Types of rocks to use for african tank?

[rangers2]

Hello,

I recently set up a 150 gallon tank. It is fully stocked with about 45, 2 inch african cichlids. I am trying to decorate the tank now.
I was wondering what type of rocks I can use to create caves? I went to a stone yard and brought home what they called "flat river rock". It is a grayish beige color, It has tiny shiny parts throughout it. I read that you are not supposed to put rocks with metals in the tank. I am not sure if it is metal or some sort of shiny mineral. I put vinegar on it and it did not fizz and I put a magnet on it and it did not stick.
Do you think I should go buy more, is it safe? Or do you recommend any other specific types of rock. I do not like the texas holey rock, not a big fan of the light color, looking for a darker color. I was thinking slate, but i am worried that it may be too sharp

By the way I live in somerset county , NJ

[fischfan13]

Do you mean like this...

http://www.therockpile.net/myphotos/97%20-%20tn_Colorado%20Flat%20River%20Cobble.JPG

I am a HUGE fan of River Rocks.
They are smooth and, with care, can be stacked.
I bought about 250lbs several years ago, placed it in a brand new garbage pail and added water and bleach at a 10:1 ratio. I let it soak for about 48 hours, ran the garden hose in the pail for about 30 minutes ridding the pail of some of the bleach (the garbage pail was to heavy and filled with rocks and water to dump out) and then took each stone out and let it sun-dry for about 24 more hours.

[rangers2]

very similar, maybe a little more flatter.

Did your pH change at all? I want to keep the high pH in my tank. My downfall as a african cichlid owner has always been not being able to maintain a high pH

[Dylz]

the glittery rock id pass on ive had some like that and they started flaking off a little bit (could you post a pic of it?) but i agree with the BD. river rocks are great for cichlids and you dont have to worry about them injuring themselves on any jagged corners. mine are all dark grey that i actually got out of the east river on the queens side. boiled them for a few hours each and were ready to go. slate can be good as well depending on the fish. what type of fish are you keeping in there anyway? for ph you could try adding some crushed or coral rubble to you filters or substrate.

[m1ke715m]

im partial to fieldstone and gray lace rock myself.. have river rock in a few tanks too.. and some petrified wood..

[zcfish]

I got my river rocks from a local place and was told they're straight from the delaware river so perfectly safe for fish. I just rinsed drop straight into the tank. I like the round ones for my trophs tank, naturally creating caves because of the shape. Check my signature for how it looks.

I think it depends on what kind of look you want to create for your specific application. I looked over thousands of pictures on the internet and try to mimic the ones I like.

[fischfan13]

very similar, maybe a little more flatter.

Did your pH change at all? I want to keep the high pH in my tank. My downfall as a african cichlid owner has always been not being able to maintain a high pH

I add Baking Soda to keep my ph up.

I got my river rocks from a local place and was told they're straight from the delaware river so perfectly safe for fish. I just rinsed drop straight into the tank. I like the round ones for my trophs tank, naturally creating caves because of the shape. Check my signature for how it looks.

I think it depends on what kind of look you want to create for your specific application. I looked over thousands of pictures on the internet and try to mimic the ones I like.

Google toxins delaware river

[tangJim]

I wouldn't worry about shiny flecks in the rocks. Rocks are, by definition, a mixture of minerals. Mica is a very common rock-forming mineral and is shiny. It is a silicate like most other minerals and will not harm fish. Schist is a common rock that also has shiny flecks. Again, harmless. I also wouldn't worry about anything rubbing off a rock that has already been smoothed by years of tumbling by a river. My only concern would be the stability of a pile of smooth roundish stones.

[chriscoli]

We got a few pallets of stone to make some small dry retaining walls in our yard and had some leftovers. Our local stone place sells a fieldstone called Pennsylvania Weathered Wall that we used in our yard. If you scroll down in this link, you can see what the stuff looks like. http://www.irwinstone.com/en_us/products/categories/view/10 Also, most stoneyards will have a place where they dump broken or partial pallets that you can pick through.

