Rock Question

[sputnick]

so i went out side in the snow and got about 100 pounds of rock. then i started to think. can my 45 gallon hold all of these? i read a little bit and fom what i see most peoplr dont worry about it but tbh i am. should i be? if you guys and gals could give me a quick answer that would be great! ive got the relatives coming over friday and want my tanks to be at their very best an i need to get this done tonight yet..

 

[coolie]

Do ou mean the weight or the volume? Surely you should be able to make a rough judgement by looking at the size of what you've collected?

 

[sputnick]

lol yes i know that they will all physical fit, its the weight im not sure about. i have them soaking in a bleach solution right now. i just got done scrubbing them off with a brush ans washing them. ill get my tank ready and then go wah them off good and start putting them in

 

[Chad]

To a degree that can depend on the tank and the stand. If the glass sits right on the stand and there isn't a lip the glass can handle quite a bit of weight without breaking. I am assuming that's the worry?

 

[sputnick]

Well my stand does indeed have a lip, but im positive that i didn't put nearly enought rocks in to make it crack. I left out the largest of the rocks. i don't think there is more than 100 pounds of rock in there anymore. It seems fine. I put the rocks in over a 30 minute period and listened for cracking or any noise. I also checked the bottom of the tank after and i didn't see any cracks so i assume im in the clear for now. I will be checking every day for a little while just to make sure though

 

[scotty]

don't think it would crack,it would just go and you would be left with an extremely wet floor

 

[Chad]

Is this decorative rock for a freshwater tank or live rock for a marine tank?

 

[sputnick]

Decoritive rock for my 45 gallon cichlid tank. A marine tank is next on my list but going into college next year its gonna be hard to fit that into budget

 

[Chad]

I just ask because for a marine tank with life rock you wouldn't need that much to get the job done. But for decoration you gotta do what you gotta do to make it look awesome. That IS a lot of rock though, you have to admit.

Of course I'm one to talk, I have over 350 pounds in my reef tank and 170 pounds of sand.

 

[coolie]

Water is very heavy, surely you only need to account for the difference betwen the density of water and the density of the rock and not the weight of the rock per se.?

 

[Chad]

Water weights about 8 pounds per gallon. For me the worry with the water is the displacement. You start out with a 45 gallon tank but displace so much water with rock that you end up with 25 actual gallons. I've known people to do this and then they stock as if they have 45 actual gallons of water.

 

[Jenste]

Did you make sure to put egg crate /a grid under the rocks to disperse the weight? Any tiny corner/edge to the rocks resting directly on the glass for an extended period of time makes a pressure point that can let go at any time