lR / LS to volume ratio

I've read that the proper ratio of LR to water volume ratio should be 1-1.5lb per gallon of water volume in the system. At present I have about 6lbs of very porous rock and about 2lbs of much denser rock in my tank with about 10 lbs of mixed sand and aggregate.

My water movement is approxinmately 500l / 132.2 gallons per hour at present with only mechanical filtration which gets rinsed weekly. At present I've only done a modest wc of 2 gallons right after my diatom bloom was complete. However in my venture to get to a size of aquarium that made me happy I went from 6.6 gallons to 9 gallons and now 17 gallons. My inverts are still present and accounted for and my total inches of fish is about 1.5 to approximately 15gallons of actual volume.

I honestly haven't monitored my levels of anything but salinity and temperature and just kept an eye on the tank to tell me when something is amiss. Maybe it is dumb luck on my part but my copepod population has exploded and I recently found a little white sponge which has popped up in a very visible location seemingly overnight. I am absolutely certain it wasn't there a couple days ago. My chaeto ball which started out the size of a nickel has become a rather dense tennis ball size. I feed my tank 2x a day, a pinch of flake in the AM and a pinch of .5mm sized pellets in the evening.

I plan to wait another month to two months for things to further mature before I do any more stocking.

Am I doing wrong in that I'm taking things ultra slow and not following the biological filtration " rules " suggested in many places? My turnover rate is short of 10x which is the minimum suggested( temporary ). I have just enough alge to stay ahead of my cuc to ensure none starve ( plus they get plenty of leftover flake and pellets). maybe I'm just lucky.

 

Everything you have mentioned there sounds absolutely fine.

In terms of LR (Not LR and LS) to volume ratio, you usually go 1lb to 1 gallon of water in the aquarium. I would make this up of some dry base rock, and a few lbs of live rock to "Seed" the rest of your rock. The less LR you use, the less potential risk for nasty hitch hikers. I would not add LR to an already stocked tank, as it is often not fully cured, which can lead to nitrate spikes and a mini cycle causing distress to fish.

You can cure your own rock from the LFS, buy putting in in a bucked of salt water with a powerhead and heater for approx 3 weeks doing regular water changes. This should cure your rock well enough for it to be placed into the display tank to seed your dry rock.

In terms of Live Sand, I usually go with enough to make an approx 3" sandbed. This IME has held enough beneficial bacteria to ensure a good system. I would only use a DSB (6" or higher) in the fuge, if that was the mechanism of filtration you were after.

I would monitor your levels once a week, and regularly after your first addition of stock. You cannot tell how well your tank is going without any stock without doing some water tests.

I would also use this time to start getting into a good regular habbit of water changes. It is up for discussion what you personally do but I think a good rule of thumb is 10% each week or fortnightly.

"Turnover" can vary greatly between who you talk to. Yes you are right the general rule of thumb is 10x turnover, but if its a little more, or less, its much of a problem. But just to clarify that should be 10x turnover through the sump.

You should have some powerheads in your display tank to consistently agitate the water, provide flow for corals etc if you choose to have them and to allow good gas exchange at the surface.

What are you currently stocking and how long has your tank been up and running?

Hope this helps.

Ryan.

 

I personally don't believe in live sand, but that's just me. I would add a bit more dry rock to finish things off. Like Ryan said don't add live rock to an established tank. As for monitoring your levels, I do a check every week. Also make sure you get enough flow in your tank because if you don't nasty algae will make a home in your aquarium.

 

As far as the bio-filter "rules" for stocking are concerned, that's a reference to help prevent stocking too much too fast. There's no such thing as too slow, as long as you have some bio-load to feed and sustain your bacterial colonies.

 

Thanks for all the input. If I do add live rock it will be cherry picked from my lfs display tanks. Believe it or not, it is cheaper forme to buy a few pounds locally than to order online and have it shipped to Alaska. This also allows me to spot any aptasia or other possible unwanted hitchhikers.