Anyhow, this is what I've been using in my Mbuna tanks, and so far it's working pretty well. It's nice and inert, not too sharp and pointy, and very stackable.

[zcfish]

Google toxins delaware river

That sucks forgot Dupont factory is right on the river. This day and age we're better off being ignorant.

[bovsbaitboxes]

feildstone all the way. need some? ask Mike how much I got LOL(about 15 tons) if you want some let me know you can come pick some up (super super cheap):beerchug:

[rangers2]

Wow I am glad I joined this forum!!!
Thank you guys for the quick responses. The rock I have looks just like fieldstone. I will go to a local place and see how much they will charge. Its probably cheaper to buy there then to drive down to neptune (plus I dont think 15 tons is enough,haha). Thanks again, I will post a pic of the new caves hopefully tomorrow. I will boil them all and then rinse in cold water.

Can I really add baking soda to the tank to raise the pH? I have some special african substrate that i bought from the fish store to buffer. It has shells and pieces of coral in it. Originally my pH was at 8, now its down to 7.4 or 7.2 / Any other tricks would be appreciated

[Dylz]

Can I really add baking soda to the tank to raise the pH? I have some special african substrate that i bought from the fish store to buffer. It has shells and pieces of coral in it. Originally my pH was at 8, now its down to 7.4 or 7.2 / Any other tricks would be appreciated

baking soda will bring your ph up to 8.2 - 8.4. I dissolve it in a small container of tank water before adding it. cheapest effective method IMO
what is your ph out of the faucet?

[m1ke715m]

i use for all my africans 1 teaspoon of baking soda per 5 gallons of water.. 1 tablespoon of epsom salt per 5 gallons of water and 1 teaspoon of NON-iodized kosher (regular table) salt per 5 gallons of water. make sure you get the non iodized salt. as do most people here..
my ph wont go over 7.8 no matter what i do. i killed alot of fish doing water changes with seachem buffers due to the rapid ph swing and then 3 days later it would be back down to 7.8. so its just stable at 7.8 which the fish dont seem to mind.. having a stable ph is more important than a super high ph imo.. i know some members that have their malawi at 7.0 ph and they are fine.

[rangers2]

I have uploaded some of the pics of my new tank with new caves. I bought fieldstone, very expensive, cost me a whole 7 bux.haha

thanks again for all of your help.
Let me know what you think

http://forums.eastcoastcichlids.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2762&stc=1&d=1325270511
http://forums.eastcoastcichlids.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2763&stc=1&d=1325270511
http://forums.eastcoastcichlids.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2764&stc=1&d=1325270511
http://forums.eastcoastcichlids.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2765&stc=1&d=1325270511

[bassgenie]

Looks very nice! Id add more!

[rangers2]

That was 45 lbs of rock
The rocks that looked big in the stone yard are much smaller in the tank.

Is there a limit on weight for a 150 gallon tank? I was scared to do too much.

Plus it was not easy to place them. my arm can barely reach the bottom. I am only 5'10

[bassgenie]

I have almost 100 pounds of lace rock and a 45 pound texas holey center piece in my 92. Plus 2 cases of Cichlid Stones.
Ive seen a video on you tube where they put a stack of rock 4 feet high in a 10 gallon.

More is More. Your Fish will appreciate the extra territories..

[Buckcich]

Ive seen a video on you tube where they put a stack of rock 4 feet high in a 10 gallon. ..

I was thinking the same:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgEwEiTyYcs

[ezrk]

Our local stone place sells a fieldstone called Pennsylvania Weathered Wall that we used in our yard.

Heh, we got the same stuff from Irwin for one of our new tanks. Is well rounded generally, but shaped to allow stacking in a stone wall so should work well for the fish.

[tfoster7189]

Being a hick here in the mountain of central PA, I just walked around my woods to get the rocks for my 220. I just looked for ones that had rounded edges and were to my liking. I mixed up the shapes so everything didn't just look like a bunch of stacked flat rocks. Most of what I added is a sandstone base. COST- $0. Some of the pieces weigh about 40 to 50 lbs. each. I used those as the base rock & started aquascaping from there. I probably have 200lbs+ in my tank.