Dead base rock in a freshwater tank?

[cd5]

Can i use dead base rock in a freshwater aquarium with south american cichlids, I assume the calcuim would go up causing the water to become more basic, could ph neutralizer deal with this?

What is the difference in lace rock and dead base rock?

The reason I am looking into this is I have a 210 gallon freshwater that I am trying to add decorations too, I am not looking to pay local aquarium store prices for this(driftwood, lace rock, etc) so I am looking at online bulk site, Also I do not like artificial decorations (for example castles, cars, skeleton heads, etc)

If anyone know any good sites for this, please website address

Interesting note, It is interesting how the decorations that took up my 55 gallons are now dwarfed in my 210 gallon

 

[QTOFFER]

I may be wrong, but isn't base rock essentially coral? This would drive up pH as well as the calcium and general hardness, which most SA cichlids would not appreciate. You would also have to make sure to soak any salt out of it, if you are talking about base rock intended for SW tanks.

Lace rock, a.k.a. Texas holey rock, is a form of limestone (calcium carbonate). Like coral, it would also raise calcium, general hardness, and pH.

I would strongly recommend AGAINST using the above stones and pH neutralizers in an SA tank. You would constantly be battling rollercoaster water parameters, and most fish don't do well under rapidly changing conditions.

I think you would be far better off going to a local landscaping supply and buying some pieces of sandstone, granite, slate, feldspar, Jasper, or bluestone. These stones are almost always neutral toward pH and hardness. You can always get better pricing than in the lfs, and they are usually happy to offload the smaller broken pieces that aren't much use to landscapers anyway.

Your locationTake a trip to the GA coast and see if you can get your hands on some dead mangrove roots. They and most hardwoods will make decent driftwood after some extensive boiling and soaking.

 

[Jarred Darque]

base rock can be any number of differant materials, some is limestone types, some of it is nothing more htan concrete, base rock is any variety of rock that is well...not live... It all depends on the type of rock underneath the coraline and organisms etc.


Generally, even if a fish comes from say a 6.9pH location, if it is properly acclimated, it will do fine in a pH of say, 8.0, so long as the 8.0 stays relatively steady. Now, if you want a more neutral pH, (around 7.0) and the rock does start to raise the pH, get some drift wood in the tank, it releases tannins over time, a weak acid, which will bring the pH back, and it reacts slowly, so you would not see the swings you might trying to use a buffer.

Also the added benefit of adding the driftwood, is that a) if you have SA cichlids or other SA fish, they come from black water enviroments (tannin filled water) b) Black Water fish tend to have weak immune systems, for instance, Angelfish, Discus, Tetras, any number of other SA fish we have (some may be relatively hardy, while others have very weak immune systems or are very finicky...yes, Oscars have a weak immune system when compared to say...Bichirs, Garfish, Arowana, or any number of non-SA fish). The added tannins in the water act as an immune system, they help to fight off infection and disease increasing hte health of your tank.



On topic again though, I would CLEAN any previous live rock, get any dieing/decaying organisms off of it, and it should be usable. may want to boil it as well before use. Certain ones will raise your pH, certain peices wont, you need to judge this on acase by case basis

 

[hulkamaniac]

You can, but I don't know that I would with SA cichlids. It's going to make the water really, really hard. That being said, I would love to do a tank using base rock for Africans. I've seen similar tanks and always found them stunning. A lot of people see them at a glance and think they're saltwater tanks.

 

[newfound77951]

I would also not use base rock in a tank with SA cichlids....but it would be great for Africans. QTOFFER is right, head to your local home improvement store or garden center and see if you can get some rock scraps. Any of the rocks he listed would be fine and would not affect water chemistry. The fish would appreciate some driftwood, and it always looks good, too. But it is darned expensive!

 

[cd5]

I think you would be far better off going to a local landscaping supply and buying some pieces of sandstone, granite, slate, feldspar, Jasper, or bluestone. These stones are almost always neutral toward pH and hardness. You can always get better pricing than in the lfs, and they are usually happy to offload the smaller broken pieces that aren't much use to landscapers anyway.

I have often wanted to this but was afraid of two things, the weight of the rock (I know that the simple solution would be to break it up), but also I though landscape places rock has been treated with chemical sprays

Weird question but if I do buy some of those rock and break them to make them lightier would I need to worry about the content potential in the rock?

 

[QTOFFER]

If you break a neutral stone, the newly exposed surface will be neutral toward the water too. There are always small pieces in every bale of stones that have little commercial value to the landscaping supply. I've gotten sandstone and slate for $0.5 a pound this way.

They don't spray stones with bug spray on purpose - some home centers store stones and pottery below or next to the lawn insecticide. Most landscaping suppliers store their stones outside exposed to the weathert, while their insecticides are stored indoors. Thorough scrubbing and rinsing with hot water will remove any dirt or contaminants

 

[hulkamaniac]

I would've never thought of getting rock from the landscaping store. I've always looked at the LFS and been scared away by their ridiculous pricing.