IllusionaryDreams Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 I've seen and heard many different reactions to Lava Rock. What kinds of lava rock are safe for reefs (if any) and who has used any with what results. Thanks in Advance Link to comment
printerdown01 Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 I'm the first OK results.... Honestly I got lucky. It is very possible for lava rocks to contain high concentrations of elements (mainly metals) that are bad for reef aquariums. It is increadibly difficult to predict whether the rocks will contain the metals because of the nature of lava itself. Volcanos that produce lava rock do not have homogenious solutions, and are not consistant in the chemical out put (varries with time) -If my knowledge of geology serves me correctly, but I haven't had to study that in a while :-/. My personal results were decent. I didn't have a die-off or anything, but for some reason coralline didn't particularly like growing on the lava rock ???... I think it was the texture of the rock more than anything... Link to comment
tinyreef Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 i prefer to use lava rock over tufa and limestone because of its porosity and starting color. however, i'm also concerned with the issues printer touched upon. i always presoak my lava in fresh water (sometimes for days or more). so far : no problems. lava makes up over half the rocks in my display tank and 75% or more in the others. i've heard stories that it's bad but never came up with anyone who specifically said it crashed their tank or if it was suspected of causing a crash. (not to say it hasn't tho, just never really 'witnessed it') Link to comment
Mr_Spam Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 I had lava rock in a tank. Nothing ever lived in it. corals no matter what kind would die, sencitive inverts would never live. eventually it grew over with hair algea and I broke it down. Link to comment
chufa Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 I have a big piece in my tank. No ill effects so far. The rock has become covered in coralline and other life. Link to comment
Pikelet Posted October 26, 2002 Share Posted October 26, 2002 My understanding is that lava rock is highly variable in its mineral content even within the same source location. If you can find a reliable source proven to be successful over many years in reef aquariums, I would like to hear about it. It's very much a hit or miss alternative but certainly worth a try if you can afford to experiment a little. Link to comment
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