need help new 2 saltwater

I have a 90gal tank that is freshwater.But changing 2 salt need 2 know how much of rock i need 2 buy for it. Can i buy half base rock/ half live rock 2 start with this is my 1st reef tank. And where is the best place 2 buy from. Can any1 tell me where there is a good pet store in birmingham thanks Bamafan

 

You can buy even more base rock to live rock. I would buy like 25% live and 75% base rock. The amount of live rock you want will depend on what you will want to keep. I would say anywhere between 70-100 lbs would be a good amount.

 

A good rule of thumb is 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of rock per gallon. You don't need to spend extra money on live rock, it will all become live as the tank cycles plus you won't get any unwanted hitch hikers in your tank.

Don't know about any stores in Birmingham but reef cleaners is a great place to get your rock.

 

Go to reefcleaners.com and buy their dry base rock. Put all that in the tank, fill it with water, throw some table shrimp in there to get the cycle going. Once the cycle is completely done and your past the diatome bloom, then you should worry about turning it into pretty live rock. After all of that, which may take longer than a month, get a small piece of live rock that is covered in coraline and use it to "seed" the tank. Just hold the rock in front of a power head and scrape the coraline off and the spores will start growing all over the tank. That's what I would do if I had the chance to start over. You can turn $3/lbs rock into $12/lbs rock in just a few months. Talk about savings.

 

Yes, take very little live rock. I wish I knew this when I started, I bought ALL live rock and spent more than my tank was on just the stupid rock and sand.