catzo Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I've got a 10 gallon standard, undrilled, with 25 lbs of live rock and 15 lbs of live sand sand cycling right now. I really like the aesthetics of a ton of live rock in a tank, thats why I got so much, but with all that rock the tank only holds about 5 1/2 gallons of water when full to the brim. I'm worried I'm too inexperienced to keep this tank stable with so little water. Do I NEED to add a 5-10g sump to this? Is it going to be really difficult to keep this tank going without the extra volume of a sump? Or will I be able to make it work with just frequent water changes and close monitering? Link to comment
seabass Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 You don't "need" a sump on any system. However, there are some advantages having one. Unfortunately, standard 10 gallon tanks are made with pretty thin glass (which makes drilling them more risky), and most HOB overflows have a risk of failure/flood. With all that rock, maintenance might be an issue (like cleaning the glass and siphoning detritus off of the sand bed). Also, flow throughout the tank might be more difficult. I'm not saying take out the rock, just try to address some of these concerns with your aquascape. Link to comment
amphipod Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Man you need a bigger aquarium. Link to comment
fredfish13 Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 don't need a sump to have success. might want to take some rock out. Link to comment
amphipod Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Also the tank probably wasn't made for that much rock, there are potential structural failures coming soon. Link to comment
catzo Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Ya im going to just take out one of the bigger 6 pound pieces. It sucks throwing out something i paid $50 for but its cheaper than the $200-$300 ill be paying to set up a sump Link to comment
seabass Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 If you like that much rock, keep it. Just make sure flow throughout the tank is good and you can perform normal maintenance. Definitely don't throw out live rock. If necessary, find someone who needs some (maybe a reef club or advertise on Craig's List), or even donate it to a LFS just so that it doesn't go to waste (maybe they'll give you some store credit for it). Link to comment
cindyp Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 how the hell did you put 25# of live rock in 10g of tank? that's too much rock imo. i have an 8g and do weekly water changes of about 1g. no sump. you really don't need it if you can do 7-10 days maintenance. Link to comment
Justin_Luke Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 If you like that much rock I would say keep it, those tanks can hold more than people give them credit for. It has already been said, but make sure you have good flow throughout the rocks to ensure that waste and detritus do not build up. A weekly water change of 1-2 gallons will make sure that everything stays stable and healthy. One thing you should be cautious of is to not overstock your tank. With a water volume of just over 5 gallons it will be easy for multiple fish to quickly pollute the water. A couple small fish should be fine. Link to comment
seabass Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Right on Justin "Timber" Luke. Link to comment
amphipod Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Man how could it even cross your mind to throw away live rock?! Such waste. Link to comment
NorthGaHillbilly Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The main issue that needs to be looked at is how much room does this 25#s of rock take up? in my 35 gallon ALL the rocks weigh less than 15#, but its not dense rock at all. If your able to fit 25# of rock in a standard 10g I expect its dense as hell, and not serving very well as a bacterial playground. Link to comment
shaneandjohn Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hillbilly is spot on. I only have 12 lbs of rock in my 35 gallon, but it looks like about 25 lbs. It's all about the density. Shane Link to comment
cindyp Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 exactly. you will be blocking flow which is pretty essential for these small tanks. Link to comment
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