I have seen white's tanks that were complete water based. I've done white's setups with large amounts of water, but never a full aquatic bottom. Just remember to add in a sturdy holder for a feeder dish.
Elly, cycling a tank is easy. It's the waiting that most people have an issue with. If you do it correctly, it should take about 6 weeks to cycle (provided you don't already have mature media to use). In this day and age of instant gratification, nobody wants to wait anymore, so tanks fail.
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