New cichlid tank need some help with rock

[imcgary]

I am about to embark on my first cichlid tank and i know that i need alot of rock to help with ph among other benifits.
what type and where can i get rock. is using rock that i find outside ok?

 

[Jchillin]

Depending on your budget, Texas Holey Rock is pretty cool. Most rocks will not do much to alter your ph so you may want to look into a crushed coral substrate.

*Edit* The above is dependent on what cichlids you are looking into of course. Africans will enjoy the above, with SA...it's not needed.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

The holey rock is nice, but it can be really expensive.

Another option would be to check landscaping places. They sell lots of different rock, much of which can be aquarium safe. You could ask them to point you in the right direction (or check here).

 

[bs6749]

You could go with a lot of slate for the most part of your tank. It won't do anythying to buffer but you can make some nice rock formations with it. Someone suggested going to a gardening center and buying a huge piece and taking a hammer to it instead of buying pieces at the lfs. If you went with slate you could always go with CC as the substrate as previously stated to help buffer the pH.

 

[imcgary]

so what you guys are saying (without really saying it) is dont mess with rock that i find outside?

 

[bs6749]

You can use that. I would boil it though.

 

[imcgary]

if i have pieces that are to big to boil then can i bleach them and then soak in a de-chlorinater solution?

 

[Stephen]

What type of cichlids do you plan on keeping? If you're going for SA species, then maybe it's better if you just go for driftwood as your decor.

If you're going CA or Africans, then I guess slate would be a good choice. Easy to stack, especially for cichlids that dig.

On a different note, I'm not too fond of using CC as a substrate. Despite their name, the pieces aren't really crushed, and there's a tendency for food to get stuck in the gaps. If I could redo my 75 gallon tank, I'd use CC in the filter rather than as a substrate.

 

[Jman17H]

Texas holey rock is good because it has lots of holes to act as caves and it is a form of LIMESTONE. Limestone will raise your pH to somewhere in the 8 range. Depending on your area it could be very easy to find. Here is Ohio I do not need to know exactly how to identify it but how to identify everything else. No clue what Kansas geology holds?

It seems as if many recommend going to stores and spending money on the perfect rock but many could just take a short walk and with a little knowledge and maybe some luck find what they need.

I would not recommend bleaching rock because despite one's eyes, there are millions of little holes in all rock that suck up things and once you get something in those holes, it may be hard to get it out. Just use hot water, soak for a few hours and scrub them very very good. I have never bought a rock for a tank and have done this many times with great success.

 

[Big Ben]

in my experience rock that doesnt fizz when you put vinegar on it is ok. I just wash em down first. I put mine through the dishwasher with no detergent...i like driftwood better for non african cichlids tho. i put that throught the dishwasher with no detergent too.

 

[coldmachineUK]

in my experience rock that doesnt fizz when you put vinegar on it is ok.

This is generally true, but an article in December's PFK by Mary Bailey (a cichlid expert) suggests that both vinegar and lemon juice are too weak to produce a reliable reaction. Just something to bear in mind I guess.

 

[physicsdude]

Hmmm. Well, I set up an afrcian tank recently using pool filter sand, a large plastic plant, a small plastic ship, and some rocks. The rocks are nice. I found them while hiking along a trail alongside one of the locks for Lockport Canal. I found a rock, completely black with some brown and red streaks, thats double the size of my fists combined but almost as light as a few marbles!

I tested them with vinegar and lemon juice, the rock test stuff I heard about, and cleaned them. So far, no problems. The fish love them. It worked for me.

Try it; the worst that can happen is it may leach something or affect the ahrdenss or ph. If it does, remove it. But if not, well, it beats anything from any store anytime cause its free!

 

[MyCatsDrool]

for my SAs, I use pretty much exclusively driftwood and TONS of plants and eco complete or flourish substrate

For my Africans, i use a combo of rainbow rock, slate, rose quartz and colored, tumbled river rock, with aragonite substrate (switching from PFS)

 

[bs6749]

if i have pieces that are to big to boil then can i bleach them and then soak in a de-chlorinater solution?

I would not use bleach as it can be VERY hard to rinse off completely. Here are a couple of options for you:

If the rocks are to big you could put them into a 5 gallon bucket and pour boiling water into the bucket. Simply bring several pots of water to a boil on the stove and pour into the bucket (outside would be nice or in the bathtub).

If you don't want to do the boiling water thing you may want to use something like alcohol/hydrogen peroxide to kill off any microorganisms that may be in the rock.

You could also put the rocks in an oven and cook them for a while. The rocks will stay hot for a while and may crack if you pour cold water on them (depending on the composition and size of the rock). I would avoid this method if possible.

Hope that helped.

 

[godzilla]

I baked my rocks that were too big to boil. 200* for 1 hour. Never had a problem with them....

 

[Jman17H]

If you bake the rocks, just make sure not to bake them at too high a temp. Like Godzilla said, 200 should be good. At high temps they could probably, depending on the type of rock, start to chip or even explode?

 

[travis simonson]

I've baked rocks before too and can second godzillas suggestion. Just don't put them in the oven wet from the tank because your house may smell rather pungent before you're done

My favorite rock for Africans is lace rock. It can be tricky to find but it is full of holes that small fry can use to hide from predatory adults and it just looks cool

 

[drummerj]

for my malawians i used crush coral/aragonite mixed with normal aquarium gravel, then i went to the beach and grabbed a bunch of slate rock, then took several sea shells and put them all in my tank. The fish absolutely LOVE the shells (conch shell, pretty big) and the slate rock. In my convict tank i got chunks of granite from the lake i live near, boiled the rocks, then made caves and shelves.

 

[Idealconcepts]

imcgary - tell us what type of cichlids you were thinking about and the size tank. This way we can give you appropriate suggestions.