cycling ?

[miniz2k6]

do you have to have live rock to cycle a tank? or can i just toss 2 cocktail shrimp in and wait a month? also, can i add sand later on after the tank has fully cycled or do i have to have the sand in the tank first?

 

[Pooks]

better to add sand first because it settles all over everything (fine sand) better to get a piece of LR and a damsil... If you add just shrimp you have to feed too much which defeats your purpose..

 

[Mariner]

You can certainly cycle a tank with dead shrimp, but if you're planning on having a reef tank or a FOWLR you should go ahead and get the Live Rock. The dead shrimp does a good job of kicking off the ammonia cycle, but that's about it. Ideally, you want as much inert surface area (rock, sand, etc) in the tank when it cycles as possible -- the surfaces will grow at least some of the beneficial bacteria that will develop in your tank, and the more beneficial bacteria that find a home, the better things will be You don't get that with a couple of shrimp.
FWIW,
Mariner