What is the right amt of LR to use for a Reef Tank?

[georgeortiz]

Hi guys,
I am new to maast. There seems to be varying opinions on the amount of live rock is needed for a Reef Tank. It seems I have seen anywhere from 1 to 2 lbs even 3lbs suggested. What is the general consensus out there?
I am going to start my 110 gallon and currently have 90 lbs of base rock set aside. All carib-sea product since I seem to hear good things about thier substates. The shipping killed me! But, it still came out to a buck a lb. This was the best deal I could find.
Unfortunately I could not find anyone who was tearing down one of thier tanks so I had to go this way.
The plan is to seed with live rock when I cycle. So I will stop the rambling. What is the appropriate amount of rock that should be used?[/img]

[::pete::]

Some rock is more dense than others so it would come down to also a preference of how much you wanted in your tank. On the web and in books it suggests 1-2lbs per gallon and in my 100gal I have 250lbs of mixed density.

[brewercm]

Probably like Pete said, I have around 100 pounds in my 75.
Not exactly sure on the weight but just going off of what I can remember putting in and taking out at different times.

Welcome and I'd love to see what you're doing with that in wall thing when I drop the lights off to you. I've been debating the same thing when me make our next move.

Cliff

[TexasState]

It's up to your preference. Some peoples like the wall of rocks look. Some prefer islands & open lagoon looks.
http://www.txstate.edu/~xp42012/2002/june-02-125-.jpg
http://www.txstate.edu/~xp42012/

[Tim Marvin]

I usually use about 1.5 lbs per gallon of Premium Fiji. The best thing to do is just get what you think is enough and then add choice pieces to fill the gaps. Don't forget a lot of soft corals come attached to small pieces of rock so you will need some gaps for corals.

[georgeortiz]

I have never heard about the density of the rock being a factor. Do you mean a dense rock carries more weight so I should go by the volume taken up by the rock I use? Or am I just really reading too much into the whole thing?
I thought I would probably add another 30 to 40 lbs of live rock when I get my tank started and gradually add more over time to get to my target of 200 lbs LR. I know the more rock I can add at the beginning will shorten the amount of time my tank settles in since the system will have to adjust with each new bio load added. Any suggestions? School me If I have it wrong. I am a willing apprentice if one of you experienced reefers is willing to drop the knowledge. Thanks!

[Richard]

1 - 2 lbs is a good rule of thumb but the density of the rock can impact this. I think a better rule of thumb is 20 - 25% of your tank volume. Also keep in mind that many corals come attached to rocks so you need to leave some room for them.

[eleyan]

I have never heard about the density of the rock being a factor. Do you mean a dense rock carries more weight so I should go by the volume taken up by the rock I use? Or am I just really reading too much into the whole thing?


georgeortiz, For example, I had a mix of limestone as my base rock with fiji live rock to seed it. The lime stone was much denser, so a piece os rock of the same size of lime stone was about twice as heavy as the fiji. Ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But the less denser rocks are better, because it means there are lots of pores and holes in the rock, hence more surface area and more places for nitrification and de-nitrification bacteria.
Currently i have about 80lb of fiji in my 72G. I thinks its a little on the low side, but I like the way its setup now.

[alexwolf]

I have 250+ in my 135, and its almost too full for my preference.

[::pete::]

I wasnt trying to confuse with "the density" just wanted to make you aware so you didnt for example have 4 pieces of rock in there hitting your target weight. Be sure the rock is cured that you add later.

[georgeortiz]

I think that I understand now. The less dense rock is more porus therefore more surface area which is an important factor in the reef system.
So I guess I should start looking at setting up a seperate system to cure the live rock I will be adding after I cycle initially.What are the setups some of you guys are using. Does a 40 gallon tub with skimmer and a power head for circulation sound sufficient?

[brewercm]

Not sure the skimmer would be a requirement, but wouldnt' hurt if you have an extra sitting around. Could be wrong there and someone will let me know if I am (no professional here).

I've heard tub, powerhead, and heater if temp may be a problem.

[eleyan]

I've never cured live rock at home, but I remember reading that using the skimmer in the curring process is a good practice. Basically, during the two weeks of curing, all the dead stuff on the live rock will be decaing in the tank, so the skimmer will help keep that tank clean not to kill of the organizms still alive on the live rock.

[matt]

Definitely use a skimmer when curing live rock, IMO. Ideally you'd have such a strong filtration system that there would be little or no secondary mortality on the rock from the curing environment. A plastic tub with a powerhead or two and a skimmer will work fine; try to keep the water temp in range, though, and if there's any coralline algae on the rock, you might want to get some light on it as well. You can skip all of this by buyng good quality cured rock. When you're ready, post something in the wanted to buy forum and you'll get lots of responses.

[matt]

Oh yeah, i forgot. The appropriate amount of live rock is whatever you want. If you're also running a good sand bed, you don't really need the rock for biofiltration. If you're running no sand bed, just make sure there's enough rock to make it look the way you want. You don;t need to fill the tank as so many people do. In fact, it's much easier to get a nice flow characteristic in the tank with less rock.

[cac]

Where did you get your base rock? A buck a pound sounds good to me. Might need to go your same route.

[georgeortiz]

thanks matt,
I am going to use 150 lbs of southdown. I lucked out and have a brother with in laws in PA. and he was able to get me some over xmas break. This should give me about 2 inches for a sand bed. I sort of like the less is more idea but, most everything I have seen stresses the large amounts of LR for filtration. But, the aquascape with the live rock spread out appeals to me a little more.
I will definetly post in the wanteds for cured LR as I get things started. I am also going to run a 20 gallon fug with a plenum so this will help with the bio filtration as well.

I think someone asked where I got my base rock from. I bought it from customaquatics.com. They carry the 25 and 50 lb boxes of carib-sea reef base rock and 40lb box of reef bones. The thing that gets you is the shipping. All in all It costs me about 1.70 a pound. Sorry I made it sound like it was closer to a dollar. I exagerated a little.

[Tim Marvin]

Cac, Greg and Eric bought a 2,000lb pallet of reef rock and are culturing it in large tubs. It was originally dry rock so you are free of bad algea and hitch hikers. The only draw backs are: it isn't as loaded with life as Premium Fiji, not heavy coralline growth, and slightly heavier. If you are patient and dose Kalk this rock will quickly color up and look just like Fiji. I have bought it in the past and after keeping it for a few months I could not tell the difference. Great rock, and definately a great price! I'd buy it if I were you. I still have one piece that looks alot like a skull with the eyes holes and all...LOL...

[georgeortiz]

Thanks, for the tips. I will let you know.