Live rock or dry rock

[Rscomia]

I just started my 90 gallon sw can i use dry rock and seed it with live rock? If so what should I look for in dry rock?

 

[mr_X]

price and porousness. the more porous the rock is, the better off you are. you don't have to seed the dry rock with live rock. you can go all dry rock if you like.

 

[Rscomia]

When you say price do you mean im looking for the cheapest i can get

 

[mr_X]

yep.

 

[Rscomia]

cool I hear people speaking of curing it will I need to do that?

 

[mr_X]

well, you will need to cycle the tank, so what i would do is add all of the rock and then use an ammonia source like a cocktail shrimp or something similar to start the cycle. at the end of the cycle the rock will be covered with beneficial bacteria, and the tank will be ready for livestock.

 

[Rscomia]

Cool Thanks for the info much help!!!

 

[dave6093]

I am hopefully filling my new tank tomorrow so I am basically at the same point. I am also going to be getting dry rock to start me off. where would you go for as far as acquiring dry rock?

 

[mr_X]

Marco Rocks The finest aquarium rock available, base rock, live rock, reef rock, marco rock, reef tank saltwater fish, live corals, Marco rocks, Fiji live rock, Tonga Live rock

 

[trackfast]

I like the stuff from Bulk Reef Supply. Some here like Marcos Rocks and there are alot of other places online you could order from. Check your LFS, they might be having a sale on it.

 

[dave6093]

alright thanks guys.

 

[mr_X]

BRS is cool too...whoever has the best deal IMO.

 

[dave6093]

Here is another question..
I have a 75 gal tank, how much rock should I get? I have read in different places that you should have about 1.5-2 pounds of rock for every gallon you have. BRS says to have 1 lv for every gallon...
From both of these sites, a hundred pounds of rock is $232 free shipping.. Bulk reef supply sells their rock by the pound which seems to me better suited if I need to go with 75 lbs.

 

[mr_X]

75 pounds or more. as much as you can fit in the tank and it still be pleasing to the eye, and also manage very little to no dead spots (areas void of flow).
keeping good water movement is important for the rock to be able to filter efficiently, as well as keep the entire tank healthy. you don't want uneaten food and fish poop collecting in a corner somewhere.