African cichlid rocks

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hrvat31

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
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Does any one know how to tell if a rock its toxic because the rocks at the pet store are too expensive so I'm thinking of just getting some from Home Depot.
thanks,
 
you can use river rock, slate, texas holey rock, lava rock, lace rock, crushed corals etc.. you can use rocks from your backyard or stream as long as they are not polluted. Boil them for 10 minutes and you should be good to go.

african cichlids like a PH of 7.8+ so carbonate rocks are actually a benefit, they help to buffer the water. Test your PH before and after you add the rocks

Suitability of Rocks in the Aquarium - A Practical Guide
 
hrvat31 said:
Does any one know how to tell if a rock its toxic because the rocks at the pet store are too expensive so I'm thinking of just getting some from Home Depot.
thanks,

If you stay with slate limestone and maybe some lava rock you should be ok just make sure you clean all the rocks real good. Limestone is good for Malawi cichlids because its helps to buffer the ph. I stay away from rocks that have any colors like orange in in them cuz that usually means there are metals present in the stone. Also as for cleaning I use an old tooth brush and pour boiling water (never submerge due to risk of trapped air exploding the rock) over the rocks. Monitor your water parameters daily to make sure you don't get any big changes. Some others may have some input here as well but that's the steps I've followed and have had no issues as of yet.
 
Most any rock will do, I agree stay away from anything that may contain metals. Best is from a local river or from a landscaping company - which I did. If you use rocks from your yard make sure they are free of pesticides.
Home Depot bags of rocks are fine if you wash them well, I used their pea gravel as substrate in my mbuna tank.
 
hrvat31 said:
Also are you guys African cichlid keepers

Yea I have a 125 Malawi tank. I got all my rocks from a local landscaping co. for under 15 bucks and I've got about 150 lbs of rocks all diff sizes and shapes
 

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Also if you take from local streams or rivers make sure to check your local laws. It may be illegal to remove anything from certain areas. So certainly not worth taking that risk unless you check first.
 
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