How much live rock

stanleo

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Cycling a 120 gallon reef tank. I currently have 70 ish pounds of live rock. How much more do I need?
 
I know you are asking in terms of having enough to support bacteria, but also from a visual standpoint a pound per gallon will get you enough to do more of an open, minimalist aquascape. Two pounds per gallon will give you enough for the the rock wall look.
 
This is about 2/3 pound per gallon (50lb rock in a 75g display). When planning your aquascape, remember that the corals are going to grow at least six inches vertically (species dependent). When I'm thinking about the end "look," I cut the elevation of the rock in 1/2 and that is probably going to get me the desired end result after the corals grow out. It will look relatively bare initially.

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How much rock you need depends........

Bacteria exist on the surface area of the rock. The more porous the rock, the less weight you need.
How heavily stocked your aquarium is. If you have a bunch of large active fish, then you might need more rock.
How much you feed. The more food in the tank, the more ammonia generated.

The old school rule of thumb was quite conservative. It was 1 to1.5 lbs per gallon. The modern tendency is to go to a minimalist aquascape of say .5 to 1 lb per gallon.
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

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