How much live rock do I need??

Might want to do some research on your source. Many bad experiences with them.

Jeff


Text mangled by iPhone spell check...

 

I dont like to talk about rock by pound per gallon. Tell me, would I be better off having a 300 pound brick of cement or 75 pounds of very porous reef rock? Also, keep in mind that dry base rock will weigh significantly less (25-35% is my guess) than wet live rock, simply because the dry rock is not yet saturated with water and living things...

I placed 65 pounds of dry rock in my 90 gal system, and it's handling my slightly heavy bio-load no problemo.

For your 130, if you want alot of rock like you stated, and assuming the rock is very porous and not dense slab rock like some stuff I've seen, I'd say either 100-125 pounds of dry (remembering it will turn into 125-160 lbs of live rock), or 150-175 pounds live rock.

Also, keep in mind that dry rock is much cheaper than live, and does not need to be shipped overnight. Also, it does not carry live critters along with it (can be good or bad, depending on your preference). If you go dry, you might want to suppliment with a little live rock (20-30 pounds) or some sand from an established reef system.

 

Great points Sacul1573. I've seen some dry rock so porous it almost floats LOL. I wish suppliers would emphasize volume more and weight less...