55 gallon Lake Malawi Biotope construction

[VTFish]

Hi There!

This is my second thread. I am gong to do a 55 gallon lake Malawi biotope.
So far i put the egg crate on the bottom to support the rocks that will go in the tank and after inserting the egg crate i poured 50 pounds of white pool filter sand on top and spread it evenly throughout the bottom of the tank.My plan is to make it look as natural as possible and accurate to what the lake looks like. I am going to have Yellow lab Cichlids about 5 or 6 at first and maybe add more of a different kind later. I do not have all the supplies and i still have gather rocks which i might today. Anyway here is a photo of the tank with the egg crate inside. I will also put one up with the sand today.

Please tell me what you think of my idea and comment on the tank.
Thanks
Eli

 

[mikeISright]

Well there isnt much in there.. Haha but that looks like some good egg crate laying!

 

[VTFish]

Thanks. I cut the egg crate myself since it was to big. I will post a photo of it with sand inside in a few minutes.

 

[VTFish]

Here is the tank with sand in it! Soon i will put rocks inside so it will look a lot better. The glass still needs to be cleaned some more.

 

[mikeISright]

Alright great! Ide love to see it

 

[VTFish]

Thanks a lot! I don't know when i will put the rocks inside maybe even today.

 

[mikeISright]

I like the sand a lot! And yeah that should look prettygood!

 

[mikeISright]

Put those rocks in! It will be sweet

 

[VTFish]

Thanks again! The sand is Mystic White pool filter sand, but it works great for aquariums and this is my first time using it. I might go to a river today to look for rocks to put in the aquarium, i have some but not enough.

 

[Labenator65000]

If you are adding rocks that you gathered yourself in the wild, be sure to clean them thoroughly. Soak in white vinegar and discard any that bubble. I also scrubbed mine with a baking soda/water paste. Finally boil them to get rd of any other contaminents.

 

[VTFish]

Ok. Thanks for the information.

 

[VTFish]

I am not going to get the rocks today. My plan is to go to a local river tomorrow and gather large river rocks. Then i i will soak them in white vinegar, scrub them and boil them. I was wondering how long should i boil them and soak them in Vinegar?
Thanks
Eli

 

[Labenator65000]

I am not going to get the rocks today. My plan is to go to a local river tomorrow and gather large river rocks. Then i i will soak them in white vinegar, scrub them and boil them. I was wondering how long should i boil them and soak them in Vinegar?
Thanks
Eli

Opinions vary. I soaked mine in pure white vinegar overnight. I boiled them in water for about 30 minutes. If you have a grill with a burner, boil them outside. They can sometimes give off an odor. By the way, there is some risk of a stone exploding if there is moisture in them. Just be warned.

 

[VTFish]

Thanks. Do you mean exploding in the fish tank or when it is boiling?
I will try what you did.

 

[Freakgecko91]

I prefer vinegar over bleach or boiling to be honest, bleach just scares me to ise

 

[Labenator65000]

Thanks. Do you mean exploding in the fish tank or when it is boiling?
I will try what you did.

Exploding while boiling do to the expansion of water, etc trapped inside of the stone itself. The chances are not very high. Nonetheless, exercise caution. I forgot to mention, repurpose an old toothbrush to scrub the stones off as well.

I prefer vinegar over bleach or boiling to be honest, bleach just scares me to [use]

Yeah you need to be careful with bleach. I wouldn't use it on porous items/material like stones. Now, I have used a 10:1 water:bleach mix on plastic plants and it works like a charm to remove algae, but it must be rinsed thoroughly and dechlorinated. Prime works great for that purpose.

 

[Convict2161]

There have been cases of rocks exploding while boiling. The tiny pores in some rocks will hold gasses and when super heated these gasses will reach there ignition point and explode. I haven't found much online but being involved with hazardous materials for some time now, it's something to definitely be cautious about.

The trapped gases have nowhere to go and when they expand they will make some noise and damage.

I've never boiled rocks. I just scrub them real good and soak them in water over night then scrub again. Other times I give a little scrub and throw them right in. Haven't had any issues to report as of yet.

 

[VTFish]

Thanks. I never use bleach to clean aquariums or objects in the aquariums, since it can kill fish. Maybe i won't boil them instead soak them in vinegar and scrub them and then soak them in water over night. Do you think that will work? I am going to the river today to gather some big river rocks, so i will start cleaning them this evening and then post a photo on this thread of the tank with the rocks inside.
Eli

 

[Labenator65000]

That will do the trick. If you are getting them from the river then they are likely cleaner than out of your landscape, etc.

 

[VTFish]

Your right they are probably cleaner from the river then from on the ground.