Using rock from the garden store in your fowlr? (pic attache

[ssainani]

A friend of mine is starting off with a 15 gallon fowlr...he's had it running for about 6 months now and he has about 15 lbs of live rock....a yellow tail blue damsel, 2 percs...and a tiny long nose hawk....

His current liverock doesn't allow a flat place for the hawk to rest...and he wants to buy some 'rainbow slate' from a garden centre... (PetSmart sells the same stuff at 10x the price)

Is this safe in a salt water tank? or will it leech out stuff and kill everything?

 

[LFS42]

Your "friend" should make sure that the rock won't disolve in the saltwater.
Most rocks won't. If it's like normal slate, then it'll be OK.

 

[TheRookie]

Though I have never done this with salt water there is something i do when adding normal rock to fresh. BOIL BOIL and BOIL a little longer. I like to toss the rock in boiling water for as long as reasonable. Just to kill off anything that may not be something you want in your tank. As this isnt "live rock" killing everything isnt a bad idea.

 

[reefsRcool]

do you really find live rock so expensive that you would put that brick in your tank? my LFS does sell some manufactured rock that is at least got some porosity so it will eventually become good rock. cannot remember the trade name for the life of me though. it has a nice nuetral tan color too it. i'm sure somone knows what i am talking about and rember the name.

 

[Anonymous]

do you really find live rock so expensive that you would put that brick in your tank? my LFS does sell some manufactured rock that is at least got some porosity so it will eventually become good rock. cannot remember the trade name for the life of me though. it has a nice nuetral tan color too it. i'm sure somone knows what i am talking about and rember the name.

Tufa rock; normally very light tan, very light, very porous

Lace rock; much denser, very heavy and solid, interesting shapes


Most LFSs have these as dry rocks for $1.50 a pound or so. Much nicer looking (and much more natural) than that rainbow junk.

 

[Enzo]

If you go to any garden store they should have lace rock or tufa. I got my base rock at a garden store for about .50cents a pound. It cost me about 10 dollars for about 20 pounds. It is perfect for base and looks very nice.