How much lr??

andrew1113

andrew1113

Member
Im in the process of setting up a new 55 gallon saltwater tank i have a filter, heater, water pump, live sand and water in it so far and i was wondering how much live rock to put in.I read somewhere that a pound per gallon and wanted to know if that would be enough
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Depends on the rock some rock is way more dense than others and requires more weight to make up the same volume, but I am going to say that 1lb per gallon is going to be a little on the low side unless you get some very porus rock. If you are looking to build a wall in a 55 I am guessing you are going to be closer to 2-3lbs per gallon 100-130lbs of rock.
 
frankthetank

frankthetank

Active Member
Oh God!!! Dude, don't buy 130 lbs of LR!!!
Man, what advice to hand out! What I suggest is to look at some pictures of other tanks (or you may have an idea already) and determine what aquascape you desire for your tank. Open space for fish to swim is good. Sometimes doing something with two islands of LR is very cool. It gives you the opportunity to grow different corals without them coming into contact with one another. It also leaves open space for fish to swim. It also allows for water volume.
IF you buy too much LR you'll wind up with 20g of water in your 55g tank.
I suggest you go buy about 50-75lbs of LR and work from there with your aquascape.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by FranktheTank
http:///forum/post/2475265
Oh God!!! Dude, don't buy 130 lbs of LR!!!
Man, what advice to hand out! What I suggest is to look at some pictures of other tanks (or you may have an idea already) and determine what aquascape you desire for your tank. Open space for fish to swim is good. Sometimes doing something with two islands of LR is very cool. It gives you the opportunity to grow different corals without them coming into contact with one another. It also leaves open space for fish to swim. It also allows for water volume.
IF you buy too much LR you'll wind up with 20g of water in your 55g tank.
I suggest you go buy about 50-75lbs of LR and work from there with your aquascape.
If you read closer my post says that it depends on the type of rock. Most of the rock I see for sale for a reasonable price is caribean and caribean rock is very heavy compared to Figi rock. I have a mix of figi and Caribean rock in my tank and it adds up to about 130lbs of rock in a center Island in my tank if I was building a wall I could add another 20-30lbs of rock 20lbs of figi 30lbs of caribean and still have plenty of room left in my tank. The rule of thumb that I have always heard is about 2lbs per gallon which would be 100lbs
 
frankthetank

frankthetank

Active Member
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2475258
Depends on the rock some rock is way more dense than others and requires more weight to make up the same volume, but I am going to say that 1lb per gallon is going to be a little on the low side unless you get some very porus rock. If you are looking to build a wall in a 55 I am guessing you are going to be closer to 2-3lbs per gallon 100-130lbs of rock.
You did say depends of the rock... But did not mention anything about what type of rock you speak of when suggesting 100-130lbs of rock. Just way too much rock for a 55g tank.
Thus why I suggested he check out some pics and get an idea of what look he's attempting to achieve. Most people buy Fiji LR though.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
About 80lbs is enough and that includes base rock. Don't fill your tank to the brim with rock. It isn't needed. BTW, Welcome to the boards Andrew!
 
frankthetank

frankthetank

Active Member
Yea, I find that funny too. People will say to take out bioballs because they become covered with detritus resulting in a nitrate factory. However, do they not think that LR rubble will too do the same thing??? My suggestion is to not use bio balls. But if you do, then rinse them with saltwater you take out during water changes. This will clean them up so they continue to do their job. The same can be said if you use a bunch of LR rubble as a filter.
 
coachklm

coachklm

Active Member
well , since the question WASNT about bioballs ...Ill only say one thing about them...lol they can work with a high flow area where the detrius can remain suspended and the bacteria can filter. (same with LR ).
about the rock .... You can not think of rock as lbs.. I have 200 lbs in a 270... not because I'm cheap but simply because i'm wise about what rock I choose... I choose very POURUS(sp)
rock... This type of rock is cheaper (because it is lighter) the more porous the rock is the more areas the bacteria and life forms can take hold of. (and easier for fish too feed off of..lol )
Just find some great rock and work out your aquascaping later (the fish dont care what the rocks "look" like ..lol
 
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