Just started cycling a Nano-Cube 12g after being away from the hobby for quite awile. I used 20lbs of live sand (I know probably a bit much, but I like a deep sand aquascape (2in). LFS owner recommended I use only 7 lbs of live rock (fiji) I'm not sure if this was the right starter amount or if he was just selling me what he had available. Is 7lbs enough? Can I / should I add more before the cycling gets too far along? I just finished week 1. I plan on stocking a mixed reef with corals, invertabrates, fish, etc.
Live Rock for 12g - 7lbs enough?
- Thread starter nonntt
- Start date
The usual recommendation is 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon. I cannot imagine why that percentage would be altered just because its a smaller tank. I think you got bad info from your LFS. From my understanding, you can lean closer to one pound per gallon if you are using more porous lighter rock.
Thank for your reply.
Yes. The "rules" state 1lb per g...so I am over ...not a problem....I hope.
I do plan on adding coral and invertabrates so, perhaps, I have created more room to expand with less rock as a base!
Do I need to add more live rock while still cylcling?
Yes. The "rules" state 1lb per g...so I am over ...not a problem....I hope.
I do plan on adding coral and invertabrates so, perhaps, I have created more room to expand with less rock as a base!
Do I need to add more live rock while still cylcling?
Thank for your reply.
Yes. The "rules" state 1lb per g...so I am over ...not a problem....I hope.
I do plan on adding coral and invertabrates so, perhaps, I have created more room to expand with less rock as a base!
Do I need to add more live rock while still cylcling?
Yes. The "rules" state 1lb per g...so I am over ...not a problem....I hope.
I do plan on adding coral and invertabrates so, perhaps, I have created more room to expand with less rock as a base!
Do I need to add more live rock while still cylcling?
nonntt":1c4w4n8w said:
Perhaps I'm not understanding you. I found the above confusing. At any rate, a 12G tank would need from 12 to 18 pounds of live rock if you intend the rock to be useful for filtration and nitogen fixation. You don't have to add it all at the same time but once you cycle the tank and add livestock, you can only add completely cured rock. That means paying a premium price or setting aside a separate tank, or other container, to cure the rock in.
any tank will do fine with .5-.75 pounds to a gallon 
most people have way too much rock in their tanks-the trick is to maximize as much as possible the amount of the rock's surface area exposed to the moving water column, as opposed to simply stacking rock on rock, where one 'smother's the other
a fist size rock will handle the bioload of an 8" grouper
most people have way too much rock in their tanks-the trick is to maximize as much as possible the amount of the rock's surface area exposed to the moving water column, as opposed to simply stacking rock on rock, where one 'smother's the other
a fist size rock will handle the bioload of an 8" grouper
90% of all the 'rules' you'll hear on any hobbyists website are merely repetitions of what people hear from people who hear from other people who didn't know their stuff in the first place
there are loads of myths in this hobby, most of which are based on either outdated 'knowledge', or sheer hearsay from folks that other people think know their stuff, most of which isn't based on testing or proof, but 'general impression'
(no offense intended)
i've seen an 8" grouper taken care of by one fist size piece of rock, and there's a general and growing consensus in the forefront of the hobby that not as much rock is necessary as was once thought to be
there are loads of myths in this hobby, most of which are based on either outdated 'knowledge', or sheer hearsay from folks that other people think know their stuff, most of which isn't based on testing or proof, but 'general impression'
(no offense intended)
i've seen an 8" grouper taken care of by one fist size piece of rock, and there's a general and growing consensus in the forefront of the hobby that not as much rock is necessary as was once thought to be
Well as stated there are lots of suggestions for adding adequate amounts of live rock to a tank. The ones I stated above are the "usual" recommendations as described in the statement. The general information on this web site suggests .5 to 1 or 1.5 per gallon. The person above has their own recommendations. Michael Paletta who wrote "The New Marine Aquarium" and set up the Baltimore Aquarium suggests not using a weight ratio at all as it is less helpful but rather fill 1/3 of the tank with rock for filtration. He suggests adding other peices simply for aquascaping. My ratio was based on looking at tanks of the month from http://www.reefkeeping.com/. Take a look, you can peruse at least 4 years of well maintained tanks. Many of them state how much live rock was used. Though the systems featured are mostly larger tanks, I recall a nano tank featured several months back you may find of interest.
That way you can squash all the "hearsay" and find a workable solution best for you.
That way you can squash all the "hearsay" and find a workable solution best for you.
What kind of rock is it? 1 lb of Fiji rock is very porous. It takes up more space than 1 lb of more solid kinds of reef rock. I built a reef with aquacultured liverock and it took way more than I was used to using of Fiji. It was more dense. Just my thoughts.
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