Live rock and live sand have bacteria and other cool life forms, for sure. Adding them will speed up the cycling process a lot, and will add a whole lot more living organisms to the tank. Starting with dead, sterile rocks and sand won't have the extra life, but the bacteria itself basically materializes out of thin air. It just takes a lot longer for the tank to cycle this way.
I live in a small town with no SW LFS, or any other reef keepers that I know of, so I'd be limited even if I wanted LR or LS. I've got a mild touch of OCD, so my biggest issue was always trying to rearrange the LR to something sturdy and appealing aesthetically. The DIY rock works well for me.
I'm going to use pure ammonia instead of a dead shrimp. I've decided to start my tank off as clean as possible. Shutting down an established tank is messy and smelly, and my job will keep me moving around every few years. I'm really aiming for simple, portable, and hassle-free. (The less time I have my hands in the tank, the better.)
The DIY rock I have was never used in a tank before. It should do the trick, though, once its cured. It's fairly porous. Most of the bacteria will be in the lava rock I plan to put in the canister filter, though.
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USED VOLCANO VAPORIZER