Live rock

[martlones]

I hear the rule of thumb for how much rock to get is the number of gallons ur tank is.. Example if u have a 75 gal tank then get about 75 lbs of rock well often can u add rock or fishes to the tank? because I've heard is bad to add too much at once or bad to add stuff to often..can someone please clarify on that?? thanks!!!

[kyrin01]

Some people say anywhere from 1-2 lbs per gallon for a reef tank. But that also depends on the type of rock you get aswell. Florida rock will be more dense and take up less space than other types of rocks. also think about whether you want an open layout or not.

also you can add as much LR to the tank if you want if its a new tank. But if its been up for a while you want to add small amounts to avoid a mini cycle due to die-off from the air exposure. Fish is a different story all-together. Wait till you have your tanks params stable then figure out what fish you want before buying. Then you need to make sure each of those fish are reef safe and will tolerate each other. then add the least aggressive first ending with the last.

Others will have differing input. just read read read, take your time aand you should do fine.

[whyzee429]

i definitely agree with the density issue. 75lbs of live rock that is dense will take up very little room in a 75. I know...I have a few small heavy pieces. They kinda work as base rocks, but that's about it...for me at least.

[Sgwjr1979]

it has less to do with weight and more to do with density. an extremely porous rock (which will be a better natural filter and create hiding places for good bacteria and some nice algae growth) will weigh ALOT less than what they call "base rock" I really enjoy the looks of Tonga branch and Indonesian and it is just PAPER light...I don't think 75 pounds would FIT into a 75 gallon tank lol it's the quality of rock and personal taste that dictate how much you need/want

[Lateralus]

Sgwjr beat me to it!

The thing about dense rock is that its less porous (less surface area) than say figi or Tonga so you may need up to 2 lbs per gallon when dealing with Florida/Caribbean.

@ Martlones:
If youre lookin to get the best bang for your buck try Craigslist. Atleast in my area I see live rock quite often usually still in a running system of some sort ranging from 2-3 bucks per lbs.

[drwilliams.52]

Set your tank up and make it look the way you want it to look. Don't worry about how many pounds of rock you have, just worry about liking your tank. If at some point, you feel you need more rock, you can piece by piece add more rock. Also, if you have a sump, you can always cram rock in their to increase your filtration. I don't believe in the 1-2 pound rule at all.

[kingfisher62]

I think 1to 2 pounds is a good rule of thumb. Hey, ya gotta start some where! As mentioned before get the less dense, more porouse rock it is much more beneficial!

[DC_40gallon]

Best thing (and most dangerous because you can get bad things as easily as good) is to get say 25 lbs, then add in 10-15 lb increments and this will allow for a variety of creatures to enter your new environment. I have 5 different sources for my 50 lbs of rock.

Also consider adding base rock and allowing it to seed to live rock. Cheaper and your doing to same thing through the cycle.

Another thing I do is about every 6 months I will add a handful of lice sand from a fellow reefers tank. Reason is that it allows for new life o ente your tank for more biological life o form.

I've even poured in a 4000 pods bottle of live pods. They will settle into the tank and turn your live rock into a NYC apartment!