how much live rock?
- Thread starter Beemo
- Start date
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6963639#post6963639 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Beemo
ok im such a dummy its live rock lol
so this is a good deal, 70 lbs cost 120 bux plus 90 shipping (i think) for a total of $210, thats perfect
thnx
I'm a newbie say take this with a grain of salt but it's my understanding that foundation rock is the equivilant of the foundation for a new home. It's butt ugly but the good part is that you don't see it. If you use foundation rock to build your whole reef it's going to look about the same as if you just poured cement straight into your tank. Plus, I keep thinking that foundation rock isn't as porous as show rock which means it won't serve as a natural filter as well as higher quality live rock will.
I've read a few threads on this site that say it's okay to use foundation rock for 30%-35% of your total reef. I believe you should have 1-1.5 lbs per 1 gallon so assuming you go with the minimal you would need about 55 lbs of live rock. You could get away with about 18 lbs of foundation rock (and use it as stated..... for the foundation of the reef) and then 37 lbs of quality live rock. You'd be better off looking for a site that offers free shipping on orders over a certain amount.
I found this site as well as this site that both offer free shipping on live rock. The two problems you are going to run into is 1) most sites sell their rock in 25 lbs or 50 lbs orders (leaving you 5 lbs under the bare minimum) and 2) most places sell the live rock as the packed weight, not the actual live rock weight. In theory you could place an order for a 50 lbs order of Fiji Live Rock. In actuality you might get between 40-45 lbs. Hope this might help a little.
whiteshark
Active member
i have about a 50/50 live to base rock ratio. looks fine. If you keep your water params in check it will look like the rest in as few as 4 or 5 months. Check out this site, the base rock is great, capt. Jer is helpful and nice. He will even send you a pic of exactly what you will get and you can change it if you don't like it.
http://www.reeferrocks.com/
http://www.reeferrocks.com/
sarduci
Premium Member
No live rock here. None at all. You can have a fish only, a fish only with live rock (definately don't need 1 to 1.5lbs/gallon to do that but most people say that), or a "reef" tank (that defination is open it opinion also, anywhere from 1 to 3lbs/gallon).
If you want to go with live rock, buy some dry (base) rock like hirocks.com. Then get a few decent pieces of different types of rock from different places from one company. It'll cut down on shipping and gives you differnt mico/macro fauna for your tank.
BTW, my tank is full of 'pod just from the frags I've bought. My coral QT is crawling with them and when the frags move from QT to my display, some of them hitch along on the frag plug/rock that it's on.
Good luck with whatever choice you make!
If you want to go with live rock, buy some dry (base) rock like hirocks.com. Then get a few decent pieces of different types of rock from different places from one company. It'll cut down on shipping and gives you differnt mico/macro fauna for your tank.
BTW, my tank is full of 'pod just from the frags I've bought. My coral QT is crawling with them and when the frags move from QT to my display, some of them hitch along on the frag plug/rock that it's on.
Good luck with whatever choice you make!
I'll assume 50/50 is okay and even give you that it "looks fine" after a few months but if the poster wants something that serves the purpose of not only looking good but filtering at the highest level possible he might want to invest in a higher quality rock.... especially considering he could get a higher quality rock for the same price through a different seller. The pro's of going with a low quality foundation rock seem to only be price. The con's range from poor filtration, more frequent water changes ($ and time) and dead fish ($). There may be more con's but I couldn't really say. In the end, if this is definately the hobby for you, long term, the best bet is to go with higher quality items that will aid in the filtration. In the end the slightly higher cost could save you a lot of time, money, fish, corals, inverts, etc.
We are probably all coming from a different perspective. If the poster only wants something that's visually appealing he could go with any old plastic reef replica from Petco. The question is whether he wants his reef to aid in filtration or whether he just wants something that looks nice.
Beemo
Moved On
yeah i want it to aid in filtration and looks lol
i guess ill just have to spend 300 bux on fiji premium.
in my 10g nano i splurged on solomon and tonga but i only needed 15 lbs so cost is very affordable.
im still mixed up with live aquarias foundation rock, here is the link, it says its "live" so what do you think it is? is it fake rock like concrete or something? it actually just sold out lol
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2391
i guess ill just have to spend 300 bux on fiji premium.
in my 10g nano i splurged on solomon and tonga but i only needed 15 lbs so cost is very affordable.
im still mixed up with live aquarias foundation rock, here is the link, it says its "live" so what do you think it is? is it fake rock like concrete or something? it actually just sold out lol
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2391
Alaskan Reefer
New member
Pick what you like, most anything will work. Unless you're looking for rock that's beautiful right from the get go, it doesn't really matter -- it all filters about the same in a couple of weeks and it all looks the same after a few months. The rock in this tank is a mix of stuff I had in my yard (rock garden) for a couple of years, some that I got out of a rotten old dead tank that stunk and was covered in algae, and some that was actually purchased to be in the tank.
I have about 80 pounds in my 125 and it's more than enough for my taste. It's all on PVC stands so it goes further and keeps the area under the rock cleaner because flow can reach it. For most newer reefers, though, you should probably have at least a pound per gallon since it gives you a nice buffer / extra filtration capacity in case something goes wrong elsewhere.
I have about 80 pounds in my 125 and it's more than enough for my taste. It's all on PVC stands so it goes further and keeps the area under the rock cleaner because flow can reach it. For most newer reefers, though, you should probably have at least a pound per gallon since it gives you a nice buffer / extra filtration capacity in case something goes wrong elsewhere.
Alaskan Reefer
New member
That Fiji foundation rock from live aquaria looks good. As mentioned, it will all be purple in a few months anyway if you provide a good environment for coraline growth. The rock in my center island came out of the yard, was bleached for 3 days until it was ripping white and clean, then spent 6 months in a buddy's tank before coming to mine. From the yard to 90% coraline coverage in 6 months.
Bottom line is you don't have to spend for primo rock to have primo looking rock if you are just patient and promote coraline growth.
Bottom line is you don't have to spend for primo rock to have primo looking rock if you are just patient and promote coraline growth.
Alaskan Reefer
New member
Well it's not "yard rock" so much as it's an assortment of aquarium rock that I had thrown in the yard. Most was various types from freshwater tanks of old, along with some old decorative coral skeletons and who knows what. You need to use porous rock, of course, and it needs to not contain heavy metals that will leach into your water. My point was you don't have to buy premium stuff -- you can literally throw it outside for years and it will still look good in months if you do the system right.
IMO, the key to keeping sand clean is lots of flow in the tank and patience as you go through the inevitable algae blooms in the early months of a new tank -- this one is 9 weeks old and I did have a diatom bloom at one point that lasted for all of a day. I also use sand that is larger in grain size than southdown, just so I can siphon it and not lose it in the process -- IMO siphoning or at least regular stirring is essential in a shallow sand bed.
IMO, the key to keeping sand clean is lots of flow in the tank and patience as you go through the inevitable algae blooms in the early months of a new tank -- this one is 9 weeks old and I did have a diatom bloom at one point that lasted for all of a day. I also use sand that is larger in grain size than southdown, just so I can siphon it and not lose it in the process -- IMO siphoning or at least regular stirring is essential in a shallow sand bed.
Alaskan Reefer
New member
Oh and thank you for the compliment on the tank. I love island tanks, and would like to see another of course! They leave lots of room for coral growth and swimming room even in a mature fully grown out tank. My 75 had a lot more rock in it, and was my rendition of "Nemo's trench" with a top to bottom trench down the middle with vertical walls. I liked it a lot, but not enough coral room...
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