How do you know if you don't have enough Live rock?

[madmax7774]

In my old 75G tank, I had 100lbs of rock which consisted of about 35 lbs of base rock, and 65 lbs of premium rock. All came from previously populated tanks, and were already fully cured.

Now that I have upgraded to a 110G I am left wondering If I have enough live rock. What would be the signs of not having enough live rock? All the rock from the old tank has been moved to the new tank. Should I think of getting more rock?

[ErikS]

Hows the tank look? Look nice to you? Intended bio load? LR is one of the filter systems, but it's not the only filter system.

 

You're at 100lbs in a 110g tank = you've got a substantial amount.

 

Crucial question - hows it look to you?

[VicSkimmr]

The answer to this is that there are many variables that go into live rock.

 

1) Some rock is more porous than others, so you could get away with less lbs of certain kinds of rock

 

2) The density of the rock is not always reflected in the size/shape of the rock, so while you may only have 60 lbs, it may look as full as someone else's tank who has twice that amount.

 

3) The amount of live rock you need is completely dependent of the bioload you're planning on adding to the tank.

 

4) The amount of additional filtration you have can somewhat negate the amount of live rock you need.

 

 

 

 

The rule of thumb that I've always used is... put as much live rock in as you think looks good. If it turns out to not be enough, add more mechanical filtration, or add base rock. Always keep in mind that most of the corals you'll add to the tank will also add live rock.

[madmax7774]

Thing is, I am completely in love with the way the tank looks. I did the apple cart look for a year, and I grew to loathe it. This time around I wanted vertical height IE - towers of rock. Well I go that. And the other part I love is the abundance of swimming room for some larger fish like tangs or angels. I am where I want to be looks wise, I am just concerned about water quality. I am working on a deal with another club member to step up to a monster protein skimmer, so I am already headed in the right direction I guess.

Thanks

[Rascal]

What about adding more to the sump in order to get more filtration without taking up space in the display?

[rsarvis]

Can you put up a pic of your tower setup? I'm actually getting to the aquascaping point of setting up my tank and I think I want to do something like a wall or maybe towers. Curious to see what others do.

[madmax7774]

http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=12072

here's a thread on my aquascaping...

[dandy7200]

Your good on rock. 1#/gal is plenty for now. Don't forget as you add coral it either comes with rock or is a rock that grows