Live rock
- Thread starter wayne
- Start date
andymi
Member
I dont know about if the rock is cured, but from reading what others are saying , it seems like anything that you mail order will still need to be cured at home. I am sure the sharks of the board will correct me if I am wrong. 
As far as the amount of live rock, they told me approx. 1 lb per gallon. But they could give you more information depending on if this is a reef tank or fish only, or if it even matters
--Andy
As far as the amount of live rock, they told me approx. 1 lb per gallon. But they could give you more information depending on if this is a reef tank or fish only, or if it even matters
--Andy
fat_ed
Member
I can speak from personal experience in having ordered from this site a little over a month ago. The rock was well-cured, caused little-no ammonia spike, and was packed with all sorts of goodies. 75% purple and green coralline encrusted; no mantis shrimp or bristle worms that I have found; 1 emerald crab and 1 small snail as hitchhikers; a couple of small feather dusters; and 2 algae-encrusted small clams.
This site does not sing the praises of its live rock the way many sites do, but I found it to be top notch.
If my experience is representative, the rock purchased from this site will not need any further curing by you.
This site does not sing the praises of its live rock the way many sites do, but I found it to be top notch.
If my experience is representative, the rock purchased from this site will not need any further curing by you.
fat_ed
Member
Sorry, missed the second part of your question. The rule of thumb [BTW, do you know where that expression comes from -- it signified the width of a switch with which a man could legally beat his wife; any greater than a thumb's width was considered "cruel"] is 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon. The idea behind this rule is to harmonize the surface area of the rock with the total gallons of water needing biological filtration.
As more porous rock, such as Fiji, has more surface area for bacteria to grow, it is commonly said that you should put b/w 1-1.5 lbs. of Fiji rock per gallon of tank water, and 1.5-2 gallons of Tonga or other dense rock per gallon of water.
Personally, I think the rule was invented by live rock salesmen, as it somewhat overstates the ratio. If you have a live sand bed, a solid protein skimmer and wet/dry unit or sump, and have no intentions of building a reef, I think you can certainly meet your live rock needs w/ less than 1 lb per g. As these factors change, you ratio should increase correspondngly.
However, one further thing to consider is that live rock is by far the coolest aesthetic decoration you can add to your tank -- far more attractive and interesting than dead coral and the like.
As more porous rock, such as Fiji, has more surface area for bacteria to grow, it is commonly said that you should put b/w 1-1.5 lbs. of Fiji rock per gallon of tank water, and 1.5-2 gallons of Tonga or other dense rock per gallon of water.
Personally, I think the rule was invented by live rock salesmen, as it somewhat overstates the ratio. If you have a live sand bed, a solid protein skimmer and wet/dry unit or sump, and have no intentions of building a reef, I think you can certainly meet your live rock needs w/ less than 1 lb per g. As these factors change, you ratio should increase correspondngly.
However, one further thing to consider is that live rock is by far the coolest aesthetic decoration you can add to your tank -- far more attractive and interesting than dead coral and the like.