[jjgina]

How do I know when I have enough Live Rock, or is it "more is better"?

[naser]

when you like how it looks. the more the better but there is no set limit.

[scubadude]

I think the first year the tank is setup that you cannot have too much LR cuz it helps the tank mature and cycle, however after your tank has aged you can slowly start taking rock out and make room for more corals.....I know I know...what to do with the rock you take out? Thats simple....either put it in your sump (which is better place for filtering IMO) or trade it in for credit at your LFS

[scout]

About 2 years ago when I started someone told me on a board that a good rule of thumb was 1 - 1 1/2 lbs per gal. The only mistake I did was getting too large sized rocks. You REALLY have to plan space for your coral addtions (make shelves, caves, etc). Large pieces are not very flexible in your design schemes.
Good Luck!
Mike

[Baywatch Babe]

jjgina

Add more sand than rocks, depending of course on the grain size that you have, 40 lbs of sand is not enough for a minimum depth of 4". In the old days, as scout has mentioned, most hobbyist are following the xxlbs of live rock per gal. typical of the Berlin Method systems. This resulted to tanks that have tons of boulders in it, sand are only for aesthetic reasons. The nitrification and denitrification processes are happening in and out of the live rocks.

Nowadays, most hobbyist are utilizing the filtering capacity of the sand,...more sand, less rocks. Not only does the tank looks natural but there are more spaces for the fish and corals.

Try to arrange the 20 lbs of LRs that you have, again, depending on their size it might be enough or too much or you might need to break a few piece. Don't pile em like a brick wall. There must be spaces where water can circulate to minimize dead spots. Make caves, nooks and crannies, maybe an island here and a smaller island on the other side. Only then that you will see how much more rocks to add.


Gia

[newreefman1]

I love lots of rocks, but as mentioned above, make sure you do some aquascaping and have places to set those corals you will be getting. I am running out of room in mine factoring in growth space.

I have 95 lbs in my 60 with about 120 lbs of live sand(maybe more) and in the sump I have about 20 more lbs. I say the more the better as long as it looks the way you want. (dont get too cluttered)

J