Can Lava Rock Harbour Nitrifying Bacteria In Tropical Fish Tank

[deftuch]

to any extent above the normal level?

 

[Chad]

I've researched this question before and the answer I found was that it depends.

Lava rock is not all created equal and can have differing composition. So the answer was that some lava rock, that which has fewer metals and is more porous works well for bacterial colonization.

How porous the rock is seems to make a big difference as that means greater surface area. Bacterial colonization is really a lot about surface area, the more, the better.

 

[deftuch]

I've researched this question before and the answer I found was that it depends.

Lava rock is not all created equal and can have differing composition. So the answer was that some lava rock, that which has fewer metals and is more porous works well for bacterial colonization.

How porous the rock is seems to make a big difference as that means greater surface area. Bacterial colonization is really a lot about surface area, the more, the better.

lava rock is certainly rough and holey so it has a good surface area. i wondered if you had a pile of lava rock in direst flow, a powerhead/wavemaker for example, then bacteria would build up. if you then took the lava rock out completely or moved the wavemaker away from the lava rock. it may be possible to create some sort of spike due to the loss of bacteria. i have lots of lava rock and i want to gradually swap it for ocean rock or something more aesthetically pleasing. however i like the idea that the rock is usefull and may keep it if i can prove it is? but i dont wannna take it out and wait to see if theres a spike or anything lol


also i wonder how well lava rock would work in a external filtwer if broken down to the size of bio balls and ceramic rings ect

 

[Chad]

Ocean rock is made of coral skeletons and fossils and is nearly infinitely porous due to fantastic architecture of such skeletons.
This picture I pulled off Google is a great example not only of how porous a coral skeleton is but how other rock types (in this case the plug the coral is on looks to be a manmade aggragate) are not so porous. What you can see with our eye is just a taste of what it looks like under a microscope. So...while lava can be very porous and beneficial as bacterial surface area coral skeleton and fossils are going to produce a much greater result. In a reef tank the rock is the filter. There is no reason I can think of this can't also be the case in a Freshwater tank.

 

[deftuch]

awesome picture. i know i dont really need to know what im asking but thanks for clearing it up for me

 

[Chad]

Anything that interests you, fascinates you, or arouses your curiosity is something you need to know!

That's Chad's philosophy 101.

 

[deftuch]

Anything that interests you, fascinates you, or arouses your curiosity is something you need to know!

That's Chad's philosophy 101.

thats very true, although sometimes i cant help but feel im one of those annoying people who ask too many questions lmao

 

[Chad]

It would be boring if people didn't ask questions!