Reef rock

[TBout86]

Starting to plan out a dwarf MBuna tank, single species of chindongo Saulosi.

for rock I have been going back and forth on using reef rock.
I have a couple of local sellers and both being a steal of a price.
anyone use reef rock? I was thinking the shapes would be ideal making caves and structures.
I’m looking for any rock that will alter my Ph though as I’m 8-8.2 right out of the tap on well water.
my water isn’t the hardest, and have a 112TDS

what are the benefits of using reef rock, and any downsides with my water parameters?

 

[DJRansome]

The drawback for me is it's rough texture, it scrapes the fish more easily than the smooth river rock.

 

[Deadeye]

Considering the reef rock has many properties that help to raise and buffer pH, it’s a very good thing to have for mbunas. I wouldn’t worry too much about it scraping fish (cave dwellers are pretty good at navigating holes) unless there’s anything noticeably dangerous sticking off.
If it was live rock at one point you may want to clean it though to keep all that from getting in the tank.

 

[TBout86]

Thank you all

much appreciated it, I will reach out to the sellers

 

[twentyleagues]

With your water being 8-8.2 out of the tap you shouldn't see much if any difference in your parameters. I've used reef rock in mbuna tanks before no issues.

 

[jjohnwm]

I'm certainly not an African cichlid guy, but I must say that constantly seeing rift lake tanks set up using this stuff always looks "off" to me. Look at any photograph taken in the lakes themselves; you won't see those jagged saw-toothed rocks in them. You will see...plain ordinary smooth stones, perhaps a bit angular and even squared-off but nothing like these snaggle-toothed reef rocks that everyone uses in their rift tanks.

You can certainly make a good-looking tank using reef rock, but it will look like everyone else's rift lake tank, and nothing like the actual rift lakes. It's become so common to see this that we start to think that it's natural; it's not.

You can always get the pH/buffering benefits by your selection of substrate.

 

[TBout86]

I do agree with this statement. I have just been having trouble finding the right rock and the quantity to make a nice scape.
Would you suggest collecting from nature?

 

[jjohnwm]

Would you suggest collecting from nature?

That's all I have ever done for the past several decades. We live on a giant rock, and it's littered with smaller rocks of all shapes and sizes. Why pay someone else to pick them up for you?

People are terrified to pick up a stone and place it in their tanks, after reading all the warnings about possible negative effects on their pH and hardness...but you are welcoming those particular effects.

A suggestion that may be useful to you: in many rural areas, especially those that experienced glaciation in prehistoric ages, there are old farms that have fields containing gigantic piles of rocks that were cleared, by hand, from those fields in bygone times. I am blessed with a rockpile like that on my land, and in this vicinity they are frequently visible from country roads that run through farm country. I have carted literally thousands of pounds to my yard from this pile in my back forty, for use in aquariums, landscaping, around and in my pond, etc. If you can find such a rockpile, and don't mind cold-calling at a stranger's country farmhouse to ask permission, you might be able to collect as many as you want.

 

[A201]

I chose not to build my hardscapes with Reef / Coral rock for the same reason, too jagged & sharp.
Instead, I bought chunks of limestone at a local rockyard. No sharp edges & plenty of holes. I think the limestone cost 25 cents per pound.

 

[DJRansome]

That's all I have ever done for the past several decades. We live on a giant rock, and it's littered with smaller rocks of all shapes and sizes. Why pay someone else to pick them up for you?

People are terrified to pick up a stone and place it in their tanks, after reading all the warnings about possible negative effects on their pH and hardness...but you are welcoming those particular effects.

A suggestion that may be useful to you: in many rural areas, especially those that experienced glaciation in prehistoric ages, there are old farms that have fields containing gigantic piles of rocks that were cleared, by hand, from those fields in bygone times. I am blessed with a rockpile like that on my land, and in this vicinity they are frequently visible from country roads that run through farm country. I have carted literally thousands of pounds to my yard from this pile in my back forty, for use in aquariums, landscaping, around and in my pond, etc. If you can find such a rockpile, and don't mind cold-calling at a stranger's country farmhouse to ask permission, you might be able to collect as many as you want.

Permission is key. Some localities regulate what can be collected, if anything. Example pebble beach in California it is illegal to collect their famous and fabulous "pebbles". Your own land is great for rocks and suppliers charge pennies/pound.