# question on my tanks and live rock



## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

good afternoon to all
i was told by some more experienced users that live rock is needed for my tank to circulate the water, to keep it clean and a few other reasons that are postivie. 
with that being said, what kind of rocks do i get? how much? i was given a formula of 1lb for 1 gallon. but what kind of rock. i also like to purchase plants (what kind can i get?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

roafamily said:


> good afternoon to all
> i was told by some more experienced users that live rock is needed for my tank to circulate the water, to keep it clean and a few other reasons that are postivie.
> with that being said, what kind of rocks do i get? how much? i was given a formula of 1lb for 1 gallon. but what kind of rock. i also like to purchase plants (what kind can i get?


There are basically no (actually a few) true plants for marine systems. The ones that do exist like turtle grass are tightly controlled and slow growing. Except for mangroves which become big big trees.

What is available are macro algaes which kinds look like plants but are actually organized forms of algae. Chatomorphia is like a green brillo pad and just grows to whatever container it is in. Good for refugiums. Various caulerpas like profilera are good also but can "go sexual" when stressed. Hard algae like halimeda are good for reef type environments which require maintaining calcium and high lights.

Most saltwater fish especially tangs and angels will eat the soft macros. So I put a partition in my display to keep the macros away for the fish. As a bonus the fish could still munch on the macros that poked out of the partition.

With macros balancing out, stabilizing, and maintaining the tank, no live rock is necessary. I used common landscape rocks from a local limestone quarry which cost $20/ton. They felt sorry for me and just let me have a trunkful and no charge.


my .02


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

the rock called live rock is that.Live rock.At lfs in water hopefully with visible forms(plant, inverts,snail ) of life. I know some lfs sell dreid coral they put in there tanks as live rock and by true definition may be. But like any regular rock , I don't think thats what was being recommended. Real live rock may arrive cured and is safe and effective much quicker, or uncured which needs to be cured(timming like cycling) not always safe or effective as quickly. Some of the best stuff comes from live rock, and some stuff is unwanted hitchhikers. 1lb. per gallon is fine and expensive .Live sand also could be used along with live rock.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Live Rock and Live Sand: Live Saltwater Aquarium Rock and Sand
Saltwater Aquarium Fiji Dry Live Rock / Eco Rox | Bulk Reef Supply - English
MarcoRocks Aquarium Products
http://live-plants.com/

I prefer to show people what i'm talking about, sometimes its alot easier when they can see what your trying to explain.
Live Rock is just that, Rock derived from the ocean, its a rock per say, but it can have die off. Its used as a biological filter for your tank. a Minimum of 1lb per gallon should be used. Not saying its a must, because you can use a big ol mechanical filter, and eventually possibly have Nitrate issues if not using it with a sump or a Skimmer. The Rock is not used to curculate the water, you use powerheads for that, and that starts at 10x your water volume, yoiu do this to keep detrius from collecting in any given spot.
Also, you do not need real Live Rock per say, a Macro Rock, or Texas Holey Rock, Base Rock, Lace Rock, all these can be used also. Your looking for a rock that won't alter the water, and does not come with heavy metals or other foreign debre in it. All this rock is your filter.
I noticed you did not mention a Skimmer, which is as important as the Rock. As a Skimmer will eliminate garbage collecting in the water column before it has a chance to cause yoiu any problems.
Volusion Demo Store
Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer | Bulk Reef Supply - English
Many out there to chose from. Top one I listed is a very good one, which happens to be very cheap.


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## phil_n_fish (Nov 19, 2011)

welcome to the saltwater hobby!

Live rock plays a big part in biological filtration. It hosts micro organisms and plant/invertabrate life like algae and sponges. Live rock also helps trap particals in the water so crab, snails can eat it. Now when you choose live rock, you can choose where it comes from. For example, if you want your tank to have a pacific deep ocean look, you would choose rock that was harvested from the pacific to mimic the looks and organisms from that area. Plus you will have the option to buy branching rock or bulky rock. But no matter where its from, it would still do the job. 
1-2 pounds per gallon is good. Just keep note to include the amount of water in the sump/filtration when calculating the amount of rock needed. 

if coral isnt your thing but want some plant life, go to Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums for access to saltwater plants that you wont be able to find at your local fish stores. You can prob find someone on this forum that would sell you some.


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## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

thanks to all this weekend we did buy live rock at a discounted price i think we got like 30 lbs for $15 and i also bought some live rock from a shop at 3.50 a lb which is good. the rock is in and we shall see 
as for the protein skimmer, i went to go buy one from a guy on craigslist, we met and all he said i didnt need it after all. i dont know why so he didnt want to sell to me but he did sell me the uv light for $20. should i have bought the protein skimmer?
i got the built in sump in the back, live rock, the sand, some anemones that came with the tank and now a anemones for the tank, the water was tested last nite and per the shop all levels are good. he did sell me some clown fish


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Shops are there to make a sale, not necessarily to do the right thing. What size tank do you have? If it sunder 30g then you don't need a Skimmer, over 30g and you do.


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## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

yes my tank is under 30 gallon


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

roafamily said:


> yes my tank is under 30 gallon


Then weekly water changes will keep excess nutrients under control. But yiu need to watch them carefully, in case yiu need to do either larger or more frequent water changes of 10%.


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## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

thanks for the advice. so i should change how much water a week? i also have algae build up on the acrylic. 
when i bought the tank i had a colony of Zoas, what purpose do they serve?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

roafamily said:


> thanks for the advice. so i should change how much water a week? i also have algae build up on the acrylic.
> when i bought the tank i had a colony of Zoas, what purpose do they serve?


It is very hard to impossible to absolutely prevent algae in marine tanks. Which is why I use macro algaes. They consume the nutrients limiting the ugly algaes. But still the tank has algae. Just the prettier macro types.

Zoas serve the purpose of being able to say I have a colony of Zoas im my tank. *old dude

I ran a 55g from 2003-2009 with a heavy bioload and easy soft corals with tap water and no water changes. I did the diy 2-part which you may want to check into tho.


my .02


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Hey BOB. Go stick your head in the sand!!! 

Zoas are a form of easy to keep coral, just like any other coral, they are there for being pretty. You would want to do startinf at 10% a week, and watch the nutrient levels from there, to decide if yiu need to do more %.


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## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

thanks took the family out to go buy some fish they all loved it, my son bought a horseshoe crab, my wife a clown fish, she also bought a green dragon


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Horse Shoe Crabs require a larger system, as they will grow to over a foot in diameter.


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## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

YES..i unfortunately didnt do my homework on that fish. my mistake, i will have to trade him


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

roafamily said:


> YES..i unfortunately didnt do my homework on that fish. my mistake, i will have to trade him


If that's a leafy sea dragon you might also want to research that also. If so they are a form of sea horse and require little to no water movement and are difficult to feed. They do look nice though. *old dude

my .02


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## relaxlove (Aug 20, 2012)

i got the built in sump in the back, live rock, the sand, some anemones that came with the tank and now a anemones for the tank, the water was tested last nite and per the shop all levels are good,and I thank you for that!


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## roafamily (Jul 30, 2012)

nice..i am going to clean the tank tonite..thanks for all the advice


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