Stacking "cichlid stones"

[Marconis]

My birthday is this Thursday so I am looking to do some nice spending on my tanks. I've been wanting to get these http://kensfish.com/Chichlidstones.html for quite some time but have been putting it off. Since my fish are growing, I've noticed they have become more aggressive over territory. I think these rocks would be great for them. How many (of all sizes combined) do you think I'd need to stack somewhat to the top and mainly from back to the somewhat front of the tank, and left wall to right wall? I could imagine a lot. If it is way too many then I'd maybe think of doing a large stack on either side of the tank. Thanks in advance.

 

[Zagz]

Happy birthday in advance. One question I have is do you have egg crate under your sand to support pressure points the rocks might make on the glass? I'd go with a couple of stack, maybe of the cichlid kits at the bottom of the page.

 

[Marconis]

No, I don't have egg crate. Is it really needed? They won't be dug in so that they touch the glass. A couple of stack, at $65 each I don't think I'd want a couple . Thanks for the happy birthday.

 

[Zagz]

They are quite expensive to say the least. Egg crate would be necessary if they were rocks like lava rock or texas holey rock. I have 35 lbs of lava rock and use the egg crate just in case. Rather heavy to have on 1/4 of the tank. I'm not sure exactly how heavy they are as they are ceramic, you should be fine. Start with one stack as I bet it is cheaper to get the package rather than trying to build your own for less than $65.

 

[WaterPond]

Nick, this is JMHO, but those are butt ugly with a butt ugly price to boot.

Something similar could be made for i'm sure half the price. I will ask my grandma, she makes ceramics, and has made a few for my tanks (when i was very very young).

 

[maxwell1295]

I agree. Find a local landscaping supply and you can get rocks a lot cheaper than that. There are landscping supply yards all over Long Island. Finding one near you should not be a problem....

 

[Marconis]

Thanks for the honest opinions. The reason I am going this route is because of my diatom problem, which seems to be rooting down to every rock that I have used in the past is releasing silicates or something..I don't know. Can you guys suggest a kind of rock with holes in the middle? Not THR, because it is way too expensive.

 

[WaterPond]

well, are you sure it is not the lights you are using causing diatoms?

 

[Marconis]

I don't know?

Fine, I'll just keep the rocks I have and leave the diatoms on them. Maybe I'll grow to like em.

 

[maxwell1295]

I seriously doubt the rocks would cause a diatom outbreak. Your diatom issue more than likely stems from high phosphate and/or silicates from your substrate. If you're using any kind of silica sand (play sand, pool filter sand, etc.) you're going to have silicates in the water. This is usually seen more often in newly established tanks, but usually goes away after a few months. Since your tank has been up for a while, I'm going to guess that you have a decent amount of phosphate in your tap water. Runnins something like PhosSorb in your filter may help.

 

[Marconis]

I am using Tahitian Moon Sand.

 

[Zagz]

Lava rocks can have holes in them. I have several of them in my tanks with no alage on them in any form.The cichlids hide in the stacks like crazy.

 

[Big Ben]

I think they look alright, the hollowness of them is sweet. The ones in the video look like theyve changed color, but otherwise id say theyre sweet. You could go with a bunch of stacked flower pots, it doesnt look that natural but i mean its your own taste realy. I have a couple in a tank and i dont mind em'

 

[vfc]

These are cool rocks. Each has a cave with only one way in. Perfect for cichlids who will claim one rock/cave and can easily defend the entrance. I assume they are relatively light and will displace only a fraction of the water as solid rock. So your 90G tank won't turn into a 65G after you add a bunch of rock.

I see many pictures of cichlid tanks where people stack a 100lbs of rock, but functionally, there are very few "defendable caves" for cichlids to claim for dominance or protection. Most people make stacked tunnels that have openings on both ends. These are fine for swimming through, but a cichlid can't effectively hide in one.

I saw your other post (and tank picture) about diatoms. Trust me, if you added just one 4-5" BN, he will have the tops of those stacked rocks cleaned up in a couple days. I have three in two tanks of large Mbunas, Peacocks, and Haps. The cichlids totally ignore them like they do the Clown Loaches.

Thanks for the link to the ceramic rocks.