Live Rock Question

[Noober]

Ok I've read that there are lots of ways to do things in this hobby. I'm sure one day I will find what works for me, but until then I shall engage in discussion to pass the time between work and sleep. (haha) Anyway, I am a first timer when it comes to saltwater. I have a 50 gallon tank with 40 lbs of live sand in it and approx. 5 lbs. of live rock. (and one 5 dollar damsel which, god bless his soul, is nothing more than a lab rat and will be given back to the petstore when I get more live rock) The fish is living well and the live rock seems to be growing more colourful. I am considering buying 75-80 more lbs. of live rock to add to the tank. Some say I will need at least 100 lbs. of live rock for this tank along with 10 more lbs of live sand. Equal to 1 lb of sand per gallon and 2 lbs of live rock per gallon. Is this really going to matter that much? 40 lbs of sand per 50 gallons and 85 lbs of rock for 50 gallons.... Please give me some experienced info on the subject if you've got it to spare. Thanks Bunches, L8r On :ph34r:

[Ping]

We do not need as much live rock in our tanks as is written in many books or is recommended by sellers of rock. The 2 plus pounds of rock per gallon was a rule when the hobby first started to use LR in the U.S. The rock at the time was very dense = heavy, and from the Caribbean. With rock being from the South Pacific and much less dense, much less rock is needed.

Other factors in our hobby enabling the use of less rock is much better skimmer technology, the incorporation of fuges, deep sand beds, the use of RO/DI units and better salts.

If the rock is light and porous one pound per gallon will suffice.

[Rychek]

Welcome to MAAST Noober!

Some say 2 lb/gallon is a must for live rock, but I haven't really heard that here. I ran my 90 gal tank with ~80 lbs live rock when I first set it up, then added ~20 lbs of dry rock and it has been just fine for me. All of my basic parms are 0 (even nitrate). I would recommend at least 50 lbs of rock and 85 lbs would be great (I'm assuming your 50 gal tank is 36" in length). If you're going to add more rock, get rid of the damsel first. They are tough fish, but once you add more rock, you'll never catch the little devil. Besides, the rock will provide all of the ammonia you need to get your water cycling.

As for sand, I don't think lbs/gallon is worth as much as average depth. As a general rule, I've hear less than an inch, or more than four inches (it depends on whether or not you want to have a Deep Sand Bed).

[DrMark]

agree with above.
about 1-1/2 pounds per gallon is good place to start.
mark

[CoryDude]

Ah, a new reefer! Please kiss your wallet goodbye and any room you have on your charge cards! Welcome!

For porous Tonga or Fiji rock, you should get by with 3/4 lb to 1 lb per gallon. As for as the amount of sand, just get enought to make either a shallow (3/4") or deep bed (4").

Good luck to you!

[Noober]

Thank you all for your gracious cooperation with my new hobby! The tank I have is 30" X 18". It is a tall tank. I already had it, so I'm using it for my first reef tank. Once my saltwater addiction progresses I will probably get a shallow tank for better light penetration as well as making sure the tank is not temperd so I can drill it to bypass the overflow I'm soon to install, anyway that is in the future. I have a couple of pics here of some live rock I bought from the local petstore and it has lots of white dots on it. I'm not sure if they are snail eggs or calcium buildup or what it is. Anyway any insight would be wonderful! Thanks a ton! -Noober :blushing:
Here I'm going to try some html and bbcode.. (not sure what this forum allows)
<img src="http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/mpthreer/Aquarium/LiveRock3.jpg">
<img src="http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/mpthreer/Aquarium/LiveRock2.jpg">
<img src="http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/mpthreer/Aquarium/LiveRock1.jpg">

[Noober]

Looks like that didnt work. Heres the BBcode
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/mpthreer/Aquarium/LiveRock3.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/mpthreer/Aquarium/LiveRock2.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/mpthreer/Aquarium/LiveRock1.jpg