really now, how much live rock is enough.

[randymon]

I have a fairly new, (4 mos. ) 55 gal fowlr but am working towards a softies tank. I currently have aprox. 35-40 lbs of mostly figi with some tonga branch live rock, & 1 1/2-2 inches of live sand. I am also running a bak pac 2 w/ bio bale, an emperor 280 w/ bio wheel, & small aquaclear power filter. I want to pull the bio wheel & bale b-4 putting in corals, but am not sure if I have enough live rock to handle it. I like the looks of my tank & do not want to add anymore if not nessecary. Are there any reefers out there who run less than the 1-2 lbs per gallon & get away with it. I really hate the box of rocks look.
Tanks inhabitants.
1 percula clown.
1 domino damsel.
1 yellow tail damsel
1 yellow tang.
2 feather dusters
2 black sea cucumbers
1 sally lightfoot crab.
20 varius hermits
20 varius snails.

 

[Len]

Plenty of people I know run tanks with less then 1 pound per gallon. The 2 ppg rule of thumb is really an outdated guideline much light watts per gallon is. When rocks are used in conjunction with deep sand beds, you can get away with using very little. Personally, I'd add another 2-3 inches of aragonite sand to your existing sandbed for additional nitrification and denitrification. 40 lbs should serve you fine for your stocking list (in terms of nitrification capacity and habitation for your fish/inverts).

 

[ChrisRD]

I'll second Len's comments. IMO you have enough rock.

 

[Anonymous]

I concur as well.

I would just get the amount of rock that you are happy looking at. Then aquascape your tank to your hearts content.

Louey

 

[fishfanatic2]

There really is no true guideline, i have 2 lbs. a gallon: someone else has .5 lbs. a gallon. It's whatever suits your tastes. Be aware that less rock means less detoxifying surface.

 

[ChrisRD]

One of the reasons the lbs./gal. guideline is not very helpful is because different types of rock can vary widely in density. Wild harvested (Pacific) rock is generally much less dense than the aquacultured stuff. So, for example, a 5 pound piece of Fiji could be considerably larger (with much greater surface area) than a 5 pound piece of aquacultured stuff from the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[randymon]

Ok, everyone thanks for the welcome & great replies, but so now do I pull the bio wheel & bale all at once or slowly, & should I keep the 280 without wheel for xtra filtration or slap it on a Qt tank. Also is a dsb really that good cuz I dont much like the looks of those either.

 

[ChrisRD]

DSBs can certainly work well for denitrification, but your setup is fine the way it is IMO. You don't have to add sand if you don't want to. Also, keep in mind that you can always add more sand in the future if nitrates become an issue.

IMO the 280 would be fine for extra circulation (running empty) and it's a convenient way to run carbon/floss on occasion (just stick the cartridge in for a few days each month). They're also useful for collecting detritus by "storming" the rockwork with a powerhead or turkey baster and getting all the gunk into suspension for removal by the filter floss.

As for the biowheel - I don't think it really matters much whether you have it or don't - you don't need it IMO. And for the biobale - personally I'd just pull it - I doubt it's doing much in your situation.

You could trying pulling one thing each week, to be conservative. The aerobic bacterial colonies in the system are very adaptable and will adjust quickly. Filter cartridge > biobale > biowheel - or something to that effect...

HTH

 

[mkirda]

There really is no true guideline, i have 2 lbs. a gallon: someone else has .5 lbs. a gallon. It's whatever suits your tastes. Be aware that less rock means less detoxifying surface.

The 2 lbs per gallon 'rule' was created during the day when Florida live rock was still available. It is/was much, much denser than Fiji rock. Heck, now if you get good light Fiji rock, 2 lbs/gal would mean that the rock might break the surface!

Personally, I've always advocated around 1 lb per gallon of Fiji rock, then adjust to suit your tastes. I like very open rockwork, with lots of room for swimming fish, good water flow, and coral growth. YMMV.

Regards.
Mike Kirda