What rocks are everyone using?

[heather]

hiya i am just wondering what kind of rocks is every 1 using for there african set up ,,
and where is the best place to buy them from ?
thanks

 

[fish_r_great]

Most people just find rocks outside and scrub and boil them. Limestone is great to use as it will raise your pH to a higher level that is more suitable for African Cichlids.

 

[Nick Sw]

Agree with above , I used B & Q river cobbles , jet washed and boiled for 20 mins. £2.29 each but I got them on offer from the Huddersfiled branch for a £1.00 if that helps.

 

[heather]

well i went to two garden centres today and they have like baskets of rocks in i asked if any of them would be safe they all said no ,, 1 rock was called a turkish rock

 

[brewyn]

hello heather. the cobbles give off a more natural look of the lake malawi, only difference ,that in the lake the cobbles are bolders the size of a house, I have lava rock which is red in colour and quite expencive, but light weight, another populat rock is tuffa rock, which again is light weight but is also good for buffering your water and raising your PH levels if they are on the lower side. the other popular rock is OCEAN ROCK, extremely heavy, wont adjust your water paramaters, and very attractive, but it appears that some folk have on occasion lost a fish due to it getting trapped in the natural holes.

I have just given loads of tuffa rock to fiesta today as a freebee, and only weeks ago I got rid of some massive specimen ocean rocks, about 200 or 300KG of the stuff!!!swapped it for about 5kg of live rock, thats 1 deal I think I did get screwed on

 

[heather]

wheres the best places to get these rocks from ,,

 

[denis coghlan]

I think I might be speaking for most people here when I say, Try to avoid buying rock in your LFS. You will pay through the nose for it. If you are buying one or two pieces for a community tank that its not bad buying it in a lfs, but if you buying it in bulk (lets say for setting up an African cichlid tank) then I would recommend you source your rock else where.

examples: garden centers, DIY stores, patio centers etc.

My favourite way to get rock, it too get it for free!!! When I was setting up my mbuna tank, I went clear accross Ireland, 200 miles or so to get it. It paid off in the end as I only spent about 20 squids for fuel and it was a nice drive.

The rock I use in my mbuna tank is Devonian "old red sandstone" ORS has significantly less quarts and feldspar so it makes it ok in terms of water hardness. For substrate I use crushed coral to buffer the ph.

I even used some of the left over "free" rock in my fry tank.

 

[saboy]

Nick SW,


The river cobbles you say you got from b and q, are these the ones in your malawi tank in your signature ? And do they mess with water hardness, ph , etc ?

 

[brewyn]

just sniggering at that photo of the fry and wondering how long will it be before one ends up in our tanks LOL

 

[SamUK]

i thought you werent supposed to use sandstone cos it breaks down too easily........


thats what the wolfs post on rocks says anyway altho surely it takes a few thousand years for a rock to break down like that?


ok im arguing with myself.

 

[Nick Sw]

Nick SW,


The river cobbles you say you got from b and q, are these the ones in your malawi tank in your signature ? And do they mess with water hardness, ph , etc ?

I don`t think they do I know a lot of the guys on Malawi Keepers use them safely.

Slate is good but tends to look a bit architectural rather than natural I`m not sure what rock is found locally in nottingham ?

This is the Wolfs Topic on Rocks
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=55806

 

[denis coghlan]

i thought you werent supposed to use sandstone cos it breaks down too easily........


thats what the wolfs post on rocks says anyway altho surely it takes a few thousand years for a rock to break down like that?


ok im arguing with myself.

Hey sam, There are three distinct types of sandstone, quote from wikipedia!

arkosic sandstones, which have a high (>25%) feldspar content and a composition similar to granite.

quartzose sandstones which have a high (>90%) quartz content. Sometimes these sandstones are termed "orthoquartzites",

argillaceous sandstones, such as greywacke, which have a significant clay or silt content...

Devonian "old red sandstone" is quite different from younger types of sand stone. Due to its age 400 million years and the amount of pressure that it has been formed under, the rock is stronger and less susceptible to leeching, weathering and water penetration then other types. Undoubtedly there is a high percentage of feldspar and quartz in the rock in comparison to other types of rock, granite, limestone etc.... but I feel safe that this proportion and the amount of leeching that will occur in a short space of time will no way be sufficient to cause any problems in my mbuna setup.

just sniggering at that photo of the fry and wondering how long will it be before one ends up in our tanks LOL

That's for me to know!!!!!

 

[SamUK]

ahhhh i c.


thanx for that.

 

[Nick Sw]

Tanks your Geology skills are becomming legendary as are your MyGyver like DIY skills !

When are these Labs for sale Tanks I`d like a Female please.

 

[denis coghlan]

Tanks your Geology skills are becomming legendary as are your MyGyver like DIY skills !

When are these Labs for sale Tanks I`d like a Female please.

Thanks for the complements nick, "MyGyver the geologist". Love the sound of that!! 8) 8)

About the labs, its kind of getting to a silly stage at the moment! I've got a total of thirty eight fry in two separate fry tanks, and as of last night, another female lab is holding! that should bring the total up to about fifty . I don't need them for my main tank and granted it will (as most people have been saying) be difficult to sell or even give them to a LFS, but I find the whole process of stripping the fish very interesting. Plus I get great enjoyment out of watching them school around the tank. This trait disappears when adult so its about the only time you will see it.

I dont think you will need any of my fry nick, as the fish in your tank will start getting jiggy in no time and they wont stop!!!! Its as simple as just adding water!!!!