Cinder Lava Rock??

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da1jewfish

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Nov 1, 2005
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Can it be used in Salt or Freshwater? I have great experience with lava rock and when I ordered this (ebay), I thought "cinder lava rock" was a type of lava rock. DUH?? So what do yall think, negative effects on fish or positive?
FYI(just in case)- cinder is something burnt but not to ashes, as in this case burnt lava rock
 
anybody?? anything??
 
i would say way to go lava rock kicks @ss for colonizing beneficial bacteria i am looking for some to add to my african cichlid tank right now but i dont wanna spend that much i'm cheap.
 
jason2894 said:
i would say way to go lava rock kicks @ss for colonizing beneficial bacteria i am looking for some to add to my african cichlid tank right now but i dont wanna spend that much i'm cheap.
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A great way to get cheap lava rock for the aquarium is to buy a bag of the stuff meant for grills. I've been using that for some time now, and it's really fun to smash them up with a hammer to make super cheap biomedia.
 
Echoo, what stuff are you refering to for grills?

This stuff I got was 12-15lbs for $18 shipped that will last a few years :clap:
From the responses I guess it is safe to use this cinder stuff, so I will. I am going to a reputable LFS today, I will ask them too and get back to yall.
 
Well, I only talked to one guy there and he said lava rock lowers pH and is absolutly out of bounds for saltwater! IS this true? I think he might have a point b/c I had some lava rock in my SW tank as media and the pH was always 8.0 or a lil under. In my FW I just introduced a large piece and the Ph is 6.8-6.9 ish and is usually like 7.0... But hopefully this is coincidental...
Any ideas, please tell me this guy is wrong! I have like 13lbs of the stuff :mad:
 
dajewfish said:
Well, I only talked to one guy there and he said lava rock lowers pH and is absolutly out of bounds for saltwater! IS this true? I think he might have a point b/c I had some lava rock in my SW tank as media and the pH was always 8.0 or a lil under. In my FW I just introduced a large piece and the Ph is 6.8-6.9 ish and is usually like 7.0... But hopefully this is coincidental...
Any ideas, please tell me this guy is wrong! I have like 13lbs of the stuff :mad:
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If it lowers pH at all (which I'm fairly certain it will not) then I'm glad I'm using it in my tanks. All of my fish are the sort that like a slightly acidic pH (a majority of tropical aquarium fish are) so I'm glad I have further assistance beyond my peat filtration.
 
Cinder rock is still lava rock, that is basaltic scoria or tuffa, that was spit out of a volcano is a more exposive eruption than your normal flows you get from Hawaiian volcanos. And if you think about it, all lava rocks are burned to at least 600 degrees to melt them before they cool and harden again into rock. It can be used both in fresh and salt water, and infact, if you've ever gone to the Hawaiian islands, it is. The whole place is made of that stuff, so it lines every stream and every coast. It is a great home for a ton of creatures. I just built up a Hawaiian brackish tank using the stuff that I picked up for free in a natural brackish stream on O'hau.
 
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