a PVC rack in the main compartment. Sump also houses a refugium in the secondary compartment and a protein skimmer in the third compartment and return pump in the fourth compartment. The sump is custom built as the stand to match the triangle tank.

20191208_133340.jpg 20200215_150030.jpg 20200215_150055.jpg
 

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Poof No Eyebrows

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I say it is the same. One can argue flow in display, but couldn’t that work against bacteria not being able to do its job as well. Food for thought.
 

CoralB

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Like many here I also have rock in my sump . I can’t help but to believe that channeling the water in the sump thru the rock and turning the tank water volume over several times per hour would be more beneficial to the water column . And having rock in the tank as well is a bonus .
 

Steve Fast

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I replaced my sump rock with a moving bed biofilter reactor (MBBR), They are a more effective biofilter than rock or other systems. Dosing vodka and dextrose to eliminate nitrates
 

FishDaddy

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Rock in the sump has more dead spots and gets detritus build up. I put power heads in my sump on a power strip and turn on once in awhile just to flush and have no rock. I do have a separate 100 gallon Rubbermaid the overflow goes to with an mp40 with three large marine pure bricks before hitting the sump with a 4ft frag tank also plumbed. All rock rock has flow through on every side in the display, also important.
 

Dburr1014

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My vote was sump.
75 display, 50 Rubbermaid tub sump.
2/3 of the rock is in my sump. I have a 5 gallon tank holding cheato that the display water falls into then it falls into the tub. I have never dealt with algae in the display. Rock in the tub does get some light, not much, and is covered in coraline. I do every now and then use the powerhead that is in the sump to stir things up in the sump and move the rock around. (corals like the snow and cleans the rock in the sump) all the nuisance algae pretty much stays in the small tank that holds the cheato.
 

Timfish

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I don't see that it matters if it's in the sump or in the display tank. The cryptic sponges so critical for processing hydrophilic and hydrophobic labile DOC will do well anywhere lighting is dim.
 

bnord

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I don't think it's the location that matters. I bet when you moved it a lot of gunk and build up came off which let it breathe better and is now doing a better job at what it does.
Agree with this point - i for one forget about giving the scape a good “blow-off” with the baster in those areas in the flow shadows - and impressed with how much the system responds to it when i do
 

bnord

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Surface area is surface area and either sump or display are options to be exploited. Different management of the different zones ought to lead to diversity - so light and flow in the sump will be different, to the overall benefit of the display.
i feel a lot of the emphasis on the minimal aquascapes fails to keep in mind the needs for territory and social aspects of the fish/mobile inverts, and so i keep a balance their too. Lastly, peppermints in my sump keep the aptasia away
 

Cauf E. Bean

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Having tried to read through all the comments to get some answers, I have also collected a number of questions that popped up throughout the thread but haven't been answered (at least I didn't catch the answer if it was there):
  1. Are Live Rock and seasoned (i.e, already hosting live bacteria) Marine Pure Blocks (MBPs) interchangeable?
  2. If Live rock is in the sump, should there also be CUC in the sump?
  3. Should the Live Rock in the sump be lit?
  4. Are there any negative consequences to the idea that might propagate over time - (think deep sand bed in the DT and the consequences of that cesspool)
  5. Should Live Rock be augmented with other beneficial hosts (sponges, etc.)
Not sure I am an authority, but I'll take a crack at answering these and then the collective can show me why resistance is futile:
  1. I would say that 2 year old live rock and 2 year old MPBs are equivalent. Yes, there are probably some differences, but the percentage of differences at this point should be very small. I would go with Live Rock if I have enough - but if not, I'd just as happily go with the MBPs.
  2. This one I have more questions than answers - but I would. I think snails and emerald crabs would be a great choice. More controversial might be to intentionally add some bristle worms to the rock since they are beneficial. I'm less sure about any other CUC option, though. Would love to hear other opinions.
  3. I'm going with yes on this - but a refegium light would be my choice - nothing near the standard we need for coral growth. I would also have it on a shorter cycle - maybe up to 4 hours a day.
  4. I am clueless here
  5. Again, I'm sure sponges would be a great choice based on what others have noted about low light requirements, but need help and choices here if others have opinions.
thanks!
Jason
 

salty150

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Other than providing much needed hiding places for our animals - and places to graze for food, (and places to put corals), etc....

Does it really matter where the rock is - display or sump...?
 

srobertb

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I have a different question tho:
Can biobrick actually replace liverock??
I have a bio brick located in the back of my 120g AIO. The flow is minimal back there, I haven’t touched it, and there’s very little light. Over a year the brick has 50% disintegrated and left a mini ultra fine sand bed back there. In a high flow DT these things would melt quickly. The bioball versions held up much better and I could remove and rinse them without concern they would turn to dust.
 

Scotts210g

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Help me out today! Recently (a few months ago) in an anticipated tank move I started moving live rock from my main display to the sump in order to be able to catch fish easier, move coral etc. Since then my tank has stabilized much more it seems and algae is almost non-existent. This after I also removed my skimmer and algae scrubber months ago as well. I am thinking that the more water flowing through the sump cover more of the surface area of the rock resulting in a more stable environment. Let's talk about it today!

Do you think that live rock is more beneficial in sump than it is in the main display tank?

image via @devocole
A113F6AA-554A-4697-8272-E208F954423D.jpeg
RevTree I see the the PS in one of the sections of the sump, are you running that at all? It doesn’t look like it’s on from the pic. I am firing up my 210 and today was bio load day for the sump, so this is very timely.
i could save electricity costs wo a PS!
 
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Laith

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I don't see why it would be more beneficial in the DT vs the sump or vice versa. You have the live rock as a bacteria filtration medium. As far as I know, the denitrification bacteria don't care if there is light or not? Unless I'm misinformed about this...
 
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