What rock should I use?
 

Hi All,

For my 75G I was thinking of going with about 25 lbs of base rock and 50 lbs of live rock. What should I use for the base rock? J&L has Reef Rock for a little over $1/lb but it is dense and doesn't appear very porous. Big Al's has Tufa which is light and porous but they want $2.79/lb which is reasonably close to live rock prices. Is there, perhaps, another alternative.

I've seen some DIY rock which gives good shapes but is also fairly dense and solid.

One of the sponsers here on canreef - http://www.thereefgeek.com - does base rock :)

reply
 

In my first tank (28 bowfront) I used tuffa and found it to be a cyano magnet because it collects a lot of detritus. I would go with all live rock, even if you can't afford it now, save up and buy it gradually.

caribsea reef bones!

The base rock that J&L sells is actually quite porous. I bought a box of it when I set up my reef tank to use as a base for the 140 lbs of LR. The thing that disapointed me with the base rock was that it was all small, fist sized pieces.

I tried some tufa rock in my FOWLR and aslo found it to be a slime algae haven. I think it was due to phosphates trapped in the rock though. It went away after a lot of diligent siphoning and water changes. Took me about six months to get rid of it. Its still in the tank and seems fine now.

If I was doing it again, I'd stay away from those options and just pay the price for good LR.

I also suggest using all live rock. There are lots of good shapes and sizes, also many varieties. I recommend mixing it up as each type has it's own merits.
In my tank I have a mix of approx 350-400 lbs of live rock from Indo, Fiji, Caribbean and Tonga so together it makes a good mix. Live rock is something you can always add as you need it. My reef tank is almost always under some sort of construction.
Good Luck,

just curious but how much $ do figure has gone into your tank?

i hope i do not offend you by asking