Live Rock Question

[Silencer]

I got a question or two for PA or actually anyone who has their live rock. I'm almost done setting up my 180g tank and although most of my rocks are aggrocrete I'm going to need some actual live rock to seed it and get things started. Being my first saltwater tank and my first live rock there are a few things I'm not sure about.

1: Which kind of rock (or combination thereof) would you recommend for the most biodiversity?

2: Which kind(s) of rock would be best for providing the maximum amount of hiding places for the fish and other inhabitants of my tank? My aggrocrete rocks are relatively solid without any hiding places so I'll be relying almost exclusively on the relatively small amount of live rock that I add for this.

3: About how many pounds of rock would I need to completely fill a 20"x10"x10" area (about the size of a 10 gallon tank)? I'll probably need a little more than that but the major area I'm working with is that size so it would be a good reference for me. I'd prefer rocks that roughly range in size/shape from one or two apples stuck together to maybe two or three irregularly-shaped grapefruits. Irregularly shaped distorted or flattened cylinder shapes that lock together would be better than larger spherical shapes like a volleyball or basketball because of the size and shape of the base that I'll be placing them on. I'll try to get pictures of the area in question tomorrow.

My plan was to get a 50/50 mix of uncured Marshall and Kaelani rock but I'm not sure it's the best choice for my situation or how much I would need. I do plan to call in to discuss my specific needs when it's time to order in the next couple weeks but for now I'd just like to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with so I know what to expect and have a little more information to work with. Thanks.

 

[Jeremy B.]

1: Which kind of rock (or combination thereof) would you recommend for the most biodiversity?

The uncured Kaelini will give you the most diverse amount of life forms with it. The Marshall and Fiji would be right after that.

2: Which kind(s) of rock would be best for providing the maximum amount of hiding places for the fish and other inhabitants of my tank? My aggrocrete rocks are relatively solid without any hiding places so I'll be relying almost exclusively on the relatively small amount of live rock that I add for this.

IMO the Marshall has without a doubt the best shapes to it of any rock that is brought into the country in this industry. The fused branches and caves absolutely amazing. You also get a really nice lavendar/pastel purple coralline algae with it that is really nice looking. The Marshall stacks extremely well with it's shape too.

3: About how many pounds of rock would I need to completely fill a 20"x10"x10" area (about the size of a 10 gallon tank)? I'll probably need a little more than that but the major area I'm working with is that size so it would be a good reference for me. I'd prefer rocks that roughly range in size/shape from one or two apples stuck together to maybe two or three irregularly-shaped grapefruits. Irregularly shaped distorted or flattened cylinder shapes that lock together would be better than larger spherical shapes like a volleyball or basketball because of the size and shape of the base that I'll be placing them on. I'll try to get pictures of the area in question tomorrow.

To fill an entire 10 gallon tank you would need roughly 25lbs of rock. This will be a little more with Kaelini, and maybe just a little less with Marshall, but that is a pretty close average.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Jeremy
jeremy@premiumaquatics.com

 

[Silencer]

Awsome thanks, that's just the clarification I was looking for. I thought of one more question though. Does the discount pricing for rocks only apply to individual rock types (like the website calculates) or is it possible to get a discount based on total quantity? For example would I have to get 40lbs Kaelani and/or 40lbs Marshall to get the discount or would 30lbs Kaelani and 30lbs Marshall be good enough because the combined weight is over 40lbs?

 

[Jeremy B.]

Hi,

Unfortunately it would only be on individual types of rock. So you would need to get to 40lbs of one particular kind to get the 40+ discount.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[Silencer]

Ok that's what I thought. Now my next step is to finish setting up my tank so I actually have someplace to put some rock

 

[David Grigor]

A couple of things concern me. This is your first saltware tank and stating that most of your rocks are acrocrete.

Keep in mind that if you have too much dead rock that it is breading grounds for unwanted algae in all but the most ideal water quality because there is no coraline on the rock to out compete for space. It is really best to start out with quality LR then add small portions of dead rock a little at a time. Starting with too much dead at once could allow unwanted algae to grow on the dead that could take months to years to straighten back out.

On a new tank, IMO it is best to keep the dead rock to LR ratio less then half dead if putting it together all at the same time.

Can it be done yes, but an experience hobbiest who can really keep the water quality high has a much better chance of pulling it off than being your first saltwater. Your probably better off not using too much dead all at once.

 

[Drewpy]

^^^Dido that one^^^

 

[Silencer]

While I do agree with you it's not really an option in my case. I have eight 1.25" return lines for my closed loop embedded in my aggrocrete rocks and they are an integral part of the tank and it's circulation. I cannot remove them without removing more than half of my circulation and equipment. The one aspect about my rocks that is both a curse and a blessing is the fact that they basically are rock solid. It's bad because it provides no hiding places of filtration aspects but it's good because it's completely sturdy and it is extremely easy to clean them and remove any unwanted algae or anything else from them with one of those Dawn powerbrush things.

As you can see it is quite a unique rock setup. It's hard to tell in the picture do to lack of scale and depth but they look more like canyons/badlands than your standard rock wall. The large peice towards the right with a cave entrance at the front is where I plan to stack some of the live rock I get. Originally I was going to put corals on the removable lid of that rock (you can see the horizontal line where the seam is) but I've changed my plans. I'm going to take the lid out and stack live rock on top of the opening to raise the rockwork in that area of the tank another 8-10". Some of the rocks would rest between the large rock and the smaller ones around it creating some arches. This is why large spherical rocks wouldn't work well for me, they would cover all of the lip/rim of the main rock and not leave anywhere for the arch rocks to be placed. I will also place a handful of peices in other areas of the tank but not too many, I don't want to change the canyon look or take up too much of the remaining sand area.

The setup isn't without it's drawbacks but I think in the long run it will be worth it. I do have a 125g tank to be used as a refugium where most of the live rock will be placed along with some EXTREMELY porous aggrocrete that I made in a second batch with my remaining material. It should be able to provide me with a large amount of extra filtration to compensate for the display.