Will red volcanic rock hurt snails?

[Somervell]

Invertebrate newbie here with a first-time post. Please excuse me if I do something wrong
I have read that volcanic rock is inert and generally safe for freshwater aquariums, with the only problem being interference with PH balance. I have also seen it offered as a filtering medium. Will red volcanic rock leach enough Cu into the water to be a problem for snails? I saw a similar question regarding cherry shrimp, but there didn't seem to be a clear answer. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I'd rather be cautious than sorry.

 

[snoopy65]

I am not sure about the lava rock. I am sure someone with more knowledge will chime in. As far as doing something wrong, we all have in one way or another and are here to help each other along the way!

Welcome to AC!

 

[starrystarstarr]

i have had red volcanic rock in my cherry shrimp tank and there wasnt anything leached into the tank. And there wasnt anything odd going on with my water.

 

[pik01]

drip a few drops of vinegar onto the rock, if it fizzes, it's no good. To be doubly sure, fill a pail of water, test it for pH KH and GH, put the rocks in then after a week test the water again and see if the parameters change.

oh I forgot something important: :welcome: to AC!

 

[Sounguru]

Great Rock info:
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aquascaping/rocks.shtml

Read the whole article there is a sectionon testing rocks to see if they are aquarium safe that I found works real well.

 

[boobiebutt]

For some shrimp, I believe lava rock is actually part of their natural habitat. But I would do what pik suggested. Better be safe then sorry. I'm actually looking for some place to buy some lava rock myself but I got no clue where. I don't wanna go to a hardware store and buy a huge bag I'll never finish using. =|

 

[Lupin]

:welcome: to AC!

Lava rocks do not have copper. Are you telling us yours were contaminated by copper? If so, don't use them and get new ones instead. They're fine with assassin snails, MTS and most small snails but they can leave scratches on the shells of the apple snails.

 

[Somervell]

Thanks for your good advice everybody! My rocks were not contaminated by copper; it seemed to me that I remembered something about high concentrations of copper and iron naturally occurring in volcanic material, specifically lava, but you're right. If the content was that high, I guess it would have an impact on the weight.

 

[7itanium]

well.. I have lava rock in my cichlid tank and it hasnt caused any problems.. but I dont know much about snails

 

[smokin]

i bought a bag of lava rock from lowes there are in the grilling section(for use in propane grills)