Adding Live Rock to Your Reef Tank
It's time to start adding live rock!
You’ve already added your substrate and let your aquarium run with the pumps and heater for a couple of days.
The water is clear, the temperature steady and there are no leaks.
The amount of live rock you put in the tank will depend on what you want the reef aquarium to look like.
But if you don’t have enough, your biological filtration, which is a combination of live rock and live sand,
will be ineffective. You should aim for about 1 to 1 3/4 pounds per gallon of water.
A word of caution while working in your tank.
Please wear some kind of protective gloves when handling live rock.
They will protect both you and your reef.
I always wear them when working in my aquarium.
You need to aquascape your aquarium carefully so as not to drop any rocks.
They can easily break the glass or crack the acrylic bottom of the tank.
Generally the biggest pieces should go on the bottom to create a solid base.
Everything added on top of the base should fit firmly.
You may need to adjust them so they are stable and won't fall.
You can even use marine safe silicon to glue pieces together.
The variations you can come up with are as endless as the shapes of the live rock you are using.
Always keep in mind that you will eventually be placing many types of coral into your
reef and they need areas/platforms to attach on to. Take your time adding live rock.
I hope it all goes well and you end up with a fantastic display.
Back to Reef Aquarium Setup
Exit Adding Live Rock and Return Home
Quick Tips
Always remember
Live rock can be very sharp.
Be careful and wear proper gloves.
How much do I need?
Some types of rock are a lot heavier than other types.
Because of this, the general rule of lb/gal does not always apply.
I have less than 70 pounds in my 90 gallon tank and it looks full.
As long as you can maintain the necessary bacteria colonies needed to keep your tank stable then you will be fine.
|
|
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb