Rocks: Where to find (003)

[Troy]

Hi everyone, i'm setting up a tank for the first time. All the reading i've done says i should have masses of rock for mbuna.

I prefer a more natural set-up but the rocks in shops are $4-8 kg!!!

Any suggestions about what rocks i should get at say a landscape supply centre?

I've read granite & slate should be fine.

Thanks

Troy

[OziOscar]

Try Australian Native Landscapes (http://www.anlscape.com.au/index.html) - it's a lot cheaper than the shops but do expect to clean and sterilise it yourself before putting it into the tank.

A good source of slate is flooring and tile suppliers. Often you can get offcuts and job waste for nothing or very little. Thickness varies from 10 mm to 30 mm.

Ditto granite. There are a few quarrying operations around and also you can get polished sections and offcuts for next to nothing.

Sometimes you can get it for nothing, if you're a dumpster raider.

Cheers - OziOscar.

[canerod]

hi troy

i use limestone in my tanks because it helps buffer the water to somewhere in the region of 7.8 or so, i also find it easy to flatten the base of limestone rocks with an angle grinder to give me a stable base for stacks when i want to go high.

To get a fancy piece find a soft piece and attack it with a big masonry drill bit.

I dont know where you are but here in Perth limestone can be had from landscape suppliers for about $60 a trailer load and you find the rocks to put in your trailer , dont let them dump a bobcat load on your trailer.

hth

Bob

[Colfish]

hi Troy

slate is ok, granite is very heavy, be carefull how you place it in the tank. river rocks can work quite well. they're round and smooth, non harmfull to fish. have a look in the sandstone pile also, some times there's interesting peices there, also look for pieces that have marble or other rock imbedded in it. sandstone will go

crumbly over time, but it lasts long enough to give it a go. to gain some tips and ideas look in the photo comp pages.

cheer; colfish.

[Troy]

great advice!

To sterilise rock, it it simply a matter of washing over with boiled water? And how does limestone go with breaking down? Isn't it pretty porous?

I like the idea of attacking limestone with a rotary hammer - safer to have a few chunky pieces than a lot of small rocks to fall on the glass.

thanks Bob & OziOscar,

Troy

[OziOscar]

To sterilise, drop it in a pot of boiling water for five minutes and then rest it in the sun for a few hours (cooling and UV sterilisation) and it will be pretty much spot on.

Don't forget that sandstone is cheap and readily available, even if it's not true to the biotope, but it will serve the same purpose. However, some of it is not so strong and falls apart when wet. Best to test before buying lots of it.

Cheers - OziOscar.