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4jlong
01/30/2007, 11:30 PM
Will red lava rock work for live rock? I realize it would have to be cured, but i heard that some colors would not work because of the mineral that makes the color (some colors could be potentially harmful to reef creatures). does anyone know if this would be safe? thanks for the help!

firecrackerbob
01/31/2007, 08:21 AM
Ive heard the same... and I have never seen the rock used in a well established tank....
If you are trying to save some $, I would go with DIY rock or dry baserock as alternatives. Both need cure time, but safer choice than lava rock I think..

4jlong
01/31/2007, 06:25 PM
anyone else?....

I plan on buying live rock for my tank, but i saw someone giving away this red lava rock, and I thought it might work good for in sump rock. It's the 2 inch landscape rock I think.

4jlong
02/01/2007, 11:14 AM
???????

BurntOutReefer
02/01/2007, 11:27 AM
dont buy the lava rock (red).....try to get Lace Rock...thats a better looking rock and will eventually become "live".....
BTW...if you are looking for base rock....I have some that I can sell you VERY cheap...maybe even just trade for some shrooms.....where in CA are you?....

Joshua1023
02/01/2007, 11:28 AM
My dad had some large pieces of the red in his reef tank w/ no ill effects. He ended up taking it out just becuase it is so heavy and dense. It does not make very good live rock.

gig
02/01/2007, 12:43 PM
I bought the Caribsea reef rock from "that pet place . com"

The 50 lb box cost about $20 in shipping from PA to IL, so I'd bet it cost you more and there might be closer supplies, search the web.

The stuff looks great and will make great LR eventually.

4jlong
02/01/2007, 01:18 PM
thank you everyone for your responses!

SCR
02/01/2007, 03:13 PM
Be careful with any kind of lava rock. I put some big pieces in my tank and it scratched the glass. The stuff I had was called Feather rock and sharp as glass, this may not be the samething. I've seen the rock your talking about, it's used for landscaping and it feels heaver.

4jlong
02/01/2007, 05:17 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9134256#post9134256 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SCR
Be careful with any kind of lava rock. I put some big pieces in my tank and it scratched the glass. The stuff I had was called Feather rock and sharp as glass, this may not be the samething. I've seen the rock your talking about, it's used for landscaping and it feels heaver.


Yes, thats the rock I'm talking about.I thought it might work pretty good in a sump. doesn't have to be pretty in there and lots of surface area for bacteria.?

h2joe
02/01/2007, 06:02 PM
ive had no ill effects with the piece of lava rock in my tank. it was one of the ones from the pet store from many years ago and it has been with all kinds of inverts and everything so i dont see it being a problem as long as its cured and everything

glenngreen
02/01/2007, 06:06 PM
The benefits of live rock do not depend on having lots of surface area for bacteria--even tho it does. The real benefit is the porous nature of the rock allows for bacteria deep within the rock, where nearly anaerobic conditions exist for the specialized bacteria that can break down nitrates. That is why the best stuff is less dense and porous. Denser rock, just looks nice. You can decorate with cheap rock, but to truly establish a biological filter you need the porous stuff. End of speech I gave my wife when I was ordering $300 worth of rock... :-)

4jlong
02/01/2007, 06:15 PM
glenngreen...thats funny! i'm pretty sure the conversation with my wife would got really bad if i was spending $300 on rocks! LOL!