Substrate? How To Clean New Rock?

[Snake42490]

hey guys hows it going... I just got a ton of pool filter sand that i have put in my other two tanks and really like it.. Would my mbuna in my 55 gallon like it or not? right now i have a pebble looking rocks.. natural colored. which would they like better? the only reason i asked is i just got probably around 200 lbs of rock.. not all of it is going in my tank but

1 how should i clean it?

2 how much should i put in the tank?

3 bleach or not?

4 sand or rock as substrate?

5 should i place an egg crate down first?

im starting this project today.. so i will be around all day.. as of now im going to rinse the rocks off well.. wont use any soap or anything yet until i get the ok from you guys!

but im really curious on the sand idea thanks seth

4 Yellow Labs

4 Kenyi

6 Syno Petriocola

1 Syno Eupterus

4 Red Zebras

 

[dthoffsett]

My mbuna definately prefer sand and spend much of their time rearranging their tank, so I'd say definately go with sand.

You'll find almost everyone has different ideas when it comes to cleaning rock, some prefer to boil it, some bake it, some use bleach, others power washers. I myself have always just used water and a stiff scrub brush, I've never had any problems. The use of eggcrate is another contention, personally I think if you don't use sharp rocks and stack them to evenly distribute their weight, placing them directly on the glass is perfectly safe; however, others swear by eggcrate. So it's really up to you. I'm sure that's not much help , but ultimately it's your decision. What ever you do, don't use soap, the residues left on the rocks could kill your fish.

 

[Snake42490]

well the process took ALL day.. but i am really happy with the outcome.. only thing is i have a bubble wall right under a filter intake... that has about 20 rocks over it haha.. i will post some pics tomorrow. Is there such thing as to much rock? i was just wondering because before i was always cleaning my gravel every 4 days.. how should i be doing water changes now? just take water out every 4 days? and every third or fourth get the sand cleaned up?
Thanks Seth

 

[dthoffsett]

IMO there is no such thing as too much rock, unless there's not swimming space.

As for cleaning, I change my water and vacuum every week, or every other week if I'm working a lot of overtime. As long as your water stats stay good, there's no reason to clean more than once a week.