Are there any negatives regarding the use of Ceramic Rocks?

[deepreefdiver]

Hi, I am finally getting ready to start the build phase of my 1100 gallon SPS display and was wondering if there are any negatives regarding the use of ceramic rock such as aquaroche? i will seed it with a few hundred pounds of live rock.

Positives: I can desogn every aspect of my tanks aquascaping.
It will leave a minmale environmental impact as I will not have to purchase 1500 pounds from Fiji.

Negatives: Aquascaping will look displeasing until it become covered in coralline algae.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[wayne in norway]

My negative would be that my pieces of aquaroche are quite crumbly - I wouldn't like to guess how they'll look in 10 years.

[second_decimal]

this is definitly the best reef decor i have seen. he uses actual rock. i sont know what your budget is and so on and so forth, but i have seen some setups using his products and they are unique.
http://shops.venditio.com/meerwasser-onlineshop/katalog_php/1_1092318458375_1203439552718/Deko+von+Atoll+Riff+Deko.html

you can also try these guys
http://www.korallenwelt.de

i can help with the german if you need it. gl.

[marmaladecat]

Looking at that Aquaroche, I would guess that it is a sintered ceramic product. Which as Wayne pointed out means crumbly is a big issue.

Aquaroche claims to be made of clay, which is gonna be an issue. Clay works best when it is compressed and has as little air in it as possible. This is why ceramacists hate what is known as "wedging," where you try and drive every bit of air out you can. Lot of work, and a pain in the tailfin. This also means the clay is really uniform inside. Especially after drying and firing. Look at even a cheap broken pot and you will see that the interior is actually pretty smooth. A china plate even smoother.

It looks like they have been sintering so what they do is take fired clay dust and chunks, load them into a form or a bucket or whatever, and then throw them in the kiln. The high heat causes these dry bits of clay to fuse together, but not QUITE melt together. So you get these pockets where nothing fused, areas where it did.

Great for live rock beasties, not so great for general holding togetherness.

If you see yourself replacing the ceramic rocks in a few years, it could be worth it. If not, I would be concerned about how they hold up over time.

I'd like to add that I am NOT dissing the product. Any limitations are due to the nature of the world and the processes we use. And from what they say they use, it sounds very safe for SW.

[second_decimal]

beware of clay rock not made specifically for aquariums as they use a special grade of clay devoid of trace metals etc. suited for our tanks.

[marmaladecat]

Good point. Clay can carry all sorts of stuff. I know of one artist whose preferred clay turned out to have asbestos in it.

I doubt it would harm fish, but she sure as heck had to change brands...

[wld1783]

Have you looked at Tufa rock or a dry reef rock?

I did this with my tank and after a year you cant tell the difference. BTW who cares what rock you have after the coral grow out you cant see it. I pefer the lightest most porous rock available. This gives the bacteria plenty of surface area. If you choose a dense rock you may need a deep sand bed for denitrification.

Here's a link to some rock I just bought make sure you cure it as I'm sure it has phosphates from being in the ground.

https://www.petsolutions.com/Reef-Rock+I12517147.aspx
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Eco-RoX-(-Fiji-Rock-)/c7/index.html

Bill

[phil121]

Couldn't you use a large amount of base rock for the same effect? Im not sure how much clay is but I would guess it would cost more. I could be wrong though.

[deepreefdiver]

Thanks alot for all of the input! I think I will still to marcorocks for the base and use aquaroche background and side pieces installed. wld1783 is that a G$ in your avatar? A good friend of mine flies a G4SP it looks quite similar. Aweseom Pic. Thanks again for all of your help guys!

[deepreefdiver]

Thanks alot for all of the input! I think I will still to marcorocks for the base and use aquaroche background and side pieces installed. wld1783 is that a G$ in your avatar? A good friend of mine flies a G4SP it looks quite similar. Aweseom Pic. Thanks again for all of your help guys!