How much pukani rock to order?

[knightmetro]

I have a 120g build I'm about to get to the point I can start to aquascape.

I've been looking at Marco rock and BRS rock.

I'm more attracted to the Pukani rock as it's realllly porous and very light. But how light in comparison to fiji that BRS and Marco have?

I plan on doing a good and tall aquscape in my 120. How many lbs of pukani would be enough? I'm not going to be adding live rock to the mix in the DT. I'm going to seed it with live rock rubble in the sump so I can aquscape the whole deal all while dry.

 

[fidofence]

A pound a gallon is a good number

 

[jimmystephens]

Ive always heard that the pukani rock has alot of phos in it but mayne aomeone can comment with firat hand knowledge. I would def order 150# that way u have more to work with. U can always sell the peices you dont use. Better to have 2-3 peices left over then to be short 2-3 peices. Fwiw im setting up a 120 also and have about 150-180 pounds just to make sure.

Edit: Sorry for typos.

 

[djatl]

You'll get a lot of volume with the Pukani rock. It is pretty light compared to other rocks I've had to compare with. I really like the shape and openness of it. I also bought some tonga branch for diversity, and that stuff is amazingly heavy by comparison. Not sure about the fiji.

I am fighting a Green Hair Algae problem, but I can't say if it was the Pukani or my feeding habits. I have to use an automatic feeder for a couple weeks at a time when I travel for work, and I'm sure that contributes to the problem since it's hard to dial it in. When I first started up, I was using it to feed regularly, and I know I dumped a ton of phosphates in myself. I'm currently cooking my original rock to kill it off and eliminate the phosphates.

If you're going to cure your rock anyway, I would do it outside the tank, and test the phosphate levels. If there's a problem, there are threads on RC about the Pukani rock and using Lanthanum Chloride to precipitate the phosphate out. If you're not afraid of the extra steps, I think you'll like the rock, though. Here's a sample of what I ordered. Can't remember exactly how many pounds this was.
<fieldset class="gc-fieldset">
<legend> Attached files </legend>

 

[clay4au]

Check out http://reefrocks.net">http://reefrocks.net</a>

50lbs for $85 shipping included and sand is 40lbs for $15

They are great to deal with and takes request for sizes and shapes.
Tell him Clay sent you.

 

[containerman1]

Clay4AU;838198 wrote: Check out http://reefrocks.net">http://reefrocks.net</a>

50lbs for $85 shipping included and sand is 40lbs for $15

They are great to deal with and takes request for sizes and shapes.
Tell him Clay sent you.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the link I am going to try them out soon.

 

[cedzaquaddiction]

Quick question, everyone. How strict is the pound per gallon guidelines. I had 180 pounds in my 120g to start off with, and after my tank crash, I opted to only run with 100 pounds, and move the extra over to build my 55g mantis tank. Honestly with all of that LR in my tank, I had only about 85 actual gallons of water (measured after the rock was removed), so would that mean I only needed about 85 pounds to begin with? Both tanks have been up and running now for a couple of months with absolutely no issues at all. With proper filtration and flow, is it really necessary to run a pound or two per gallon?

I work in a LFS part-time in my free time, and hear the owner say all of the time that all of that LR isn't completely necessary, but, if they can sell it for $8 per pound, they'll recommend that their customers buy 1 1/2 pounds per gallon.

Not trying to hijack, but, it's something to consider before you purchase...

 

[knightmetro]

Thanks for the Reef Rocks link. Great prices. I may have to go with them.

 

[clay4au]

CedzAquAddiction;838217 wrote: Quick question, everyone. How strict is the pound per gallon guidelines. I had 180 pounds in my 120g to start off with, and after my tank crash, I opted to only run with 100 pounds, and move the extra over to build my 55g mantis tank. Honestly with all of that LR in my tank, I had only about 85 actual gallons of water (measured after the rock was removed), so would that mean I only needed about 85 pounds to begin with? Both tanks have been up and running now for a couple of months with absolutely no issues at all. With proper filtration and flow, is it really necessary to run a pound or two per gallon?

I work in a LFS part-time in my free time, and hear the owner say all of the time that all of that LR isn't completely necessary, but, if they can sell it for $8 per pound, they'll recommend that their customers buy 1 1/2 pounds per gallon.

Not trying to hijack, but, it's something to consider before you purchase...

I am only running about 30lbs in my frag system that's about 70 gallons but I do run a reactor packed with about 3 liters of matrix.

 

[cedzaquaddiction]

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

BTW: Love the matrix. Ran it on my QT tank, and it worked wonders.

The matrix has a large surface area that can grow beneficial bacteria without taking up tank space.

 

[hnguyen]

Pukani rocks is pretty big for its weight. I would say they are about twice the side of normal Fiji rocks for the same weight. I just ordered 15 lb of pukani and Fiji and it looks like I got about twice as much pukani over Fiji. Also, the pound per gallon rule is just a rule of thumb. It all comes down to surface area. Thats where all the good stuff grows on. If you go with all porous rocks like the pukani then you can go with half of what is recommended.