Enough food for my LR? 2 clowns

[fishbutt2]

At the moment I only want 2 clowns in my new setup. 20g being the main and 35 for the dump. How many lbs would I need in the tank? Considering adding chaeto and a skimmer. I was thinking 20lb, but now possibly some dry rock and myabe 4-5 LR ?

[sponger0]

Take the full estimated volume of tank and sump. So say its 35 gallons total. You should put 35 lbs of live rock.

[coralsnaked]

Take the full estimated volume of tank and sump. So say its 35 gallons total. You should put 35 lbs of live rock.

This would be the bare bones minimum amount. 1.5 lbs per gallon is better, but if you truly want a strong bio system w/ little trouble the new norm is quickly going to 2 lbs per gal.

I have seen guys taking 100 gal tank / sumps and loading with 200 lbs of rock. Do almost no water changes, little or no skimming, and have zero problems. Now most of these guys are hard line SPS who care nothing about fish anyway kind of guys. Personally I always go w/ 1.5 - 2.0 lbs per gal rule depending on what I plan to stock. Also suggest deepwater base rock. Very porous and very stackable for that canyon look. Also makes it easier to pack a lot of rock in the space allowed.

Its usually a pay now or pay later hobby. I like to pay up front and have a trouble free tank far down the road.

Happy Reefing

[fishbutt2]

gonna lable this misinformation, rocks based on the size of the tank not the bioload. If I had a 20g tank I would be told 30lb less rock for the same fish... I'll post what I dig up

[fishbutt2]

Then again dont take anyones word for it. im just going to check the water and see how it goes

[TjwBlake]

At the moment I only want 2 clowns in my new setup. 20g being the main and 35 for the dump. How many lbs would I need in the tank? Considering adding chaeto and a skimmer. I was thinking 20lb, but now possibly some dry rock and myabe 4-5 LR ?

The amount of dry rock to live rock is irrelevant since in a short time all of it is going to be live.

Its a balancing act really but more is better. If you have a sump you can load it up with rock and put less in the DT