I have a butt load of small to medium sized lava "gravel" that I am reluctant to use in some of my tanks because I don't want my fh's to shred up their mouths. Am I being paranoid or could I use this without having to worry about my fish well being?
Substrate ?
- Thread starter tooth517
- Start date
Never heard of lava gravel.. Is it for fish tanks? I wouldn't trust it just for the fact it might leech something out into your water and if it is abrasive it probably would scratch your fish up when they move it around. Post some pictures of it or find us a link or something.
Camphilophus;4343877; said:
lava rock is often used as filter media, because it is porous and has a lot of surface area . . . it can be used as substrate too, but I would agree that there would be risk of scratching, it's pretty rough stuff . . .
I would definitely not use this substrate in a FH tank, for just the reasons that you are concerned about.
Do not use lava as substrate, FH likes to dig A LOT and likes to put those gravels in their mouth A LOT. Best to use just regular gravels at least. But if you use regular gravels, it is also a good idea to put in dead corals. If not, use crush coral sands.
You may want to check the alkalinity of your tap water before rushing out and adding coral chips to your tank and/or filters, as it may not be neccessary. While adding crushed coral can potentially have some positive effects on a fish, it will not ensure or overly assist kok growth in the way that many FH owners believe.
My well water has a high ph as it is. I understand that crushed coral raises ph so it isn't a good idea. In my experience regular water changes and varied diet is ideal for kok growth.RD.;4345094; said:
Thanks for the advice on the lava gravel. Heres a pic of it for you Cam. It is sweet looking stuff. I put some in my 135 gal cichlid community. It took a month for a few of the rocks to sink cuz of the air trapped inside.
P.S. Cam that last pic shows the only cutteri that lived out the ones you gave me. I love that guy. He doesn't back down from the convicts or the little carpintis.
Alkalinity & pH are two separate things, and having a high pH doesn't necessarily mean that the alkalinity of your water would also be at the higher end of the scale. Crushed coral will only raise the pH value of water so high (approx 8.2), but it will help add buffering capacity to water that's lacking in alkalinity. IMO crushed oyster shell actually works better. Either way, regular water changes will indeed reduce pH fluctuations.
I've seen crushed lava rock in landscaping yards, but I personally wouldn't use it an aquarium set up. I find that sharp abrasive rocks & large aggressive fish usually don't mix very well.
I've seen crushed lava rock in landscaping yards, but I personally wouldn't use it an aquarium set up. I find that sharp abrasive rocks & large aggressive fish usually don't mix very well.
