ideas wanted for adding more live rock.

[fijiwigi]

In my 46 gallon I currently have about 55 pounds of fiji rock. I want to have about 2 pounds per gallon eventually. So I need about another 45 pounds or so. I was thinking maybe something other than fiji rock(even though my name is fijiwigi) I was thinking tonga branch or lalo rock but I dont really know. As of now I have a bunch a big fat rocks at the bottom and kind of want some rocks that I can lay on top of the fiji to aquascape closer to the top of my tank. I ordered from dr fosters and smith last time I was pleased but rocks were jumbo. Any ideas on places to order live rock and different types of rock that look nice would be appreciated.

 

[amkelly]

i would do a little more research on how much live rock you need. it sounds like you are trying to do the berlin system but all that live rock is unnecessary. the use of live rock is over emphasized in this hobby... the reason i say this is because people pile there rock all the way up and next to the glass of their tank and it blocks swimming space... yes fish need places to hide but fish in the ocean swim in open water.. you should only build your rock a little more than halfway up and keep it from the glass... fish like to swim above the rocks in the open water... so be wary of how much rock you use

 

[austinsdad]

I think 1 1/2 to 2 lbs is a good thing. ut keep in mind, you want rock that is porous and light if possible. Just pounds don't mean a thing IMO. Are you going with a reef setup? Otherwise, you may not need that much rock. What kinda substrate u using?

My tank is nearly at 2 lbs per. Stacked up on the rear glass even, yet plenty of swim thru and hiding space too. My open water is plentiful out front. They can dart back and forth easily.

With that much rock, you get more natural filtration going on. Heck, I can keep my nitrates at 5 or less without even using my skimmer for 3 weeks (or more) at a time.

Check out Marshall Island rock too. Keep in mind, u can also use dry base rock now and be real selective about your choices. Light and airy/porous.

 

[fijiwigi]

Yeah I am starting a reef setup Berlin method I think no filter other than skimmer and sump with live rock rubble and macroalgae. the 55 pounds I currently have does not take up much space it is pretty dense which is why I was considering adding some more lighter branch like or shelf like rock. So that I had some pillars and towers and big caves and cool stuff. I don't think I will go with base rock I want some more with good coraline algae coverage. What is a good sight to order from??

My substrate is Nature's Ocean Marine white sand. Its sugar fine and really cheap at lfs. I Notice a lot of people use live sand. I don't know that I am quite convinced enough of the benefits of live sand to spend the extra cash. I still need to add some more though I only put in 30# in and I always seem to vaccuum up a couple cups each time I clean the tank.

 

[cmor1701d]

Base rock will become LR over the course of a few months. It will become covered with Coralline algae over time too.

The sand you have is now LS. Any sand you use will become LS. Yours has benefitted from the LR you started with. You really don't more than a cupful from another reef tank to start with, or just some good uncured LR full of life. The organisms will make their way to the sand bed and populate it. You can always add a detrivore kit down the road should you want to add to the biodiversity of the sand bed.

That said, why are you vacuuming your sand? Do you not have a clean up crew (snails) to keep the sand bed clean?

 

[fijiwigi]

Ok I don't know what a detrivore kit is and what is meant by biodiversity? could you explain a little more for me??? when I clean my tank I vaccum any buildup on the sand I still don't have power heads or protein skimmer and my clean up crew is still pretty small. I have been waiting to do anything really until dec 20th when I get $1000 dollars to work with that is why I have been asking so many questions lately. I have learned a great deal from this website and I have been absorbing knowledge every day from studying the posts.

 

[amkelly]

its not the point of having swimming space out front... fish are use to swimming about the rocks.. which is why you shouldnt stack them high.. they swim in open water above the rocks... and by stacking high it forces them to change their swimming patters

 

[fijiwigi]

its not the point of having swimming space out front... fish are use to swimming about the rocks.. which is why you shouldnt stack them high.. they swim in open water above the rocks... and by stacking high it forces them to change their swimming patters

Do you have any photo's of your tank's setup that you can upload so that I can see what your design looks like????

 

[melosu58]

the use of live rock is over emphasized in this hobby...

I`m going to have to disagree with this statement. LR is very important to a reef set up. I have over 200 lbs in my 125 gallon reef and my 10 yrs of experience tells me that LR plays a very important role. So important that LR and a skimmer is all you need for biological filtration. I understand what you are saying about swimming space but 1.5 to 2 lbs of LR will leave plenty of swimming room. IMO LR is very important in this hobby.

