Best Places To Source Rock And Slate For A Malawi Setup?

[elisew]

Can anyone please give me some ideas on what places would be cheaper to get some Rocks and Slate that would be suitable for a Malawi setup?

I`ve decided on a change from Tropical community to a Malawi setup and need to start sorting out the scaping of my tank so any help would be appreciated

 

[myrtle]

Cheapest place by far would be your local tip, but there's no tellig where it's been! Next best and where I get all my hardscape from is garden centres/pond supply shops that have a lot of rocks for rockeries or outdoor water features. Pretty much anywhere will be cheaper than the lfs, including ebay!

 

[elisew]

Thanks myrtle, I guess I`ll be planning days out at my local garden centres etc as like you say the lfs is very expensive. I like the look of Ocean rock but can`t find anyone local to me that has some for sale

We have a sandstone quarry pretty close to where we live but I`m not sure if Sandstone is ok to use instead

 

[markandhisfish]

you may find sandstone is toosoft to be underwater long term . ( dont quote me on that tho lol)

 

[kiriyama]

Hi, I think sand stone is a no no but I'm not sure why Limestone can be used, yorkstone is darker and is a type of limestone. try zooplus or aqua essentials if youre buying online, shame I didn't stay closer I have loads of it just sitting doing nothing looking forward to seeing the new set up when its up and running.

http/www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/decoration/natural_decoration/natural_rocks/43351

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/ocean-rock-for-marine-aquariums-per-kg-p-4915.html

 

[elisew]

Hmm, we were told today not to use any Limestone at all and to make sure we do the 'vinegar test' for the fizz on any stone we might have to use

Not sure how much stone I`m going to need to be honest, those links look good but it`s all going to work out pretty expensive when I total it all up even though my thoughts are to have only 3 specific areas of rock/stone/slate caves I think it`s going to have to be a case of collecting rocks and stones a bit at a time, then make the changes once I have everything I need. You never know there may be someone on the forum who is local to me who has some spare rocks....we`ll see
I`ll definitely let you know how it`s going though

 

[kiriyama]

Hmm, we were told today not to use any Limestone at all and to make sure we do the 'vinegar test' for the fizz on any stone we might have to use

Not sure how much stone I`m going to need to be honest, those links look good but it`s all going to work out pretty expensive when I total it all up even though my thoughts are to have only 3 specific areas of rock/stone/slate caves I think it`s going to have to be a case of collecting rocks and stones a bit at a time, then make the changes once I have everything I need. You never know there may be someone on the forum who is local to me who has some spare rocks....we`ll see
I`ll definitely let you know how it`s going though

HI, I hadn't thought when I posted the links up thet p&p would be added, probably a courier , sorry. Be nice if your LFS or MA could order some in for you, I have no idea how much you will need, any Malawi or Mbuna I have seen in LFS has one long pile in the middle and lots of colourful fish swimming round it, sorry can't help more than that. I suggested lime stone because I have seen it on other forums (mainly Tangs ) , sorry had to get that in lol, yorkstne is a dark oolite limestone, have seen cotswald in tanks, so B&Q might be an option.
The one suggestion I could make would be a base layer of Aragonite coral gravel, you can also put some in a media bag and into an external filter, this will buffer the water constant over a period of time, then head down to hmebase b&q etc and get some cobbles or rocks in the garden centre I don't know if you have a Dobbies near you but they usually sell ocean rock, holey rock and various other rocks ..... hope this helps and encourages you a bit, happy hunting

 

[dayzofspeed]

where do you live, maybe you could find an old slate quarry or something, or go for a trip to snowdonia, there are millions of tons of slate right by the roadside

 

[elisew]

HI, I hadn't thought when I posted the links up thet p&p would be added, probably a courier , sorry. Be nice if your LFS or MA could order some in for you, I have no idea how much you will need, any Malawi or Mbuna I have seen in LFS has one long pile in the middle and lots of colourful fish swimming round it, sorry can't help more than that. I suggested lime stone because I have seen it on other forums (mainly Tangs ) , sorry had to get that in lol, yorkstne is a dark oolite limestone, have seen cotswald in tanks, so B&Q might be an option.
The one suggestion I could make would be a base layer of Aragonite coral gravel, you can also put some in a media bag and into an external filter, this will buffer the water constant over a period of time, then head down to hmebase b&q etc and get some cobbles or rocks in the garden centre I don't know if you have a Dobbies near you but they usually sell ocean rock, holey rock and various other rocks ..... hope this helps and encourages you a bit, happy hunting

No apology needed, all info helps

I`m going to have to do a lot of searching I think, we don`t have a Dobbies anywhere locally, well not that I`ve ever heard of anyway I`ll have to wait til hubby is back at work and go to B&Q etc to see if they have anything suitable, don`t want to drag the poor guy around looking for aquarium stuff all weekend

I`d really like to see if I can get hold of a decent amount of the holey rock as I think that would be more suitable for the idea I have.

dayzofspeed, we live in Poole so Snowdonia is a bit far for us to go but thanks for the suggestion I`m hoping someone on the forum may have some spare but I won`t be holding my breath

 

[Piltdownpaul]

I used scotch cobbles ,5 quid a bag,check my vids to see what you think-it might give you some ideas......

 

[Tolak]

A landscaping outfit that deals with commercial landscapers is cheapest. Most all will sell to the public, I got more than I could ever use several years back for $12. These are the sort of places that sell landscaping stone by the cubic yard, and will dump a yard in the back of a pickup truck with a front end loader for around $40.

 

[Biulu]

Hmm, we were told today not to use any Limestone at all and to make sure we do the 'vinegar test' for the fizz on any stone we might have to use

That depends on the pH of your water. I understand that these cichlids like a higher pH, and stones that 'fizz' are alcaline and higher your pH.

Edit: I found this website for DIY holey rock. Maybe it is useful: http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_ceramic_caves.php

 

[myrtle]

If you fancy a drive to Basingstoke DH Water Gardens had a large selection of rock including slates and 'spaghetti' rock which looks really interesting though I don't know what it would do to the pH. I also used river cobbles but for a planted not cichlid but a couple of bags of the biggest ones plus some of the really big ones they sell singly would be good. No worries about sharp edges either!

 

[star4]

Shame I have just looked on your profile your too far away from me, I have some rock left over from my frontosa tank. I changed my mind and went for resin rocks.

 

[england]

Hello, go down the spur road, then at the ashley heath roundabout staight across, then on down past moors valley country park, rspca then the carboot sale place, the garden centre on the left, in the centre<not the fish shop> there i brought some huge peices of slate,about 2ft long for a pound each, in big metal bins outsside, not sure if they still have,but winters the time to look...hehe