How much rock for a "skinny" tank?

[PJs_Bucket_List_Reef_75]

Yes, I know. This is one of the most commonly asked questions in the hobby. And I've heard the general "1lb to 1 gallon" ratio. But I don't know if that would work for me, with my tank dimensions. It's a 45 gallon, 36" long, 24" tall, and only 12" wide (approximately, leaving out the decimal points). I'd like to build a scape that makes use of the tank height, but the width isn't a lot to work with. I'm going to have a sand substrate. Is there a better way to calculate how much rock I'll need?

 

[Formulator]

I didn’t really “calculate” how much live rock to use in my tank. I can’t remember if this was due to lack of knowledge or laziness, but it worked out fine in the end and still working 8 years later. I would suggest you just build a scape that you like and put some live rubble in the sump to supplement. You can always add bioballs or more rock later on if you find out you need it with a heavy load in the future. Let your testing (ammonia, nitrate) be your guide.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Yeah, I posted the same query a few months ago. One of the posters said they felt a half pound ler gallon was what somw people do currently. Seems like I've seen comments along the lines of three-quarter pound per gallon. It's a LONG way from the old school rule of 2lbs/gal. As stated above, just watch for the effects of your bioload on the ecosystem and go with the flow.

 

[Vinaka_vakalevu]

best advice I can give is to do a mock up of your tank using tape and some cardboard it will give you a real idea of your tank size. then start with 30 lbs of rock and form your scape. reef safe epoxy is a very easy way to glue and bond your scape together. have a hammer and chisel with you so you can break bigger rocks int smaller pieces or chip parts away to make rocks fit together better.

 

[PJs_Bucket_List_Reef_75]

I already have a strong suspicion that scaping this tank is going to give me an aneurysm lol. Coming up with a design that tall, but leaving enough room to not touch or crowd the walls. Plenty of swim throughs, hiding places/caves, overhangs, but not a big rock wall that impedes flow...yep, where's that Excedrin?

 

[SantaMonica]

I had the same problem with my tall 90g when I was in Santa Monica. Being in chatsworth you will need to consider earthquakes; a tall rock setup can tumble down (so acrylic is best of course). But if you secure them with epoxy or a long plastic rod drilled through them, they will be fine. Here was mine:

 

[PJs_Bucket_List_Reef_75]

I had the same problem with my tall 90g when I was in Santa Monica. Being in chatsworth you will need to consider earthquakes; a tall rock setup can tumble down (so acrylic is best of course). But if you secure them with epoxy or a long plastic rod drilled through them, they will be fine. Here was mine:

Chatsworth, Georgia... tiny little town most people haven't heard of lol, but thankfully, earthquakes aren't a concern. I definitely plan to secure any setup I build, though, because you just never know what might happen, and I don't want to risk it.

 

[exnisstech]

Narrow tanks are tough to scape. One of the reasons I went with a 30" deep tank on my latest build.
On narrow tanks I've not been able to get a really nice sculpture looking scape. I always end up with rocks against the back wall with swim throughs and open area in front for fish to cruise the length of the tank if they choose. The narrowest tank I have had was 18". 12" I know I would have rocks against the back wall. I couldn't tell you how much rock weight wise I have ever put in a tank, I never bother to weigh any. I do add live rock and or rubble to the sump also.