Can I Use Garden Center Lava Rocks In My Hob Filter As Media?
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Lava rock as biomedia?
aylad
- #1
It's all porous and rough and whatnot, lots of surface area, and I'm thinking it's cheaper by volume than a lot of biomedia like bioballs and biomax.
Do y'all think it could be a viable filler for AquaClears, sumps, canisters, etc.?
Matt B
- #2
oscardude
- #3
Gravel
- #4
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #5
Lunas
- #6
dezignstuff
- #7
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #8
Lunas
- #10
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #11
Lunas
- #12
the term for lava rock is basalt also I found that if the ph is below 8.2 there is less chance at leeching than above that.
It should be mostly safe. Also it does not grow algae very well both pieces I have in my tank look the same as when I put them in... over 3 months ago.
M0T0
- #13
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #14
kinezumi89
- #15
Lunas
- #16
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #17
I think I want to try this, especially as a lot of people have done it with no problems. However, I appreciate Lunas's caution... I tend toward paranoia rather than recklessness.
Right now, I've got a couple of small pails of soil soaking for a dirted tank. I'm thinking that once I'm done with those, I'll be able to use the pails to soak the lava rock... and for similar reasons. The dirt gets soaked so that it doesn't poison the livestock, and the lava rock gets soaked so that it doesn't leach excess minerals into my tank water.
It can't hurt and might be a real lifesaver. Plus, if I add a nice big airstone at the bottom of the gravel layer to circulate the water, I can add ammonia and get some bacteria pre-established on the lava -- another plus!
kinezumi89
- #18
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #19
LOL. I blame my mother. Doesn't everyone? ;D I don't mind a little extra prep time; I have a lot going on and might as well soak the dirt/lava rock while I'm waiting to have a chance to set it up anyway.
kinezumi89
- #20
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #21
ryanr
- #22
Lava rock is relatively inert and shouldn't mess with your chemistry. Many have used lava rock over the years, and many still swear by it. The only 'caveat' I would add, make sure it's in a high flow area -> kind of redundant if you're going to crush and put in the filter, but if you were to just toss a lump of it in your tank without flow, it would not be as efficient.
FWIW - Base Rock, Live Rock, Aragonite rock are all not really suited to most typical tropical freshwater systems as they will raise pH and hardness.
Regarding the aluminium and iron: Not sure on the iron aspect, I'm sure it could leach a little into the tank, but if you plant the tank, that's a bonus. I have not read many stories of lava rock causing iron issues though.
Aluminium: I'm fairly certain that unless your pH drops to around 5.3, the aluminium will remain harmless. Seachem actually use aluminium oxide in their Phosguard product: <- there's a section about aluminium in the page.
aylad
- Thread Starter
- #23
Lunas
- #24
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Can I Use Garden Center Lava Rocks In My Hob Filter As Media?
Source: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/lava-rock-as-biomedia.132113/
Posted by: sanchezhoullatc.blogspot.com
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