Questions.. about Live Rock

[miss-keeto]

Hi all! I would like to first introduce myself. I'm Lee Ann and from the Poconos of PA. My sister has always loved her saltwater tanks and everytime I visited I was amazed by them. So now I have finally decided to try my hand at it. I bought a 60 gal tank with a Fluval 305. I have live sand and crushed coral as my substrate.

I am in the market for live rock. A salesman at the store I bought the aquarium recommended that I go to Dr. Fosters and Smith for the live rock. I have been looking at the Fuji Premium Large Size at 90 lbs. Will this be enough for a 60 gal?

Link: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=393+1183&pcatid=1183

Is this a good rock to start out with? I read somewhere that the Fuji rock isn't as nice as it used to be? I just did the initial setup of the tank last night and would like to get my rock as soon as I can to start the acclimation. But for the cost of shipping I would like to make the right decision.

Also is it okay to put the live rock in while the waters still cloudy? My filter is working well but still pretty cloudy, maybe by delivery it might be clearer.

I'm not sure of my goal with my aquarium yet. So I probably won't stick to a "native environment". I will probably like different compatible fishes and they might be from different regions. Is this a bad idea? I am attracted to stars and anemones.

Wow lots of questions. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks so much everyone!

Lee Ann

[Reefing Madness]

You don't have to start your tank off with all Live Rock, thats expensive, and not needed. You might consider using 30lbs Live Rock and 60lbs macro rock, lace rock, base rock. Your Live Rock will seed that rock.
It is ok to put the Live Rock into the cloudy water, no worries there.
MarcoRocks Aquarium Products
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/bio...a/aa042098.htm
Didn't notice anything about a skimmer. ?? In that size of a tank it would be highly recommended you use one. Need at least 10x the water flow in the tank also, in the way of powerheads or a big pump.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TWO-800GPH-A...item2313c2d1e7

[chrisfont23]

Welcome!

What type of tank do you plan on keeping - Fish Only With Live Rock (ie. FOWLR) or a reef tank? I also see that you are intrigued by anemones. You will undoubtedly need a protein skimmer to keep your nitrates down when keeping a nem, so you might want to hold onto that receipt for your Fluval 305. In a SW setting, the best type of filtration is achieved from our live rock and sand beds where a porous, vast surface - such as 90 lbs of live rock and a 2 inch sand bed - coupled with water moving in, out and over it - is enough for the denitrification process. Since canister filters push water through pads - in your case 3 stages of filtration and then some pads - they can become anti productive. Canister filters on a FOWLR or reef only can have the tendency to become a nitrate factory if not cleaned regularly. This includes the carbon or other chemical removing pads, bio media and of course, the filter pads.

For comparative purposes, I own a 29 gallon reef with 50 lbs of live rock. I do not run a filter, only a large protein skimmer, rated for 3x the tank (AquaMaxx HOB-1), a GFO reactor and a small refugium. This coupled with some carbon dosing keeps my nitrates tolerable (< 10 ppm), but nowhere where I need them to be to house a nem (0 PPM...IMO)

HTH!