Tyrsdottir Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hi there! To save money and also get a jump on the cycle, I am planning to pay good money for some tank rock at a local LFS. This rock will come with shrooms, ployps, feather dusters and other stuff already grown on it!!! To save money, I plan to use this for SOME of the LR I need for the tank, and use raw Tufa rock, which I am hoping will aquaculture pretty quickly. The kid at the LFS said it works great. I am just wondering if anyone else has done this and what your experiences are, and how it effects the cycle. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 i've almost always used a 50/50 mix of "true" LR and base/tufa/lava rock. ime the tufa does seem to take hold the quickest and best quality. it isn't always the prettiest starting out though. but it's been enough of a difference that i've basically stopped using the lava (nice, lightweight and porous but takes too long to seed) in lieu of the tufa. my current 75g is about 1/3 tufa, which is now all seeded and essentially indistinguishable from the real LR (i have trouble ID'ing the difference sometimes). i've used it both as decorative top layer and hidden base layers. it may mess with your pH/alk when initially added but nothing detrimental to the tank imo, more just upping the readings than anything. Link to comment
mandarin dragonet Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 ^^agreed^^ its a good pH buffer and adds a bit of calcium i think. Link to comment
Tyrsdottir Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 I was going to do this all as the initial set-up. So, should I put in the water and the tufa and let it set for a day and see if there's a pH change needed before I add the live sand and live rock? Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 i don't really think you'd need to but it can't hurt to be extra careful and do it that way. Link to comment
Tyrsdottir Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 Another question: If Live Rock is heavier than Tufa rock, how do I know how much Tufa rock to use? I mean, this is really a surface area issue, right? Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 some LR will be lighter than "typical" tufa, so rules of thumb can't really be applied always. each shape is also different so that also needs to be taken into account. you really need to just gauge it by sight and available volume in the tank you've selected. but yes, surface area is one of the main issues of LR. Link to comment
Tyrsdottir Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 some LR will be lighter than "typical" tufa, so rules of thumb can't really be applied always. each shape is also different so that also needs to be taken into account. you really need to just gauge it by sight and available volume in the tank you've selected. but yes, surface area is one of the main issues of LR. Thanks. Not sure how I know how much volume is enough tho. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 i meant sufficient volume mainly from an aesthetic point actually. quantitatively speaking, you should be fine with a 35%~50% tank volume. sufficient filtration/bio-filter depends more on your bioload and maintenance than strictly on the quantity of rock imo. i don't think we can figure out a formula between square footage and livestock though. you have too many different livestock types plus the obvious impossibility of calculating internal surface areas. so i wouldn't worry too much other than genrally avoiding dense/solid rock. Link to comment
Tyrsdottir Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 Thanks again! Link to comment
05XRunner Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 i did that to save money....I put about 45lbs of base dry rock..only $1.60lb i have about 10lbs or so of live rock...I plan on adding maybe another 10lb of live but sure saved me alot of money Link to comment
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