 

[austinsdad]

its not the point of having swimming space out front... fish are use to swimming about the rocks.. which is why you shouldnt stack them high.. they swim in open water above the rocks... and by stacking high it forces them to change their swimming patters

Can't agree with that. Stacking them high is not a problem. Do it so there's hiding space amonst those stacked rocks. Fish need that. There's plenty of swinning room out front - where you want to able to enjoy them anyway. When dark of in fear, they will go into the rocks and chill, sleep or duck in and out of'm.

Hopefully you can see that in the pic attached. Larger tank (155g) but the idea is still the same. And yes, if going reef 1.5 to 2 lbs will be a good thing for you IMO/IME.

Edit - not sure why my pic posted in B&W???? Wasn't that way in my folder. Hmmmm. Hope you can still see the rock structure.

 

[Sadielynn]

Edit - not sure why my pic posted in B&W???? Wasn't that way in my folder. Hmmmm. Hope you can still see the rock structure.

Click on the photo I also dont know why but others photos show up in negative form or in BW
Sorry no help other wise

 

[fijiwigi]

This is what my rock looks like so far.

 

[cmor1701d]

Check out Inland Aquatics detrivore kit and ISPF for two sites that offer detrivore kits.

A detrivore kits includes a variety of amphipods and copepods, etc. that live in the sand and eat detritus. They form part of the clean up crew. They are also food for some fish.

You need to get some power heads to increase flow, and more rock would be a good thing in your tank. My tangs and Foxface have plenty of swimming room in front of the rocks and dart in and out of the rock crevices.

You should also look at adding some snails.

 

[fijiwigi]

Those detrivore kits seem like a great idea. And those websites were very helpfull. thank you cmor1701d. I will be ordering 2 hydor koralia 2's in a couple weeks and 1 or 2 maxi-jets. I did buy a sally lightfoot crab which is munching pretty good. I was thinking I will buy a fighting conch and a bullet goby real soon as well. Maybe a detrivore kit as well??

To save some money by buying base rock is sounding pretty good considering I only have 1000 dollars to work with. what is a good place to order base rock from. My current fiji is big and would probably not sit well on top of large base rock I would need light base rock for the top of the live rock. any ideas????

I want to add more snails as suggested. Which snails should I purchase I got a turbo snail from petco that lasted only 1 week and then died. I am thinking I will place an order online I don't really trust Petco so much the workers don't seem like they know what they are doing. And the decent LFS that I usually shop never has any clean up crew to sell me there tanks are bare usually.

 

[amkelly]

yes youre right LR is important, but it is over emphasized in this hobby... there is no need for 2.0 per gallon... yes i can get a pick of my tank... and the point is that fish only use rocks to hide... most of the time they are out swimming and grazing, thats why you stack low so they can swim and graze.. stacking high keeps them from doing that...

 

[cmor1701d]

I got my base rock from Reef Rock from ThatFishPlace.com and I would place it under the LR for aesthetics.

Snails can be found at dozens of places http://www.reefscavengers.com/; www.saltwaterfish.com; eBay; marinedepotlive.com. liveaquaria.com; BlueZooAquatics are just a few. I know I'm missing some other very good sites.

As for which ones to get? Use this as guide. You want to get about 1/gal total.
Nassarius Snails : Great detrivores and sand-stirrers. They will hide in the sand until feeding time.

Astrea Snails : A great algae eater, but sometimes fall off the glass onto their backs and will require a little help to right themselves.

Cerith Snails Will also breed in your tank. Good algae eaters and sand-stirrers.

Fighting Conchs : Little vacuum cleaners. One per 2 sq. ft. of sand. They'll eat diatoms and, sometimes, cyano (but not for me).

Turbo Snails : They are big and clumsy. They'll knock over or move anything that isn't glued/nailed down.


amkelly...Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Your opinion is that LR is over emphasized. IMO and the opinion of many/most people here, the recommendation of 1½ - 2 pounds of LR per gallon still stands. It works. Does it need to be in the display tank? Absolutely not. I have seen setups with large sumps that have most of the LR. I don't have the room for that, and have almost 200 pounds of LR in my display tank. My fish have plenty of swimming space in front of, behind and through the rock.

 

[amkelly]

i agree with you that everyone likes there own thing im not arguing that.. and by the looks of your tank it looks good... nothing wrong.. all im trying to say is that a lot of fish prefer to swim above the rocks thats all.. i agree thats 2lbs per gallon can still give a lot of space... thats whats great about this hobby... one thing can work for someone and then something totally different for someone else all in all both ways are good