How much live rock should I add

[SFish]

For a mixed reef how many LBS/gal of live rock should I be adding to the DT?

 

[cloak]

How big is your DT? A lot of people like to go with 1-2 pounds per gallon, but this is not necessarily a requirement. I kind of like the minimalistic look, so I usually use less rock.

 

[SFish]

55gallon

 

[GMay]

I am with cloak. Many will say must have at least 1-2 pounds per gallon. I favor less as long as you get the look you want. This also leaves room to add pieces that are slightly larger rather than small frags.
Good Luck!

 

[Mythicalelf]

I'm doing mine with the minimal look shoo there is more room for coral.
I have 1 other piece I'm going to add but after that I will have 20lbs in a 29 gallon. It isn't polled up though it has a lot of arches.

 

[Reef Frog]

Leaving room for a sand bed can be helpful (that is if you want a sand bed). There are plenty of corals and inverts you may wish to keep that do best in a larger sand bed.

Also, if you obtain light, very porous (holey) live rock, you can use less of it because it has more surface area to support denitrifying bacteria in the interior, which some very dense live rock lacks.

 

[SFish]

Leaving room for a sand bed can be helpful (that is if you want a sand bed). There are plenty of corals and inverts you may wish to keep that do best in a larger sand bed.

Also, if you obtain light, very porous (holey) live rock, you can use less of it because it has more surface area to support denitrifying bacteria in the interior, which some very dense live rock lacks.

I was planing on getting a mix from BRS pukani is on the list for sure. I want to have a sand bed in the DT. What do you mean by larger?

 

[SFish]

I am with cloak. Many will say must have at least 1-2 pounds per gallon. I favor less as long as you get the look you want. This also leaves room to add pieces that are slightly larger rather than small frags.
Good Luck!

That's good to know. I was afraid I would have a big pile of rocks that I would have to stick in the tank.

 

[nmotz]

That's good to know. I was afraid I would have a big pile of rocks that I would have to stick in the tank.

If you have a sump, I'd recommend adding a MarinePure block or even the spheres. BRS did a neat little comparison between them and different types of LR and they actually performed pretty well in terms of porosity and surface area. This too can minimize the amount of overall LR needed in the system.

 

[SFish]

If you have a sump, I'd recommend adding a MarinePure block or even the spheres. BRS did a neat little comparison between them and different types of LR and they actually performed pretty well in terms of porosity and surface area. This too can minimize the amount of overall LR needed in the system.

I have 2 sumps. I didn't know about the MarinePure block. Looks pretty cool. I'll have to pick some up. I saw the BRS video.

 

[kegogut]

The bigger your sump the more rock you can have in it which means the less you gotta have in your DT. ( If you like that ) .

Ive got a 225 DT and a 225 sump with about 550 lbs of LR in the system total.

 

[SFish]

The bigger your sump the more rock you can have in it which means the less you gotta have in your DT. ( If you like that ) .

Ive got a 225 DT and a 225 sump with about 550 lbs of LR in the system total.

I just want the aquascape to look good. When I'm done then I'll figure out how much rock I used as long as I can get away with it. One sump is 20gallons and the other is 7gallons.

 

[kegogut]

I just want the aquascape to look good. When I'm done then I'll figure out how much rock I used as long as I can get away with it. One sump is 20gallons and the other is 7gallons.

Exactly. If you like a minimalist look go for it. If you like the stacked wall look,go for it.

Whatever floats your boat!