How much live rock would you recommend for my 55 gallon tank?

nostradamus

nostradamus

New Member
Hi, I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank that is currently cycling. I have a 40-70 gallon Aquaclear filter, 40lbs of live sand, and about 20-30 lbs of live rock. I also have a octopus protein skimmer rated for 90 gallons in the mail. How much more live rock should i get and why?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the site!
Build the rock halfway up the tank..it's your natural filter, so the more the better but the fish need room to swim. Make some caves to allow the fish to swim through. Don't build the rock on the sand, make sure the rock is on the bottom and the sand around it.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
LOL...You can't build on shifting sand.
You will have a rock slide which may break your tank or kill your critters. If you have critters who like to dig they can also cause everything to shift. so always put the rock on the bottom.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
55g * 1.5lbs = 82.5lbs
55g * 2 lbs = 110lbs
Somewhere between those numbers would be a good place. In my 56g tank, I have ~92lbs between the DT and the fuge.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
I geniunely believe 75%+ of SW aquariums are under-'rocked' and really could use more. I love taller, more structural rock formations, rather then a "pile of rocks" look. Some of my aquascapes have even breached the water surface. Pounds of rocks really could mean different things. A 100 pounds of dry base rock, is much more then 100 pounds of dripping wet live rock.
Since it's a 55gal and you really won't (shouldn't) have any larger more active fish, the smaller fish will enjoy darting in and out of the rocks more.I would starting with at least 80lbs, Look for more interested rock pieces that will help you build interesting formations, rather then just round boulders.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by AquaKnight http:///forum/thread/385653/how-much-live-rock-would-you-recommend-for-my-55-gallon-tank#post_3383011
I geniunely believe 75%+ of SW aquariums are under-'rocked' and really could use more. I love taller, more structural rock formations, rather then a "pile of rocks" look. Some of my aquascapes have even breached the water surface. Pounds of rocks really could mean different things. A 100 pounds of dry base rock, is much more then 100 pounds of dripping wet live rock.
Since it's a 55gal and you really won't (shouldn't) have any larger more active fish, the smaller fish will enjoy darting in and out of the rocks more.I would starting with at least 80lbs, Look for more interested rock pieces that will help you build interesting formations, rather then just round boulders.
Look for some with blue coraline on it! I got some flat ledges (dry dead rock) and made some awesome caves. The dry rock seeds over time and gets just as pretty purple as the live rock.
 
nostradamus

nostradamus

New Member
Its cool, it was bound to be said sometime lol. And cool thanks everyone, Im guna go with about a pound to pound in a half for each gallon.
 
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