Advice on amount of live & dry rock

[Reef_at_Sea]

Could somoene advice me on the amount of live ocean rock i need for my new 40g tank?
I allready have a 20g running where i used all cycled rock but this time i wanna use live rock from the ocean & dry rock, is this a good idea?

If so, should i do 50% live & 50% dry rock or is it better to use 100% live rock?
I will also use live sand.

Thanks in advance!

 

[William Chiavetta]

Could somoene advice me on the amount of live ocean rock i need for my new 40g tank?
I allready have a 20g running where i used all cycled rock but this time i wanna use live rock from the ocean & dry rock, is this a good idea?

If so, should i do 50% live & 50% dry rock or is it better to use 100% live rock?
I will also use live sand.

Thanks in advance!

If you use live sand 50% 50% should be fine with a very similar result

 

[carri10]

If you have time, you could use less live rock, but putting a smaller amount in a bin with the dead rock, saltwater and heater. Let them sit for a couple of months, feeding a shrimp every now and then, and your dead rock will become more live (not as live as the live rock, but better)

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

If you have time, you could use less live rock, but putting a smaller amount in a bin with the dead rock, saltwater and heater. Let them sit for a couple of months, feeding a shrimp every now and then, and your dead rock will become more live (not as live as the live rock, but better)

I would like to switch from my 20g to my 40g as fast as possible.
I think i'm just gonna use cycled rock & put in some sand & detritus from my current 20g.

 

[danimal1211]

How old is the cycled rock in the 20g and how many pounds?

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

How old is the cycled rock in the 20g and how many pounds?

It's 13lb, been in my tank for about 8 weeks, it's older rock tho, it was allready cycled at the LFS.

 

[danimal1211]

1lb per gallon is most often recommended. Live Rock is expensive but IMO worth the price. Any dry rock you put in will still have to mature itself, but with your mature rock it won’t be as severe along a process.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

1lb per gallon is most often recommended. Live Rock is expensive but IMO worth the price. Any dry rock you put in will still have to mature itself, but with your mature rock it won’t be as severe along a process.

But i can't take the mature rock out of my 20g can i? that will crash my 20g?
I want to start up my 40g & move over my fish & corals.

I'm thinking about getting the same cycled rock from my LFS but then a little bit less so i can add the live rock from my current 20g afterwards when i move my fish & corals.

Still not sure how to do it properly.

 

[danimal1211]

I wasn’t clear on whether or not you were replacing the 20 g or you wanted two separate systems. If you can get more mature rock from your LFS I would go that route and I would try to get as much as I could afford up to 1lb per gallon in both systems.
Live rock from the ocean is also a good source and the preferred route of many.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

I wasn’t clear on whether or not you were replacing the 20 g or you wanted two separate systems. If you can get more mature rock from your LFS I would go that route and I would try to get as much as I could afford up to 1lb per gallon in both systems.
Live rock from the ocean is also a good source and the preferred route of many.

Oops wait my fault, i am replacing my 20g, but i want to keep my fish & corals as safe as possible.
I don’t know what is the best way to move from 20g to 40g, i can’t just move my rock & fish & corals over?

 

[danimal1211]

I just recently got some nice base rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater (this past Tuesday). It came submerged which prevents excessive die-off but some is always to be expected. Not everything willl survive in an aquarium environment. I also got the live sand activator from ipsf. I have been monitoring ammonia and nitrate and have seen a rise in NO3 with no detectable NH3.

All that being said I would still be cautious by setting up the 40 and leaving the 30 running until you’re confident the 40 has cycled.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

I just recently got some nice base rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater (this past Tuesday). It came submerged which prevents excessive die-off but some is always to be expected. Not everything willl survive in an aquarium environment. I also got the live sand activator from ipsf. I have been monitoring ammonia and nitrate and have seen a rise in NO3 with no detectable NH3.

All that being said I would still be cautious by setting up the 40 and leaving the 30 running until you’re confident the 40 has cycled.

Yeah, that last thing is exactly why i will just start a new cycle in my 40. I got time on my hands.
I’m not gonna rush everything over, i got all new electrical work anyway.