Maximum Rock Weight for 20g?

[SeaHorseQueen]

I'm looking to add more rock to my tank for copepods. I'm aiming for 40-50lbs but will a 20 gallon high tank hold that much weight? I have 20lbs live rock with about 5-6lbs of live sand as is.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Depends on the rock, 10 pounds of Marco Shelf is a lot smaller than 10 pounds of pukani.

But it used to be rule of thumb that 2# per gallon sufficed. I still like that advice, but surface area matters.

 

[mdb_talon]

The weight won't be an issue. Though I would want to have it on starboard/egg crate/etc(something that spreads the weight out some) rather than having pressure points resting on glass. I do that anyway though.

 

[damsels are not mean]

The strain would be on the stand it's sitting on not so much the tank itself. There's technically no maximum amount of rock it just limits your space for corals the more you put.

 

[dstockwell]

You’re 20 lbs of live rock is sufficient

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would love to see a pic of a 20 tall with 50 lbs of rock.

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

The weight won't be an issue. Though I would want to have it on starboard/egg crate/etc(something that spreads the weight out some) rather than having pressure points resting on glass. I do that anyway though.

It’s sitting on an oak wood table so I would imagine it can handle it since oak is normally heavy and sturdy.

 

[mdb_talon]

It’s sitting on an oak wood table so I would imagine it can handle it since oak is normally heavy and sturdy.

I was not talking about the stand. You asked if the glass tank can handle the weight and I was suggesting common approaches to ensuring you don't get pressure points on the glass that make it more likely to fail.

 

[Jo'Reefer]

I also have a 20 gal tall.. I have 30lbs of live rock placed upon eggcrate covered with 20lbs of Fiji pink for any accidental collapses with how I created a nice natural looking arch and I feel it is perfect.. my stand is just an open frame so the floor of the tank is supporting it all.. just over a year and doing great. Also created a very cool scape with plenty of room for livestock to move around freely and easy cleaning.. as said above truly depends on what style rock you go with tho in my opinion.