How to work out correct quantity of live rock?

Hi Everyone,

I keep hearing the term "Over Loaded" - I would like to know how much live rock should I have in a 75 Gallon tank - not cycled - no stock.

 

Typically most go with anywhere between lbs per gallon, up to 2 lbs.

I like open areas so I usually go around 1 lbs.

 

Hey Tim, just went thru this very thought process myself. I'm about to start a build thread on my 75g one I get all my supplies.

I just ordered 100 lbs of dry rock from ReefRocks.net. That's not quite 1.5 lbs per/g.

 

I'm preparing for a 75g build as well and just ordered 100 lbs of MarcoRocks. I'm partial to a more open look too, so I suspect a good bit of it will end up in the sump...

 

yeah, order extra, you'll want 15 pounds or so for rubble in a sump and fuge

 

The only "right" amount is what you need for your livestock. I've seen very minimalistic rockscapes (less than 1/4lb/gal), as well as the wall that seemed to fill the entire tank, and both worked just fine for each aquarist.

If you plan to stock heavy with fish, obviously you'll want a higher amount for the bio-filter as well as additional hiding places to help prevent territorial fighting; with a mixed reef, tiered shelving will help with the placement of corals in relation to lighting, etc...

 

I'm partial to an open look myself. I want 2 "islands" of rock in the tank and while I can picture what I want in my head I figured it's best to have extra rather than not enough.

I know this build will be fish heavy in the beginning, say the first 18-24 months -so the extra rock (and a larger skimmer) will help me keep up with the bio load. But, it will give me a lot of options when it comes to coral placement up & down the water column as I exchange fish for coral over time.

Good luck on your build!

 

Thanks, you too!

 

This is great information - thank you everyone.