Why FOWLR?

[MSherman]

So I have had a mixed reef tank for about 5 years and am thinking about just having fish for awhile (take a break from the headache).
My LFS says get rid of the live rock and sand, it would be much easier and is not necessary since the protein skimmer will do all the work necessary for just fish.
Is he full of it? There isn't any work having the rock and sand stay. Is there any pros and/or cons.
Thanks

 

[Recty]

Live rock and sand give your fish something to chew on and hide in and sift through.

I've had a tank with plastic decorations and no live rock and quickly went back to having live rock. It just seems so much better and looks natural.

Live rock is also a very good source for keeping your water healthy by the bacteria it harbors. Sure, a skimmer could do the job but live rock really helps.

Anyway, I don't know why he would say the live rock and sand make it harder... it certainly doesn't. It might be easier to clean the bottom of the tank without sand there, but if you set up your flow right you wont have to clean the sand.

For what it's worth, in my last big FOWLR which was a 210, I went with only live rock and no sand and really liked that.

 

[LisaD]

live rock and live sand provide biological filtration, skimmer provides mechanical/chemical filtration. They are different and complementary. The ONLY reason I can think of to ditch LR and LS is if you were continuously treat with copper (as many LFS do).

I think it would be crazy to get rid of LS and LR - they help stabilize the tank. If you need to treat with meds, use a hospital tank.

BTW, my rule is to always confirm ANYTHING a LFS tells me. Many LFS owners/workers are not hobbyists - what they know is holding and displaying marine life, short term, not maintaining a stable and healthy tank for many years. And a lot of folks working at LFS mean well, but will act the "expert" when they are far from it.