How much live rock?

[Forkman]

Not sure how many pounds of live rock I might need for my 30 gallon nano reef tank startup, or what might be a fair price to pay for it. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Crabs McJones]

Not sure how many pounds of live rock I might need for my 30 gallon nano reef tank startup, or what might be a fair price to pay for it. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

Anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds of live rock would be sufficient. You could always use dry rock to save on cost, itll become live rock eventually ;). I got mine from www.reefcleaners.org

 

[Forkman]

Tha

Anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds of live rock would be sufficient. You could always use dry rock to save on cost, itll become live rock eventually ;). I got mine from www.reefcleaners.org

Thanks for your input

 

[Clinton]

My dude dry and patience unless thou hast money

 

[Clinton]

With money go 30lbs live and some live bacteria

 

[PatW]

The rule of thumb used to be 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon. But people are now going for minimalists aquascapes which would be about .5 to .75 lbs per gallon. Also a dense rock would need more poundage for the same effect as a rock that has all sorts of holes in it.

 

[Ron Reefman]

It can also depend on how heavy you intend to stock the tank. More fish means more poop which means more ammonia which means you need more bacteria which means more rock can be helpful. I have a 50g cube and about 30lbs of rock. But I have a good CUC and only 7 fish that are all small except for a very, very old and fairly plump pajama cardinal.

 

[Retro Reefer]

I have always went by the pound per gallon rule but with my current build I’ll be using less maybe around 1/2-1/3lb per gallon

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I used to go pound per gallon, but now I just use what I need for my aquascape design. If nutrient levels aren't what they need top be, you can add biofiltration to the sump in the form of siporax or seachem matrix.

 

[Reef Pets]

Use whatever amount you would like for aquascape. If you don’t feelits enough surface area for proper filtration then use spheres.
My new system will not have live rock at all, only spheres in the sump.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mari...MImMT9-r_62wIVk7bACh2qEwqsEAQYBCABEgJrD_D_BwE

 

[George millette]

I have 150 lb of rock in my 180, I want to add more! With that being said what would be the acceptable amount of rock to put in at one time without creating a cycle? It’s been up for a little over a year!

 

[40B Knasty]

1 pound per gallon. If you want to save money. Buy dead rock. Cure it. Then cycle it in your display tank. The last thing you want to do is be fighting with ammonia and algae.

 

[m0jjen]

Id say that the 1 kg / 10 litre or 1 pound per gallon is pretty outdated. With all cermic media and whatnot you have today you can get away with way less if you use and seed the media properly. Pretty much works like dead rock and need time to get colonised.

 

[Ghost25]

I went with Pukani dry rock after watching one of the BRS videos about which dry rock was the most porous. I ending up using around 25Lbs maybe a bit less just because that's what looked good in my aquascape. Obviously different rocks will weigh different amounts so the 1lb/gallon rule is just a ballpark. That said if I could do it over again I would absolutely go for an aquacultured live rock instead of dry rock. As far as I'm concerned the only advantage dry rock has is that it's cheaper and at the end of the day I think you pay more than the difference by way of headache and new tank issues.

When I first set up my tank it took months before I was past the diatom and algae blooms. When I moved after about two years I replaced my sand and ended up doing a ~50% water change and my tank was up and running perfectly within a day, all because my rock was fully mature. Plus I enjoy microfauna and microflora and I would like to get some of those cool hitchhikers that come from real aquacultured live rock.

 

[B-rad]

This largely relies on how you want your tank to look. If it is dry rock, buy more than you need and just play around with the pieces you get to find the style of aquascape that suites you. Sell the rest to local hobbyists as many of them are rock-hoarders such as myself. Marinepure has for me completely relived rock from any previous essential roles which leaves more flexibility to personalize your aquascape.

 

[FLSharkvictim]

Not sure how many pounds of live rock I might need for my 30 gallon nano reef tank startup, or what might be a fair price to pay for it. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

@Forkman - There is really no magic number to be honest it's up to you mate especially you on have a 30 gallon tank! More and more people are going with less live rock than ever like myself. In my new system, I want to have plenty of room to grow my out all of my Acropora's and Montipora 's. See I had a company called AquaRocks build me my center show piece and then I added two CeramEco's VidaRockWaves on each side of the tank. What I like about Vida is that it's bio-active ceramic reef rock. Plus, I will be adding 25lb show piece of Tonga Branch that had from my old system which will go either across the front of the 150 or the back. . I would contact Aquarocks or go with A VidaRock Bonsai TREE. What ever you do don't buy that purple Reel Reef Rock, stuff is not the best in my opinion since I have a few pcs left over... Anyways, check out my buddies site and let him know what you want and he will build your dream aquascape. Here is the website and let him know that i SENT you.
https://www.facebook.com/AquaRocks/



My Center Show Pcs hand made by Aquarocks

SCA RIMLESS 150

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I use what I need for the scape, which usually ends up being about .5 lb/g. My current tank with branch rock has 40lbs in a 90g tank, so a little less than 1 lb/g. I have Fiji mud and a little more live rock in the sump.