Live rock ratio

[Angel Girl]

I am brand new to aquariums but have decided to go saltwater. Am I crazy or what!?!? I am still in the research stage and I am thinking that I want a fish-only tank but with live rock. Some of the info that I have been reading suggests 1 lb. of Pacific Rock/gal. So in other words if I want a 75 gal. tank I need 75 lbs of live rock. Does this seem right? I'm have been checking out the price of it and I am hoping that is excessive - haha!

[jasonkozey]

Its not a must but i looks better, also the more rock you have the better bio filter and benificial bacteria you'll have. Yep its exspensive and you're just at the tip of the iceberg! One thing that will help is order it all at once from jlaquatics.com and you'll save a ton, only thing is it will be uncured so it will stink for a while and you cannot put any fish in there until its cured. Best to cure it in the garage cause it really sticks! Just for reference I have over 100lbs in my 75 gallon as well

Jason

[scary gary]

This is a guide. Some will put 1 lb. per gal. and others less. I would say most tanks that I've seen contain about half that amount. The more live rock the better but you can buy rock alittle at a time. It took me 2 years to get the rock I now have in my 65 gal. Probably about 40 lbs. My 54 gal. reef contains about 50 lbs. all put in at once because of the corals. Make sure to go with live rock and not a cheaper base rock because base rock can have alot of algea problems. Most algea will not grow on corraline.

[Angel Girl]

If I buy uncured can I cure it in the aquarium before I add anything else. If so, does it just take the tank longer to cycle? Or is it more about the smell?

[scary gary]

Yes you can cure it in the aquarium. You will have to do water changes and it can stink like a sewage lagoon. Yes the tank will take longer to cycle because the rock has to cure first. By curing it, what you are doing is leting alot of the growths on the rock die off because of it being out of water for the shipping. that's where the smell comes from. With more growth on the rock the worse the smell.

[Caelan]

Welcome to marine tanks. Good choice. After careful consideration, I personally think there really is no comparison between marine and fresh tanks. The amount and variance of life you can have in a captive salt system is far beyond what can be achieved with a fresh tank. I have spent hours staring intently at Farmer John's reef tank and never get bored with it. Currently, my tank is in set-up. Facinating stuff.

As a fellow newbie, I am not qualified to make any suggestions or to render advice other than this: Make absolutely sure that you want a marine tank because, if I may be blunt, the costs for initial set up are *horrendus* and the on-going costs for maintenance, feed, additives are no small matter either. Depending on the lighting and gear you choose, your electrical costs will likely go up also. Ask some of the forum members what kind of $$ they have invested in their tanks, even smaller ones, and I think it will surprise you.

I have bought used equipment where I could and I still have almost a thousand dollars in my 45g and I have no fish or corals currently. Also, be prepared to wait weeks for your tank to cycle before you can put anything alive in it. There is also a considerable amount of knowledge you need to have with regards to water parameters (chemistry), fish compatability and various gear set ups. I have probably read over 300 hours worth of websites, books, magazines, advice columns and have personally visited 5 reef club members' tanks in order to guage which set ups appeared to work best, which fish I liked and just to generally get the lay of the land.

Enjoy yourself but apply due diligence and make sure you know what you're getting into. This is not a hobby for those who tend to lose interest in things quickly or who are squeamish about opening their wallets...wide.

Don't let me scare you off, but just be aware of what you're in for. Enjoy your tank.

[blenny]

I like two to three pounds of live rock per gallon, so is a personal preference. Most books seem to suggest 1 to 2 pounds per gallon. You could always have a few base rocks at $2.00 per pound, but sounds like Gary has a point about algae problems.

Some of the local stores have live rock now - it's not cheap, but you can get it cured already and can pick and choose some really neatly shaped pieces.

[Angel Girl]

What are the local stores that handle live rock? I have seen an ad for it in Petcetera and they also had some in Pat's. Is there any others you would recommend? I have some tank decorations (corals, rocks, a piece of lava rock), can i mix them with the live rock or do they just create problems?

[Invigor]

lava rock for some causes algae problems (ask marcus ;)) but you can mix whatever kind of decorations you'd like. I like the live rock at petcetera, it's cheap and comes cured. other's on the other hand don't have a problem paying more for different rock.

[blenny]

And A1 Aquarium had some liverock a few weeks back.