How much room does live rock take up?

[PikachuSalad]

Putting together a 55 gallon reef - had FO tanks in past - have been reading and reading and reading and reading.

Slowly but surely getting the equipment I need with help from the fine people on this (and other) forum...(s).

Keeping a spreadsheet of stuff I still have to buy with prices...ANYWAY, I'm ready to add live rock TO MY SPREADSHEET...I know how much is recommended, but I don't know what a certain number of pounds will 8O LOOK 8O like in my tank.

I have also already learned on reefcentral that I actually need 60-65 lbs instead of the approximate 50-60 I was planning on, and that 55 gallon tanks suck...so...I know that too... :wink:

My question is, does anyone have a picture, preferably of a 4 foot 55 gal, that you could send me or give me a link to, and tell me how many lbs of what type of rock you have?

 

[FragMaster]

Type of rock denotes how much rock you will need ( for filtrations sake).
The more porus the rock the less you need,the more dense the rock the more you need. The whole pounds per gallon rule is realy silly. JMHO.

 

[slapshot16]

I have 45 pounds of live rock and 40 pounds of crushed coral. Here are some pictures.

 

[FragMaster]

WOW! Thats some dense rock! It looks nice though!

 

[MartinE]

Well some folks will talk about 1-1.5 pounds per gallon and rock porosity more pores the less rock you need and the less the more you need and you can go by that and be fine, but for the most part what you are going to keep animal/coral wise has a big part in what you choose to go with. Building a rock wall in your tank leaves no room for coral growth, or swimming room for fishes. I would say go with what you like and allow for room for your animals to grow and swim.

 

[rayman]

buy .80 lbs per gal, then but a little more as you see how much space you have and the setup you have


also if you have a sump ( or dont have one yet but are planing on adding one ) its a great place to hide away that extra stone, or the pieces that you dont like or that shrimp / crab / what ever you dont like

 

[PikachuSalad]

I have 45 pounds of live rock and 40 pounds of crushed coral. Here are some pictures.

That's helpful - Thanks!

 

[Saulsa]

does a drastically small powerhead compared to tank size make a difference if it is pointed right across a rock face or down the backside of the wall? to increase the amount of water that passes by the rock.

 

[jandree22]

PikachuSalad, 1# per gallon usually creates a nice amount to build on and not look too sparse, where as 1.5# per gallon will start to look pretty full in there. The 55 gallon isn't a bad size of tank... sure it's narrow from front to back, but there's still a good amount of swimming room and it's large enough to provide some stability in your water quality.

does a drastically small powerhead compared to tank size make a difference if it is pointed right across a rock face or down the backside of the wall? to increase the amount of water that passes by the rock.

Well, especially if you're planning to keep corals that require circulation, you're gonna wanna beef it up by at least getting another powerhead or two... and regardless, good circulation never hurts. That being said, if you have to work with what you got, of course point it where it's going to get the most mileage.

Something I've come to realize as I've learned more and more about this hobby, is that the importance of good water circulation is easily underestimated. If you're just talking about ordinary powerheads, it's a relatively cheap upgrade to just a few more in to make the system more happy.

I currently have two Maxi-Jet 12's in my 75 Fish Only, but because I'm probably gonna add corals and 'reef it', I'm looking into a type of pump called a Tunze Stream, which is MUCH more powerful than an everyday powerhead, but also is much gentler in that it's a wide stream and not a tiny narrow jet. People here love 'em, but, they START at about $150.

If you wanna go the path of money's not too much of an issue and you wanna get the best stuff out there, look into the Tunze. Otherwise, maybe invest $50 in two more conventional powerheads and call it day.

:welcome:
Also, WELCOME to RDO, both of you! If you lurk and hunt around this site, it is an unbelievable endless source of information. A good bookisn't a bad idea, either. Information never hurt anybody in this hobby. Good luck