[teriyakithunder]

is lava rock bad for the aquarium? i've heard people only say they are bad without any reason to back it up. i was wondering if any of you guys know if it is bad or not because i have had lava rock in my tank for years and everything seems to be normal.

[pogodzib]

Some people have used lava rock for years in reef tanks with no ill effects. Other people have tried using lava rock and killed off their entire tanks. It's a crap shoot and will depend on the chemical impurities in the rock that will determine if it works or not. Unfortunately, it can be tough to know until it is placed in your tank and used for a little while. By then, it could be too late. Getting lava rock from a pet store would be safer than getting it from a landscaping store since the source of the rock is probably coming from a place that has been tested for impurities and rocks from the same site has been used in aquariums previously. The lava rock at landscaping stores may be coming from a different location that has different types or higher levels of impurities.

[teriyakithunder]

thanks, that makes a lot of sense. the lava rock that i have has always came from a LFS or petco and i've never had any probelms with it. but now i'm in the works of replacing the lava rock with live rock.

[pogodzib]

I'd consider that a good choice, but would only replace a small portion at a time so that you don't add too much new LR and create a new ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle. There's no hurry since the rock has never caused any problems before for you.

[teriyakithunder]

yea i started by adding 17 pounds of live rock on monday and i'm looking to add another 20 pounds or so sometime soon and gradually add up the rock until i'm satisfied with my 60 gal FOWLR to be tank.

[DEWAYNE]

okay, I have two really big pieces of lava rock in my tank, and they have been there for years... here is the no, no, do not put the real lava rock, that stuff will without doubt wipe out an entire tank. I will put the man made lava rock as a good base all day long, so just make sure what you buy is man made.