How much live rock

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jim barry

jim barry

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Jun 21, 2006
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How much live rock would i need to be any good as a filter aid in a 180 gallon system ?
What do i use instead of bio balls in my trickle tower if i go to salt from freshwater system ?
Is Araga-alive sand beneficial to use ?
IAs you can probably tell i am thinking of going from fresh to a fish only salt tank !
 
LR you will need 1.5 - 2 lbs per gallon of total volume of tank(s)
So take for example you have a 180 gallon + Sump volume of 75 gal = 255 gal. You would need approx 380+ lbs of rockwork based on 1.5 lbs.
For bioballs, you can remove completely and use live rock rubble to replace.
Sure the sand will work. Keep in mind how much sand you will need to put into the tank.
Don't try and make this more than what it is. A FO system is the easiest system to put together. Just make sure you have enough LR for bacteria to grow.
 
OMG that is a lot of live rock !!
I make that 170 kg and that is a LOT of money !!!
 
jim barry;2724261; said:
How much live rock would i need to be any good as a filter aid in a 180 gallon system ?
What do i use instead of bio balls in my trickle tower if i go to salt from freshwater system ?
Is Araga-alive sand beneficial to use ?
IAs you can probably tell i am thinking of going from fresh to a fish only salt tank !
Click to expand...


1 pound per gallon has always worked for me, if you're looking to save some money cut it with about 30% base rock, but you're going to have to let it cycle longer and it will take longer to establish

for the filter you can do live rock rubble, scubby pads (NO fungicides please) ceramic rings, really coarse gravel, lava rock (don't really recomend it though)

live sand is fine, but it clouds water longer and costs a little more
dry sand you have to wash really well, but is cheaper
they are kinda even, so just go with what you prefer... i've only seen oolite sand come dry so that's what i like and buy

going from fresh to FO isn't as hard as it seems, unless you try to keep crazy-hard-to-keep fish...
just remember to top off the water with fresh and to check refill water for correct pH and salinity
 
i've found that 1.5-2 is really what you're going to need if you're using that as your primary filtration, or keeping cryptic fish.. if you're going to have a sump or trickle filter i don't really think it's necessary, but not a bad idea if you have the money
 
I have a 4 foot sump with trickle tower that i would put live rock rubble in. Does this mean i could get away with using less live rock ?
 
technically yes.

if this were my system, i would incorporate an in sump skimmer, and use only 50-60lbs of live rock, of course this depends on what you want to keep for fish. Eel, need rock to hide, etc........

with that said you can get dry sand and all the rock live, let the tank cycle, and your sand would become live over time. You cut a lot of cost this way. The skimmer is primarily there to pick up what the rock cant handle, because of the less amount being used.
 
yes you could...

unless you're keeping cryptic fish like marine bettas, eels, brotulas etc wherer the rockwork is needed for shelter
 
So can you use a mix of live rock and the standard tuffa rock etc to help fill up the tank and make caves and stuff ?
 
Just remember that the less live rock and sand you use the longer it will take for the tank to cycle and become alive. The amount of live rock is all in the eyes of the beholder and how he wants his tank to look. It also has to go with what kind of fish he wants to keep. I have always been a light live rock kind of guy. I am currently doing a 75G and i plain on doing about 60lbs of live rock. What i always used to recommend to my custimers is that if you have 100G tank then you will need 100lbs of live rock. That's for optimal filtration and fast cycleing (only if the rock is curred). If you like you can search my SN for threads. You will find my old reef tank that was 150G and it had wayyyyyy less rock then what recomended and it perfect. You will still need a very good skimmer regardless and a fuge wouldn't hurt ether. So basicaly i recomend 1lb per 1G.
 
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