Most natural rock for Malawi Mbuna

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Istanbul_Kop

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Aug 28, 2008
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Liverpool, UK.
In your opinion, what is the most natural type of rock you can get to create a little bit of Lake Malawi in your living room?

Most of the pictures I have seen seem very sandy, but the rocks are a greyish colour and covered with brown algae.

What type of rock is in Lake Malawi and what is the best way to recreate it?

Cheers.
 
ibr3ak

ibr3ak

I Eat Fish
Dec 15, 2007
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Brooklyn, An Why See
When I first set up the tank, I've used river rock, but later switched to gray granite, because for one the granite was uniform in color (unlike river rock which was all shades of the rainbow) and it was bigger in size (which means I don't have to take out a #%^load of smaller rocks if I needed to catch a fish or whatever).

If you can find darker color (like dark brown for example) river rock in relatively nice and hefty sizes, use that.

Here's what it looks like (pic stolen from another site):

 
Pittbull

Pittbull

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Apr 14, 2007
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its limestone which is why the ph is so high in the rift lakes so if you can find some grey limestone that would be the closest thing to what there used to
 
I

Istanbul_Kop

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Aug 28, 2008
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Liverpool, UK.
Thanks for the info.

I will be going for the same type of Rock for sure - if there is any variation in colour it will be natural to the rock.

I don't think I've seen Limestone locally, but will have a look - what is your thoughts on Sanstone?

If anyone has anymore great photos of the habitat of Lake Malawi it is much appreciated, I can find a few online but most of them are the same pics. I got Ad Konings Back to Nature guide but that concentrates more on the Fish than the environment.

Cheers.
 
Arakkis

Arakkis

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Apr 7, 2008
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SJ Cali
I've alway been partial to pagoda rock.. though it's not from the lakes
 
Rbishop

Rbishop

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Dec 30, 2005
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I usually find rock at the stone quarry or places that supply fill dirt and gravel for building roads or drainage ditches. Some of the larger landscaping places are also good sources.
 
Fishfiles1

Fishfiles1

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whats about holy rock
 
DAVIDFBT

DAVIDFBT

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Feb 3, 2008
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Definitely not David
I'm going to be using natural River rock. They will be from 5-7 inches in diameter. The larger ones on the bottom and the smaller ones at the top.
 
Pittbull

Pittbull

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Apr 14, 2007
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FishFiles wrote :
whats about holy rock
Click to expand...

yeah that texas holey rock is awesome aye, i like it, really i need to get some for a smaller aquarium as for my 120gal i would have to take out a small loan for it, hehehe...
 
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