Would Red Lava Rock be safe to use around bettas?

[AshK]

I have a bunch of red lava rock that I'm considering putting in my sorority tank. (10 gal planted with 5 female bettas) The rocks would have large java ferns tied to them until the ferns rooted. Do you think they might hurt the betta's fins? The rocks are rough to the touch.

Rocks in question look like the rock on the far right of this picture:

 

[Notophthalmus]

I generally avoid using sharp-edged rocks like lava rock. If you really like the look of the rock, you might consider sealing the rock with urethane to protect the fish's fins.

 

[AshK]

Thanks for the quick reply! The rock is ok-looking, I just had a lot of it lying around so I thought I would see if it's safe.

 

[Ozymandias]

wait if you seald it with urethane there is the possibility it could float. you could try covering it in moss actually that might work really well or getting allot of Java fern on it.

 

[AshK]

So would it work if I tied the java ferns to it and then covered the rest of the visible rock with java moss?

 

[Kashta]

Big, soft, moss-rocks. That would be beautiful and make them safe for your Betta.

Great suggestion.

 

[jm1212]

you may also want to try other smaller plants like Ricca

 

[ChiaJesus]

I have a bunch of red lava rock that I'm considering putting in my sorority tank. (10 gal planted with 5 female bettas) The rocks would have large java ferns tied to them until the ferns rooted. Do you think they might hurt the betta's fins? The rocks are rough to the touch.

I have a couple of medium sized lava rocks like the picture you supplied in my kiddie pool. Since the betta spends most of his time in the top levels of the tank it's a non issue.

 

[Lupin]

To be safe, I usually avoid sharp-edged rocks like Noto. IMO, it's just not worth trying.

 

[aquarob]

I use black lava rock in my Chichlid tank without issues, but they are not long, flowing finned fish like Bettas are.