need info on ls & lr

[stephenie]

per everyone's suggestions I have changed the cc out of my tank and added ls. I was looking at adding live rock but I see that most people say that they have over 50# in their tank. This seems like a lot. Is it really heavy. The ones they have at the pet store seems like it would take a lot to make 50# and take up most of the aquarium. Please help.

 

[lobstergrabber]

HOw much you get depends on what you want it for. Also different types of rock weigh different amounts. 50 pounds of Fl Rock is not going to be nearly the pile say 50 pounds of tonga rock would be. Also depending on if you want if for looks or filtration you might not need that much. THey say 1-1.5 pounds per gallong for filtration though if a more dense rock you may go a little more. If you just want if for decoration in a FO tank then just get what you think looks good. Bottom line is it is your tank and you are the one looking at it. If you are not happy with it you are wasting your time. HTH
Rich

 

[dacia]

In my 20 gallon FOWLR tank, I only have 7 pounds of live rock. I have three pieces stacked to make a little tunnel for fish to swim through, and feather dusters are living on it. It is only located on the left side of the tank, and on the right, I have a large piece of dead coral as decoration.
In my 27 gallon FOWLR tank, I have 25 pounds of live rock. They are stacked around the sides and back of the tank, and they are only a little bit less than one third of the tank's total height. There are plenty of places for fish to swim and hide in it, and all the LR helped cycle the tank in only 2 weeks. (The 20 gallon tank took 5 weeks!)
You can get as much LR as you want. It's your preference for FOWLR tanks.
I would also suggest buying the rock from SWF.com since they seem to be cheaper than most LFS. I got most of my rock from here and am very VERY pleased with it.

 

[stephenie]

thank you so much for your reply. I was just trying to get a good combination. I have a filter and a wet /dry wheel but I dont know what king of live rock that the lps has. I don't think that they even know. So does the live rock go in now or after it cycles???

 

[lobstergrabber]

Go ahead and add the rock now it will actually help with the cycle and it will give it a chance for the beneficial bacteria to start building up.
Rich

 

[stephenie]

thanks. I'll go get some now and order some more from here.
and another question. If you have a lot of the ls and lr and a good cleanup crew do you need a protein skimmer????

 

[lobstergrabber]

I think the answer is yes. THough I have heard of people running without one I think you will find you have less problems if you do have one.
Rich

 

[stephenie]

when is the best time to add the skimmer. Would you add it once you add the fish for awhile of do you add it now????

 

[michaeltx]

it will take a couple of months for the proteins to buildup enough to be skimmed out but dont skimp on the skimmer it can be a lifesaver at times especially if you are using less LR for filtration. it gives you a saftey net and helps keep water quality up where it needs to be.,
Mike

 

[thomas712]

However if you add the liverock that comes mail order you may want to add that skimmer at that time if you will be curing it in an unstocked tank, if your tank has livestock now then you may want to cure the rock a little in a seperate tube to get the die off from it so that you do not start a major cycle to your tank, unless thats what you want. If curing liverock in seperate tub then add the skimmer to that tub if possible, 1 to help remove DOC's from the die off and, 2 to break in the skimmer.
All depends on the condition of the mail order rock and if it smells.
What size tank are we talking about?

 

[stephenie]

I have a 29 gallon tank. The live rock that I would be starting with is coming out of another aquarium

 

[thomas712]

Personally my thoughts are 50 pounds should be enough, depends on density and size of rocks involved.
How much top space do you want for swimming and such.
If you have rock up to the top and go to do a water change you will have rock exposed to air for a while.
50 pounds is a fair number to place in a 29 gallon IMO.
Thomas

 

[stephenie]

Since I am getting some of the rock from an established aquar. is there anything that I should look for to make sure that I want it or is it just luck???

 

[thomas712]

Mail order is just luck. example.- I ordered 50 of base rock and had one piece as large as a basketball only a little longer, I had to split it in half, worked great really, the rest were medium to small pieces. You can try to specify to the seller what size you would like, or had pick them at your LFS.
Thomas