Starting with dry rock, how all kind of interesting critters will get into my tank?

arturoo1977

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Hi all, question is from title.
In past I have used some live rock from different sources that include a bunch of different critters, good ones and others not so good also.... but....

Assuming a new setup with dry rock and all inhabitants in QT including inverts and corals (fish of course). How can a tank will fill with worms, stars and all kind of critters?
Is that going to be an "sterile" tank? With no other life but the one introduced in a controlled way?
 

Be102

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Hi all, question is from title.
In past I have used some live rock from different sources that include a bunch of different critters, good ones and others not so good also.... but....

Assuming a new setup with dry rock and all inhabitants in QT including inverts and corals (fish of course). How can a tank will fill with worms, stars and all kind of critters?
Is that going to be an "sterile" tank? With no other life but the one introduced in a controlled way?
I honestly can’t explain it either but life finds a way.
I actually found out that potentially say you got a fish at petco, brought it home... put in ur tank.. there could be some sort of life in the water that is in their body which like then will turn into life in your tank. Maybe I’m wrong but pretty sure someone told me that. Mind blowing
 

moz71

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to me, it takes just one frag even dipped things survive, eggs etc then the chain of life begins
 
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arturoo1977

arturoo1977

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For a new setup, few weeks a go I had to bleach many pieces of live rock due to aptasia outbreak.
After process conclude it was sad seeing a lot of dead stuff floating in water, life that was not at sight but it was going to be in my tank. After that I completed rock scape with dry rock.
So the question came in right away....
 

mtfish

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Spontaneous generation was disproved quite a while ago. If you are getting critters in your tank, they are coming in on something you put in the tank. They could be eggs or spores, etc. Starting a tank with completely dry rock and sand cannot produce this. You introduced them whether you knew it or not. Even starting with good live rock, the diversity will go down as not all things put into a tank can survive in our glass boxes.
 
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Here is the deal. You will start with dry but as the fish tank matures through the cycle and what you add over time life will evolve. There is no stopping Mother Nature. There is also no stopping good, questionable, or bad creatures from coming in. See my comment about not stopping Mother Nature. You will try, and try, and try again, to limit but over time it will win. Winter is coming.

Seriously people will dip, they will QT, they will look, they will use microscopes, phones, and drones. You will limit and mitigate. But again, you will not stop her. I upgraded from a 40 breeder. Not one sign of aiptaisa in the tank. Also had matted file fish and peppermints. No visible sign. I used 150 lbs of dry rock. First 8 months no signs. One day guess what shops up. Aiptasia. Hidden? Maybe. Frag plug? Maybe. Sport on a fish? Maybe.

The cycle is amazing. Life just happens. That is what is cool about starting dry. You get to see it evolve. Everything. If you want, and what I did, is I seeded the tank with some sand from another once I laid down the new tank. This way it got whatever worms and anything else and it spreads.

Enjoy the ride.
 

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