A few more n00b questions

[Corn-Picker]

I've heard estimates for live rock weight to be between 0.75 to 1.25 pounds per gallon. Is this gallon of water or gallon of tank? My tank is 29 gallons, but with my ~5" DSB there's barely over 20 gallons in the tank, and this is going to go down even further after I add the live rock.

Would 22 lbs of live rock be too little? Would 36 lbs be too much? The reason I mention 22 lbs and 36 lbs is because these are weights available from liveaquaria.com.

I'm afraid my tank my be too crowded :( When I consider all I have in my tank; HOB filter (for water movement and oxygenation, and I'll put the carbon filter in if the water gets cloudly), heater, powerhead, internal protein skimmer, brine shrimp hatchery, automatic feeder, etc... I'm afraid I won't have any room for my fish. I picture one fish swimming around in a circle about 3" large because in any direction he moves he runs into something.:eek:

My tank is cycling now with 2 shrimp the local sushi restaurant was nice enough to donate. There's a slight smell, hoepfully it goes away within a few days.

Now, for my second question. Is there anything wrong with my plan thus far.

Wait for shrimp to decompose and check all levels, When amonnia, SG, nitrate, nitrite, and pH are ok I'm going to add 22 - 36 pounds of live rock. I'll let the live rock adapt for awhile. When ammonia, SG, nitrate, nitrite, and pH are ok again I'm going to add the fish.

This brings me to my question, I want to add to my tank:

2 Ocellaris Clownfish (the only peaceful clown fish I could find) (max size 4")
1 Yellowhead Jawfish (max size 4")
3 Greenbanded Gobies (max size 2")

Is this too much load for my tank? If a clown fish is shipped to me at 2", will he evntually grow to 4" or will he not grow to full size in a smaller aquarium?

When should I add Detritus and Algae cleaning crews?

[K9Decoy]

Ok, lemme handle these question by question :)

1) Live rock is usually by the whole tank gallon size, not by available waterspace.
2) 22lbs is not too little, and 36lbs is not too much. 1-2lbs/gallon is sufficient. You sound on the money here.
3) Plan sounds good so far except: add the live rock as soon as you can, because you want it in there to help with the cycling process since it houses alot of helpful bacteria. Adding it later will spike your tank chemistries, which you don't want after waiting all that time for your shrimp to rot!
4) You might have too many fish to add to this tank. Try eliminating 2 or 3 off your list, then you should be OK. Plus, watch the clowns closely for aggression. Be sure to introduce them to the tank at the same time, or else one will claim it to be his and be more aggressive.
5) Yes, your Clownfish will grow to max size in this size tank, so keep that in mind.
6) Add cleaning crews only after your tank is cycled, and when the need for them arises (e.g., algae begins to get out of control, excess food lies uneaten)

Good luck, and I hope these tips help you in your setup! :D

[Corn-Picker]

Originally posted by ClownAround
Ok, lemme handle these question by question :)

3) Plan sounds good so far except: add the live rock as soon as you can, because you want it in there to help with the cycling process since it houses alot of helpful bacteria. Adding it later will spike your tank chemistries, which you don't want after waiting all that time for your shrimp to rot!


So I should order my live rock now and put it in there with the rotting shrimp? Will the rock be burnt from the Ammonia Spike? I've had my two shrimp in there for about five days.

I think I will eliminate the three greenbanded gobies and replace them with one gobie. That will get my fish load down some.

Thanks for the advice.

[K9Decoy]

Yeah, I'd get your LR in there ASAP. It will no doubt experience some die-off in transit anyways, but alot of bacteria will survive. Put it in your tank and let everything cycle before you put any fish in.

Sounds better since you nixed some of the stocking list. All your fish will be happier with fewer tankmates, and this will ease your bio-load.

And you're very welcome for the advice. Glad I can offer some assistance! :D

[ben72227]

that sounds good. ammonia won't "burn" the live rock. if anything it will be the otherway around. good live rock will shorten your cycle too. If you are getting pacific live rock (fiji, tonga, etc.) then liveaquaria.com is a good place to get it. However, you should check out www.tampabaysaltwater.com for atlantic live rock. They seem to have the "livest" live rock because they ship it in saltwater and it comes straight from florida whereas pacific rock is shipped in news paper across the globe (a lot of stuff on it dies) and you have to cure it, which (as clownaround said) could be a problem if you're tanks already set up. HTH

P.S. - TBS live rock has more "stuff" on it like corals, but you might prefer pacific live rock which usually has more corralline algae and doesn't have critters and the like due to die off during shipping.