can you have to much liverock ????

[tropills]

I really don't think in my opinion that you can really over do it. I have approx 500 pounds in my new 180 and it looks no where near full of rock, this is also the only means of filtration that I have along with my skimmer, I'm going to put another 80 pounds in this weekend then I should be pretty much full to the point I like the way it looks. anyone have any comments on the amount you say you should have??? I know they say 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon but come on you know what 55 lbs looks like in a 55 gallon... not to much... so is the theory correct saying 1 to 1.5 per gallon accurate ??? who really knows ??

 

[parkercandleco]

umm.. well i guess you can never have to much live rock.. the more the better for your tankamtes.. but... i wouldnt want to add to much and have your tank fall our from underneath.. you know

 

[dragonzim]

I think that as long as there is room for your fish to swim that you can't have too much. The 1-1.5 lbs per gallon is really a minimum amount you should have.

 

[m0nk]

Certain types of rock are heavier than others. Fiji live rock is rather light, so you would likely fit less of that in the tank. Tonga is a fair bit heavier. And if you start with a good bit of base rock and seed it to be live rock, that's one of the heaviest ways. I've found that base rock weighs almost 30% more than fiji live rock. In that case, you'd end up having much more to fill out the tank. For a point of reference, I put 25lbs of live rock and 35lbs of base rock in my 55 when I started it last year. It has always looked really empty and I've considered adding more, though now it's all going in my 180.... where I'll have 100lbs of new base rock, 50lbs of new live rock, plus this 60lb mix of fiji live rock and seeded base/live rock. I'll probably need more for the fuge when all is said and done....

 

[tropills]

well in the tank its all Fiji and tuffa,no lace rock or real solid rock at all it all real pores stuff, it's a 8 foot long and 2 foot high high tank so maybe that's why it doesn't look that full ???

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by tropills
well in the tank its all Fiji and tuffa,no lace rock or real solid rock at all it all real pores stuff, it's a 8 foot long and 2 foot high high tank so maybe that's why it doesn't look that full ???
That's possible too...

 

[keri]

Well...i DEFINATELY think you could have a Mandarin if you wanted to...

 

[tropills]

Originally Posted by Keri
Well...i DEFINATELY think you could have a Mandarin if you wanted to...

tryed one, LIPS the puffer said thanks for the snack

what else do you have.

so no more dragonets while LIPS is in the tank.

 

[nigerbang]

Any pics...I have about 350 or so in my 180 and it looks great and full..

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by DragonZim
I think that as long as there is room for your fish to swim that you can't have too much. The 1-1.5 lbs per gallon is really a minimum amount you should have.
I agree with Dragon here. This is the only way I could see you having too much live rock.

 

[tropills]

Originally Posted by NigerBang
Any pics...I have about 350 or so in my 180 and it looks great and full..
here you go I'll try to get a better shot later..

 

[parkercandleco]

huh.. well then there you go.. live rock does make a tank look absolutely amazing.. so how can you be certain about how much weight your tank can take???

 

[gmann1139]

Tank looks great man.
I can understand if you want more LR though. I have 40 lbs in a 29 gallon and probably figure I need at least 10 more (base) to get the level of 'full' I want.
I think 1 lb per gallon is just a starting point. I've also heard 1/3 of volume, but that's a lot harder to calculate until you've bought the rock and are putting it in.

 

[keri]

Originally Posted by tropills
tryed one, LIPS the puffer said thanks for the snack

what else do you have.

so no more dragonets while LIPS is in the tank.

Ha ha, oops, oh well, it looks amazing anyways

 

[tropills]

Originally Posted by parkercandleco
huh.. well then there you go.. live rock does make a tank look absolutely amazing.. so how can you be certain about how much weight your tank can take???
the bottom of the tank is 3/4 inch and fully supported , the only way I would think it would break is if you hit it REAL hard with a hammer the strength of the glass itself is rather strong being so thick.

 

[ophiura]

I would say you could have too much rock if it impacts the flow through the rockwork (such that detritus and things begin to settle).

 

[tropills]

Originally Posted by ophiura
I would say you could have too much rock if it impacts the flow through the rockwork (such that detritus and things begin to settle).
I was concerned of that while I was setting the tank up so I installed a seio 2600 behind the rock work with a makeshift spay bar from end to end, it seems to give a real nice flow behind,through and around the rock

 

[nigerbang]

Wow.... Looks good, longer than my 180, I can see what your saying, if I can fiqure out how to link my blackberry and my laptop together, I will pop a pic of mine, I am with you about the flow, I have 5 koralia 4's moving the main part of the DT, and prolly 6 MJ1200 behind all the rock...

 

[tropills]

ok to update, I show up to the guys house I was getting the extra 80 pounds of rock from and there it was in a BOX in his kitchen on the floor.

so I asked him "whats this" he's like, the rock you wanted.

talk about someone lose it , man I was ticked to no end, needless to say I turned around and walked out and drove another 1.5 hours back home. I offered him $50 and told him now it was just good base rock, and he wouldn't touch it, he just said it was live when I took it out, yea like 3 weeks ago I said. live and learn I guess. sorry just had to vent a little I'm really ticked.

 

[coral keeper]

This is interesting. So, what if you have 2 55 gallon tanks, one is filled with 100 lbs of base rock and the other with 50 lbs of Fiji live rock. Both tanks that have the rock take up the same amount of room. People say that a mandarin needs like 100 lbs of LR, can you also put one in the tank that has 50 lbs of Fiji live rock? So, does it matter how much space the rock takes up or how much it weighs?