New to hobby with Q's about rock

NjClem0305 · Jan 10, 2017

Hey everybody. New to the salt water gig and have been reading like crazy in the forums. I've already learned tons. I have question about live rock. I know that some of you have gone with TBS live rock and I think that's the route I'm gonna take. Probably "the package". I've got room for a 55 gallon tank (no room for a sump unfortunately, but hopefully will in the future). They call for about 100lbs of live rock. Would that be just too crowded in a smaller tank like a 55gl? Anybody have any pics of a similar setup, or just what 100lbs of TBS live rock looks like. I know it all kinda depends on the density of the rock. Thanks for any info and nice to be part of the group!!!

Joey waid · Jan 10, 2017

100 lbs is a lot of rock. Usually it's 1 lbs of rock per gallon. So 50 lbs max.

aaron23 · Jan 10, 2017

Welcome! The 1lb per gallon is a decent rule of thumb but id say even 50 is a little much id go with around 40 lbs

Jd120988 · Jan 10, 2017

I think 50-60lbs would be plenty, most people seem to be going for the minimalist look lately which does look great. I have a tank full of rocks, coral, and saltwater...in that order. You could buy a little more and plan on not using it just to get that perfect scape.

NjClem0305 · Jan 11, 2017

Awesome, I think I will try to get around 50 pounds. I like the idea of a lot of rock surface area but I was worried it would look like a rock collection instead of an aquarium.