How much live rock should I purchase

[robbin]

I have a 105 gallon (about 60 inches long, 24 inches deep and 18 inches wide) and i am ready to buy the live rock for it. Question is I am not quite sure how much rock to buy? i want to buy it all at once so I can cure it in the tank before I add livestock but need some advice as to how much to purchase? I intend for this tank to be a reef tank so any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[dragonzim]

The general rule of thumb is between 1.5-2 pounds per gallon of water that the tank can hold.

 

[flower]

Rock in pounds is a little hard IMO...for example: some rock is very hollow but large, so it doesn't weigh much but takes allot of space.
Buy some of your rock and arrange it in the tank...see how much room you have, or let’s say you need some flat ones for ledges...go buy according to what you need to make your tank look good and be functional for what you want. Be picky, your rock work is the base of everything you add later. Have some caves, ledges and overhangs for reef tanks...have lots of hiding places for fish only tanks.

..Have fun, and make sure the rocks kind of lock into each other to prevent rockslides that break tanks and kill critters.

 

[pete159]

some live rock is light while some is heavy.
You want to have lots of holes and nooks and cranny's in it for the bacteria to live.
Fiji live rock is good for that, Tonga is good for the shapes.
if you want to get it all at once then get 100 lbs.
if you still need more you can add 10 lbs at a time after that if the cycle is complete, you do not want to add more then 10 lbs at a time after the cycle.

 

[tank a holic]

I think all the lbs/gallon stuff is a bunch of hooey but thats only my opinion
add rock till you like what you see, then stop adding rock simple as that
Just understand the more rock you have, the more biological filtration you'll have and thus the more fish you can keep without overstocking
the only advantage of buying all at once is if you get a bulk rate, which is unlikely.
buy 20 lbs at a time and it will still cycle and chances are if you buy at a LFS its already cured rock