Dark_Rider2k3

Anyone know any places that sell Aquarium rocks. I was reading more info on Banjo catfish (i wanted to breed them until I read they lay 4,000 to 5,000 eggs ) and found out they like caves a lot.. they will swim into the caves and "burrow" into the substrate.

So i was thinking of making some sort of caves.. anyone have tips/suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

MissMTS

Check out my Mbuna tank. I believe your banjo would like something similar. My rocks were free I found them in fields, on the side of the road, etc. and I soaked them in bleach and then boiled them to sterilize them. IMO it is worth it to do it this way instead of paying big bucks at the LFS

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/me...k-resized.html

Dark_Rider2k3

that looks beautiful!!!

I'll definitely look into rocks.. if i see any I'll grab 'em..

how long do you keep the rocks in bleach?

MissMTS

Thanks! I kept them in there for about 3 hours. After that I took them into the bathtub and scrubbed them under faucet to try to get all of the extra dirt off. After that I boiled them for about 30 minutes. Trust me its a lot of work, but it will definetly save you a lot of money, lol.

hooflady

Nice tank! Do you think it would be safe to put crystals in as well?

Dark_Rider2k3

that's not that bad hehe... most of it is just waiting...

and I can get rocks easily and quickly

I will hunt for rocks tomorrow hehe

MissMTS

I believe you can put crystals in tanks. I would just make sure that they don't have any sharp edges that the fish could cut themselves on.

Have fun!!!

Blub

Driftwood is a great cave maker! You will find lots of hidey holes etc. in it, so try some of that.

You can put crytals in the tank. Here is a link: http://www.aquascapingworld.com/open...ish-scapes.com

And a link on collecting your own rocks: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Aquat...own-rocks.html

hooflady

Cool! Guess no Amythyst though, it's too sharp. Blood stone would be so pretty though! The links are great! If I do this as they say then my fish will always be calm and cleansed right! Just kidding!!!

au01st

Hmmm, I do have a nice rock collection back home from when I was a kid. I recall some nice geodes...maybe I will try that idea with the glofish and black light, lol.

clinton1621

You want to be careful as some rocks such as limestone can increase your ph tremendously, others contain iron which will rust or other minerals that may be harmful to your fish if they dissolve into the water... my opinion would be to identify the rocks before you use them, or to use driftwood if you like a natural look

Dark_Rider2k3

Yeah I was just reading that!

I'll snap some photos later on of rocks I got and see what you all think of 'em lol..

I'm probably the worst @ identifying things.. especially rocks!

J J Indy

Another option is what I did I bought pea gravel at my local hardware cleaned and washed for $2.50 for 40lbs. I think that the fish appreciate the neutral tone of these better than the bright colors normaly sold as aquarium gravel and remember that rock are rocks as long as you clean them.

Fishies-for-me

Also you need to be very careful when boiling or baking rocks . If there is a small air pocket in the rock it can expand enough to make the rock explode!!

Dark_Rider2k3

uhhhh... now i'm nervous about boiling rocks LOL

Christian Patti

How can I tell if a rock is safe for my tank?

clinton1621

Christian,
it depends a lot on what type of fish you have and what rocks you ar wanting to put in with them, if you have soft water fish you probably dont want most rocks as they will leach minerals and make your water harder, on the other hand cichlids prefer hard water so this would be beneficial to them. The safest way to add rocks is probably look around at a reputable pet store that carries rocks (sold by the pound) then find out what types of rock they carry and compare their mineral content to what water type you have/want.

Christian Patti

alright thanks for advice and btw i was talking about decorative rocks not gravel but i think your advice still applies