Hi. I had a question which some may think is dumb.I am new to saltwater fish and was reading that Live Rock is vital to any tank. Is it really necessary and if so how much should I get. I was told it is about two pounds for every gallon of water.
That's a matter of opinion, but my opinion is yes, you need live rock. At least in the sump. 1.5 to 2 pounds per gallon is about right.
Live rock is the real deal. It is the biological filtration, and mechanical (with all the critters). It's what people try to mimic when they use bio-balls or base rock. Live rock is the best method of filtration that a tank can have.
Now I have another dumb question. Forgive me as I am completely new to this and really have no clue as to what I am doing. Is this the same as setting up a reef tank. With special lighting and all.
Is what the same as setting up a reef tank?? Are you asking if the live rock rule still applies or are you asking if you have the LR, do you then have a "reef tank"??
Your questions aren't dumb. They're "new to the hobby questions". We ALL had them. We all made a wierd face the first time we heard the term, "LIVE ROCK"
No. If you get live rock, stabilize your water parameters (such as salinity, temp, and chemistry levels) to support the life of a coral, then you add various corals, and they live...THEN you have a reef tank.
no you have a tank with live rock.. if you have fish and live rock you have FOWLR first time i saw that i thought some one mispelled flower.. FISH ONLY WITH LIVE ROCK. there is a post some where here with abreviations on it.. i would find that to make reading on here a little easier... and to have a reef. you need lots more stuff. corals inverts reef fish.. etc...
No question is dump for sure.
definately get some live rock and also some live sand. That was my mistake i should have mixed some live sand in with my sand when i started.
As far as quanities, i'm new so listen to Tizzo, or some other posters. I've learned alot from the archives & faq's forum here.