Cave building with rocks

[Electrobes]

Heyeveryone, I am finally back into the game of planting. I will soon have a new tank set up. I currently have a 45 gallon tank (tall) that will be made into a brackish tank (by acclimation for the fish that I will have). The future resident will be non other than the Green Spotted Puffer. My gaol is to give him/her the most absolute best conitions to reach maximum size. With that in mind I was to buil a tank with some caves by siliconing rocks together, also making some wedges for java ferns.
What rocks should generally be used for this situation? Thanks!!

 

[shawmutt]

I used some slate in my tank...nice and flat and easily stackable. Go to a local plant nursery and see if the sell rocks by smaller amounts then by the pallet. My rocks were cheap, about $25 for a big bucket (~50#). Slate will not affect the water quality, and once it gets seasoned, looks really good.

 

[Electrobes]

not sure if I wanna go slate.. in a brackish tank what would look more natural?.. or maybe that is natural and I am being a bum and not know what slate looks like

 

[davoz]

slate is flat. Go to a local landscaping business. They usually sell tons of rocks along with mulches. You can by the rocks by the pound.

 

[Electrobes]

Thanks davoz I wouldn't have thought of that!

 

[madasafish]

I used to be averse to slate... But now I like its look. It's great for caves.

I think you saw my Texas Holey Rock, right? That would be great for your tank, as it naturally increases pH, which the GSPs like. Also, its holes and crevices are perfect caves. Get a few pieces to stack near each other, and you can make larger caves. I stand by these rocks for their sheer "wow" factor. And they are realistic for a brackish-water environment. Much limestone is created in marine environments by the accumulation of calcarious debris (i.e. shells). The THSs are limestone. Mind you.... in truth you probably won't see much of anything but plants and fish in a brackish env. Rocks tend to get smaller and smaller as you reach the mouth of a river because of weathering. When you get the estuary of a river, most rocks are pebbles, sand, silt or clay! Of course, this isn't always true...

Other options. If you're confident enough about your local rocks, you could almost certainly put a nice granite boulder or a few of them, well washed, in your tank. Perhaps look up your local geology to find out whether arsenic and heavy metals are present in your rocks...

 

[madasafish]

BTW, this *may* be slate in this picture. It's certainly a good example of it if it is. Slate is a layered rock--a silt/clay sedimentary rock made from very small particles. It usually comes in sheets (just in case you were still unsure what it looks like).

http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0001-0208-1408-3045.html