Malawi Cichlid Tank Advice

[mondo4u]

Hi can any one help ive got malawi cichlid tank ocean rocks expensive would cotswold rocks be ok to use . Saw some lovely one at local garden center much much cheaper then lfs prices for ocean rock . Getting new 6ft tank deliverd next week want to have big rockery aqua scapeing thing itd cost fortune in ocean rock .its limestone so good for ph i am told ? Thanks lee

 

[ballyclover]

i only hve a 4ft tank but love my ocean rock and coral sand. Cost me £36.00 for 25kg of ocean rock and £32 for 25kg of coral sand.Both were well priced i thought, esp as my local LFS were chargeing £3.50 a kilo.
 
teesside kio.....they deliever too all over...they have lots of cichlids also

 

[KevM]

Cotswold is a great choice; much more natural than ocean rock, and it looks great with algae growing on it. Just make sure you wash it well before putting it in the tank.

 

[Malawifan]

Ocean rock can be a nightmare if you have juvies in the tank. With the little holes as your fish can get stuck in them. The stone will look great. As dogsout said give it a good clean. Don't buy you rocks from a lfs as they will have your eyes out. Garden centres are far cheaper. What's you current ph?

 

[mondo4u]

Thanks for advice my ph is 7.2 7.4 on average

 

[Malawifan]

You want to aiming for a ph of 7.5 so only a slight buffering will be required. You could try crushed coral sand. Other alternatives to the limestone you could use are slate or river cobbles. Just make sure everything gets a good clean. There's lots of images on google of Malawi aquascaping for some insperation. I use slate in my tank.

 

[ripil]

lol@fry getting stuck in ocean rock.
i have around 200 fry in a rio 240 none get stuck in the rock. i use crushed coral sand n ocean rock in my rio400 and rio240. it looks the best imo n is worth spending out although my ocean rock was 50 quid for 40kg n the crushed coral sand was 20 quid for 25 kg n i needed three bags for the two tanks.