Do i need live rock?

Tony11342000 · 10-10-2006, 05:29 PM

Ive read some things saying i have to have it and some saying i dont have to. I was planning on buying about 10lbs for my 29 gallon tank and buying live sand to start the tank out. I also plan to use stress zyme weekly in the tank. I only plan on having fish and i was wondering if it was ok if gradually add the live rock in the tank due to the live rock being 6.99 a pound at the petshop around here.

Tommy Gun · 10-10-2006, 06:01 PM

Tony,

I am not the expert and just a beginner like you, however I already have my tank up and so I think I can help out a little from what I learned while setting it up and buying the stuff I need.

The general rule (correct me if I am wrong here everyone) is that it is a good idea to have one pound of live rock and live sand, in any combo, as there is gallons in your tank. Now, there is a LFS (pet shop) right down the road from me which has all of its saltwater tanks full of colorful gravel like is in a lot of freshwater tanks and just two chunks of live rock. I have been in there a lot and know for a fact that this at least keeps fish alive long enough for them to be sold....but I dont know how wise this would be for someone who is thinking long term.

Many people find money saving tips to use such as buying 'almost live' or base rock in larger amounts and then 'seeding' them with Live rock. Over time, the Live rock will 'grow' and spread out on these base rocks. Usually, I hear that 12 weeks or more is needed to cure the rock so that it is all essentially live rock. In my area, live rock is about 5.99 dollars a pound and base rock is from $1.49 to $1.99 a pound. At the time, I was fortunate enough to be able to afford all live rock, so you should probrably wait for someone else to give you the ins and outs of how to deal with making base rock into live rock.

Hope this helps a little. Like I said, I am not the expert and I am sure there are many people on this site who can help you out more. It is good to meet you though and trust me, if you have a question, someone on this site is bound to know the answer.

Tony11342000 · 10-10-2006, 06:09 PM

i was also wondering if CaribSea Aragonite sand is good for starting the tank and if i used maybe a 50/50 mix of the sand and live rock?

Loman · 10-10-2006, 07:25 PM

I have nothing to compare it to but that is the brand that I used. In general I think you want a nice bed of sand 1 to 2 pounds per gallon and a generous amount of live rock. I skimped a bit on the live rock and just picked up regular rock to use but it is becoming live

WhoDey · 10-12-2006, 10:26 PM

Hello,

A couple comments on some previous posts...

-Local fish stores usually have a filtering system behind the sceens, so they don't have to rely on all of that live rock to support the tank's eco system. The rock is probably just there to give the fish somewhere to hide. Caribsea is a very nice way to go for sand, expensive but it is calcium based which is what you want. I used "play sand" from lowes (100lbs for $8). This made a 4 inch sand bed in my 55 gal tank. Search Play Sand for salt water aquarium and learn about it more if you are interested in going that way. There are actually some kinds that aren't recomended so be carefull. As far as sand goes you want a either a deep sand bed or a shallow sand bed. Anything in between might cause problems. Shallow = less than 1.5 inches. Deep = 4 inches or more.

-Live rock- If you are using this as your only means of filtration then a min. of 1 lb per gal. would be ok, but I am using 2 lbs per gal. In my searching online I have found that LiveAquaria has the best deal and I have also heard that it is very good quality as compared with other live rock out there. I haven't ordered from anyone else, so I can't compare, but i'm very happy. If you don't want to spend 6.99 a lb then you could get it all from there, and then use it to cycle your tank... once the tank cycles then it's ok to add your fish. If you don't want to order it all at once you can get half now and half later, but you will have to cure your rock in a seperate container before adding it to a tank with fish.