How much rock is too much?

kennyminireef

Reefing newb
Hi all just wondering, I have a 75gal salt will live rock. how much more can you add? I think I have about 30lbs? give or take is there such a thing as too much? thanks
 
You should add a lot more. A good rule of thumb is 1 to 2 lbs per gallon, so 75 to 150 lbs for your tank. The more rock you have, the better your tank's natural filtration will be.
 
+1 Biff...just to give you an idea, I have 115lbs of live rock in my system...100lbs in the dt, and 15 in the sump/fuge.
 
If you have a refugium, throw some rock in there too.. the more filtration the better! In my case we had some clutter in the display so we pulled some out and put in our fuge. We have about 60 in our 55g and about 15 or so in our fuge. Let no rock go to waste! ;)
 
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I'm personally thinking about 60-65 lbs in my 55 gallon. I'm using a HOB skimmer so it would be hard to put any in there. Just my 2 cents.
 
I have about 110 in my 90, and 17 in my 10. I think the rule is minimum of 1 lb/gallon, and a more is always better until your tank looks too cluttered. Look for really porous rock, as there is more surface area per pound for your beneficial bacteria to adhere to. I had 50 in my 50, and I could certainly have done with more. When I set it back up, I'm looking to put in about 75 lbs. Some will be in the sump, but the majority will probably be in the DT, as my stand doesn't allow for a large sump. So keep adding rock until it looks too crowded!
 
I came in to reccommend you take a look at Smitty's 30gal setup (I think it was ~30).

He had an awesome rock wall in that tank because of lots of rock leftover from a larger build before.

I don't think there's such a thing as too much rock. It's your main source of filtration most times.
 
I had 160Lbs in my 220 Gallon Tank. I added about 40Lbs. more making a bridge and some was a different kind of rock so I snagged it for looks. Basically I am way under the 1Lb per gallon with my 220Gal and 75 Gallon sump.

Although there is obviously nowhere near 295 Gallons total I am still roughly 25-50Lbs under the 1Lb per gallon.

The rule is a smart one to follow for sure but I do not follow it as closely as I once did.

I run great filtration, carbon and GFO as well and have superb water movement and have had plenty things die in the tank with no issues. I know that last part sounds bad but the deaths were most likely due to foul play haha and not the water as most of the fish I have had for a few years.

I also have about 40 Corals in the water so while they produce waste I would like to think they help keep the tank clean.

I would never recommend less rock than the rule of 1-2Lbs per gallon but you can get heavy dense rock or light rock and the surface area will differ greatly at the same weight.

Try to set up a nice sump with a refugium and pack it up with as much rubble rock as you can but try to keep your tank decently filled as that is where the fish actually live and poo.
 
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