[naser]

i have 100lbs from my existing tank. i was thinking the 140 150 would be enough but it looks alittle low.

[rededteck]

That is the problem with dense live rock, it is heavy and you dont get too many pieces out of it. I used lava rock as a filler on the bottom.

How much sand do you have in there. Make that sand bed DEEP......

[naser]

deep sand beds kinda make me sick. all that wasted space. that is the most sand that i will put in a tank now. lava rock doesnt have all the wonderful life that a lot of live rock would. im looking for life not cheapness.

[MarkS]

I'm sorry, is that 40, 100, 140 or 150 pounds and where did you buy it from? If that is more than 40#'s, either your tank is huge or I want to avoid buying live rock from whoever you bought it from.

Thanks,
Mark

[naser]

this is 40 pounds. i have another 100 pounds in my existing 55 gallon. i think ill need more.

[MarkS]

It sounded like you bought 40# and added 100# to get what you see in that pic. Or at least to me. Thanks for clearing that up!

Mark

[naser]

yea if that was 140 pounds than i must have growing glass.....

[MarkS]

That tank is going to look great. If that is only 40#, the 140# to 150# would look great, IMO.

Mark

[newreefman1]

Naser,
Its a 180 right?

I know it looks small now but when you add your existing tanks rock, im sure it will fill up quite a bit more ...enough to please you.

its just the 40 is way too little and in such a big tank ...looks little. When you add the rest, it will look good. You may end up buying another 40 though since I know you like a tank full O rock.

J

[ravenmore]

I wouldn't use lava rock. It can contain heavy metals that would poison your tank.

A very, very good alternative is tufa rock. I have several large pieces in my tank. It seems to grow coraline better than the live rock. It's very light and very porous. Looks like tan lava rock but is actually formed from calcium deposits in the right conditions. A landscaping place might carry some.

BTW - Tuffa can be carved/cut with a stout knife. I always thought it'd be cool to get a really big piece 'bout the length of the tank and carve it into real interesting shapes.

Just my .02.

[Ninong]

I'm sure 150 lbs would be enough, but 270 lbs would look better IMO.

Good luck,

Ninong

[rededteck]

I used the reddish colored lava rock which has obviously become alive in my 220 gallon reef. The purple algae covers it as well and it is a very colorful site to see. I was unaware there were heavy metals in red lava rock?

Send us a pic when you get all the live rock in the tank, I bet you will pleasantly surprised. Good Luck!

[ravenmore]

Not all lava rock has heavy metals in it, but since it can come from deep within the earth it all can have heavy metals in it. I just never cared to risk it.

Tufa is wonderfull stuff. It's calcium based (calcium carbonate I THINK - formed when hard water runs into an alkaline lake - the tufa deposits only form underwater) - very similar in composition to reef rock. It's probably lighter and more porous than reef rock. I actually prefer it now to live rock. I think a good way to go is to seed with a few pounds of live rock to get critter diversity and then finish off with the tufa.

Critters move into it in a hurry and flourish. I've noticed tons of bristleworms, spaghetti worms, various unidentified worms, pods, vermitid snails, sponges, and (unfortunately) aiptaisia moving into it within a month or two of the tufa being in the tank. Coraline grows on it faster than the monano island reef rock I have in my tank. Plus, it's WAAAY cheaper and you're not ripping rock outta some reef in the wild. AND you don't have to worry about undesirable hitchikers like mantis shrimps.....

It can be carved and shaped with very normal tools - a good stout kitchen knife would probably work, although power tools might be faster.

If you want to buy a large piece and carve it to fit your tank try calling:

Dan Cox
Tufaworks Inc.
406-763-3353

I've never called to get a big piece before, so I have no ideas what pricing is like. I still want to get a really big piece and do this with my tank sometime....get about a 48" long rock and carve caves, crevices, ect..... into it. I might give him a call about it tomorrow....

-Mike

[rededteck]

That is a great phone number to know. I checked the internet and found nothing as I wanted the tufa rock or as we use to call it cave rock.

Thanks for the information.

[ravenmore]

Hey guys - just spoke to Dan. Very interesting conversation. I'll probably start a separate topic on it but thought I'd use this thread as a launching pad.

They have several diffent grades of tuffa that vary in densities. He guestimated that a piece the size of my entire aquarium (55+ gallon) would weigh about ~30 to 40lbs in the lightest density. I believe he said they normally charge about a $1/pound + shipping.

You could probably get enough tufa to fill the rest of that tank for less than $100. Critters from your existing live rock would populate it in no time. I'll probably be getting mine before Christmas.

He's also interested in supplying rock to the aquarium hobby - currently his main buyers are for landscaping/gardening. I'm sure he'd appreciate input. His email is tufaworks@montana.com.

-Mike