help me figure out which kind of live rock to get.

Chad Vossen · 12/09/2006, 08:37 PM

well, im putting together a 65 gal reef tank. im upgrading from my 10 gal.

as of right now i think im going to get 100 lbs of fiji live rock off ebay.

the fiji live rock will be 2$ per lbs plus 45 shipping give or take.

well, petco got some fiji rock in but it looks dense.

so my next idea is tonga branch live rock but it will cost me 3$ per lbs and i really dont know how much of it to get.

so, could someone please leave comments on different live rock.
i want to know what 100 lbs of fiji live rock looks like.
also what does 100 lbs of tonga look like.
or 100 lbs of other live rock. or any amount really.

also, does tonga branch live rock take up more space per lbs than fiji live rock??? this is my main question i guess. i wonder if something like 75 lbs of tonga will take up the same space as 100 lbs of fiji.

B33FST3W · 12/09/2006, 09:42 PM

I would not get the fiji becasu of how dense it is. Out of the rock I have in my tank, I like the tonga shelf rock because its great to make ledges/overhangs with. I also like the tonga branch rock, but I would think it would be hard to aquascape with ONLY branch rock (it would be like stacking sicks on top of each other). My third favorite rock is my marshal island rock because of how porous it is.

As far as how much room the rock will take up, it all depends on how porous it is. The fiji will take up the least amount of room per pound, while the tonga branch will take up the most. I would say that 50 pounds of branch would take up the same room as 100 pounds of fiji. All the other rocks fall inbetween these two.

Hope that helps.

-Stew

Chad Vossen · 12/10/2006, 11:11 AM

thank you, thank you and thank you.

you may have saved me money and given me a better looking reef tank. i plan to use zip ties to help hold the tonga rock together. chisle and hammer to make them fit better too. and epoxy to help secure the rocks.

drummereef · 12/10/2006, 11:13 AM

www.premiumaquatics.com has really nice live rock. Fiji and Marshall Island are very nice.

sasscuba · 12/10/2006, 11:22 AM

I went with Fiji and tonga branch. Spent a little bit more to hand pick it at the LFS. Not the dense stuff either....was going to do the Ebay thing but did not want to have alot of die off.

michaeldaly · 12/10/2006, 11:41 AM

Vanuatu Live rock is also very nice.

12/09/2006, 08:37 PM	#1
Chad Vossen Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota Posts: 1,313	help me figure out which kind of live rock to get. well, im putting together a 65 gal reef tank. im upgrading from my 10 gal. as of right now i think im going to get 100 lbs of fiji live rock off ebay. the fiji live rock will be 2$ per lbs plus 45 shipping give or take. well, petco got some fiji rock in but it looks dense. so my next idea is tonga branch live rock but it will cost me 3$ per lbs and i really dont know how much of it to get. so, could someone please leave comments on different live rock. i want to know what 100 lbs of fiji live rock looks like. also what does 100 lbs of tonga look like. or 100 lbs of other live rock. or any amount really. also, does tonga branch live rock take up more space per lbs than fiji live rock??? this is my main question i guess. i wonder if something like 75 lbs of tonga will take up the same space as 100 lbs of fiji. __________________ Chad Vossen Current Tank Info: just a bunch of fish :)

12/10/2006, 11:11 AM	#3
Chad Vossen Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota Posts: 1,313	thank you, thank you and thank you. you may have saved me money and given me a better looking reef tank. i plan to use zip ties to help hold the tonga rock together. chisle and hammer to make them fit better too. and epoxy to help secure the rocks. __________________ Chad Vossen Current Tank Info: just a bunch of fish :)

12/10/2006, 11:13 AM	#4
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	www.premiumaquatics.com has really nice live rock. Fiji and Marshall Island are very nice. __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

12/09/2006, 09:42 PM	#2
B33FST3W Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 173	I would not get the fiji becasu of how dense it is. Out of the rock I have in my tank, I like the tonga shelf rock because its great to make ledges/overhangs with. I also like the tonga branch rock, but I would think it would be hard to aquascape with ONLY branch rock (it would be like stacking sicks on top of each other). My third favorite rock is my marshal island rock because of how porous it is. As far as how much room the rock will take up, it all depends on how porous it is. The fiji will take up the least amount of room per pound, while the tonga branch will take up the most. I would say that 50 pounds of branch would take up the same room as 100 pounds of fiji. All the other rocks fall inbetween these two. Hope that helps. -Stew

12/10/2006, 11:22 AM	#5
sasscuba Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Owasso, Oklahoma Posts: 990	I went with Fiji and tonga branch. Spent a little bit more to hand pick it at the LFS. Not the dense stuff either....was going to do the Ebay thing but did not want to have alot of die off.

12/10/2006, 11:41 AM	#6
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	Vanuatu Live rock is also very nice.