How much rock?

[JayReefs97]

in a 60 gallon tank is 1lb per gallon of rock the general rule or can I go less if I want a more open feel? Will having less create a bioload issue?

 

[Idech]

The less you have, the less bacteria and micro inhabitants can live in your tank. Your biological filtration is in your rocks, so you need to have enough.

There are ways to aquascape with an open feel. Make sure to have caves for your fish.

 

[B&CinB.C.]

If you have a sump you can put extra rock or other bio material in it to increase your biological filtration

 

[JayReefs97]

If you have a sump you can put extra rock or other bio material in it to increase your biological filtration

It is an AIO tank, I am planning on add some marinepure block from my existing setup into a rear chamber, should I still go close to 1lb per gallon?

 

[Jack_L]

its a rule of thumb, different rock weighs different by size too. i am new to salt, but decades in fresh, and i can tell you bacteria is small and lives everywhere. in fresh, once the tank was cycle i never saw ammonnia or nitrite again, and i would add 100 dither fish sometimes. there was no rock in my tank, just sand, poret foam and driftwood. when i was lookng at ideas on how to scape reef, i saw a LOT LOT of tanks with very little stone in them. and now what is affordable is dead base rock, so its adding nothing but surface area IMO. 20 years ago when i toyed with salt, the norm was real live rock filled with life.

 

[Roatan Reef]

1Lb per gallon is fine, but whatever you do, even if you use some dead rock to make your Scape, add at least 20% of Live Rock, either from the ocean or a place like @LiverockRocks or if you have an LFS with Cycled base rock that is kept wet. Trust me.

 

[PharmrJohn]

1Lb per gallon is fine, but whatever you do, even if you use some dead rock to make your Scape, add at least 20% of Live Rock, either from the ocean or a place like @LiverockRocks or if you have an LFS with Cycled base rock that is kept wet. Trust me.

Agreed. You can have less, but as stated above, it can be a limitation. LOL, it used to be 2lbs per gallon 15 years back!

 

[JayReefs97]

1Lb per gallon is fine, but whatever you do, even if you use some dead rock to make your Scape, add at least 20% of Live Rock, either from the ocean or a place like @LiverockRocks or if you have an LFS with Cycled base rock that is kept wet. Trust me.

Perfect, I have 30 lbs that will be moved from my existing setup into my new tank when it arrives and I will add another 30 lbs.

 

[exnisstech]

I have to say having multiple tanks running I couldn't tell you how much rock is in any one of the tanks. I scape to my liking and make sure there are plenty of places for fish to hide and coral placement and call it good. I do tend to add as much as I can but I do it visually with no concern to weight. I've also never calculated flow rates or turn over volume. I've just never felt the need to calculate such things. I've never been accused of over thinking things lol

 

[vandy]

I have .25lb/gal in my display. i have no issues. Don't forget, nitrifying bacteria will live on all surfaces of your tank, not just your rock. If you start running nitrate issues down the road you can add more, but you can definitely tailor your tank stocking to not exceed your bacterial capacity. There are many pros to not having increased surface area for bacteria to live -- the main one being a higher ph

 

[ActidentalFragLord]

in a 60 gallon tank is 1lb per gallon of rock the general rule or can I go less if I want a more open feel? Will having less create a bioload issue?

Aquascaping has evolved. Many reefers run minimalist NSA open layouts with far less than 1 lb/gal and have thriving tanks.

What matters is surface area for beneficial bacteria, not pounds.
A few points that help:

High‑quality porous rock (Marco, Pukani, Real Reef, etc.) provides tons of surface area even at lower weight.

Your sandbed, glass, and equipment also grow biofilm and contribute to filtration.

If your still concerned, biomedia (like MarinePure, Maxspect blocks, etc.) easily supplements any “missing” rock.

 

[Prijrco]

I purchased 165 of real reef rock and I couldnt even use it all. Ended up sending back 55 lbs. I did order about 20 lbs of shelf rock and few random arches and plate cups. Maybe it was the awkward shape of the rocks but I couldn't make it work. I'm new to this so still trying to find the right balance and build a good scape.

 

[JayReefs97]

Aquascaping has evolved. Many reefers run minimalist NSA open layouts with far less than 1 lb/gal and have thriving tanks.

What matters is surface area for beneficial bacteria, not pounds.
A few points that help:

High‑quality porous rock (Marco, Pukani, Real Reef, etc.) provides tons of surface area even at lower weight.

Your sandbed, glass, and equipment also grow biofilm and contribute to filtration.

If your still concerned, biomedia (like MarinePure, Maxspect blocks, etc.) easily supplements any “missing” rock.

I went with the AF dry rock as it is extremely porous and light weight, I also like the purple look. The 40 lb box comes with A LOT of rock in many shapes. Definitely get more pieces for the price because of how light it is.

 

[ActidentalFragLord]

Yeah that makes sense. AF rock is super porous and lightweight, so you get a lot of surface area without needing a ton of weight. The different shapes in those boxes make aquascaping a lot easier too. If you’re aquascaping, I’d definitely do it before you submerge the rock.. it’s way easier to position and secure everything while it’s dry