Lava rock

[ta88brian]

Does anyone use lava rock in reef tank? Will it harm fish corals?

 

[HBtank]

Much higher chance of heavy metals leaching, which is problematic with invertebrates, not recommended. Pretty much need to stick to aragonite based rock (if manufactured), dry live rock, or rocks that are limestone (although the lack of porosity makes most terrestrial/limestone rocks not all that great).

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

As far as the leaching iron hypothesis, I've done a bit of research on using lava rock in reef tanks and ponds (I asked a question about it here on R2R prior to researching it heavily), and I've only come across four or five anecdotes of it causing problems, none of which were tank nuking serious like severe leaching of heavy metals would be. It is entirely possible that it would leach iron and other metals which could be either beneficial (such as leaching small amounts of iron and replacing the depleted nutrient in the tank) or detrimental (such as leaching small amounts of copper and harming/killing your inverts) to the tank, and this is the main reason why people generally discourage it - the chance of leaching bad things into the tank. Again, though, I've yet to come across even an anecdote which would lead me to believe that it would do so in large enough quantities to nuke a tank, or rapidly enough that you wouldn't see some sort warning signs in advance if you were paying attention. That said, the risk of a constant diatom bloom from silica in the rock is something that you should probably take into account and prepare for, meaning that you may want to consider a variety of ways of dealing with that issue should it arise (competition, predation, manual removal, chemical treatments, etc.).

I love all the posts saying you can't use lava rock in a reef tank. 100% of my rock is black lava rock, from a landscape supply.

3 years later, and I've been able to keep every fish and coral I've tried.

The build thread for the tank in the quote above:

Build Thread - 220 Gallon Volcanic Lava Rock Reef Tank Build

I made a video walk through of how I built and set up my 220 gallon mixed reef tank. Expanded overflow and plumbing. Expanded explanation of the hood.

www.reef2reef.com

I'm running lava rock in a HOB filter for QT tank. Haven't seen any issues . Lot of Youtubes swear by it. But I'm no expert by a long shot.

 

[TokenReefer]

it could be made of anything tho, right?

 

[Nano sapiens]

Just one person's experience, but back in '85 I used a few lava rock boulders in the display and lava rock chips in my wet/dry filter setup of my first reef aquarium. Can't say that I saw anything negative that I could attribute to the material, and I grew curly-que anemones and zoanthids in the system just fine. As far as inverts, a hitchhiking Mantis Shrimp did just fine for 3-4 months before I was able to remove it.

However, obviously not all lava rock is the same as some material *may* have a higher risk factor for heavy metals and other contaminants than others. IMO, true calcareous rock is a preferred material for that reason and that it can contribute a bit to maintaining hardness/calcium levels.

 

[HBtank]

The build thread for the tank in the quote above:

Build Thread - 220 Gallon Volcanic Lava Rock Reef Tank Build

I made a video walk through of how I built and set up my 220 gallon mixed reef tank. Expanded overflow and plumbing. Expanded explanation of the hood.

www.reef2reef.com

This is the worst kind of anecdotal advice without knowing what type of "lava rock" is being discussed, it can vary dramatically. Some won't even sink. It's akin to someone who uses unfiltered tap water in a good area recommending it to everyone else.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

it could be made of anything tho, right?

Technically, I suppose - here's the average breakdown though:

What is lava made of? | Volcano World

Image

volcano.oregonstate.edu

 

[Pntbll687]

Much higher chance of heavy metals leaching, which is problematic with invertebrates, not recommended. Pretty much need to stick to aragonite based rock (if manufactured), dry live rock, or rocks that are limestone (although the lack of porosity makes most terrestrial/limestone rocks not all that great).

much higher chance? How much higher?

Seeing how brand name products have leached aluminum and have crashed tanks with excessive manganese in salt, it's probably just as safe to use lava rock as any other product.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

This is the worst kind of anecdotal advice without knowing what type of "lava rock" is being discussed, it can vary dramatically. It's akin to someone who uses unfiltered tap water in a good area recommending it to everyone else.

But have you ever actually heard of someone having a negative experience with it?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've always wondered 'why not?', there are many natural reefs in the world built on the bases of volcanoes, ie, lava rock. If nature does it, why don't we do it in our tanks?

 

[HBtank]

But have you ever actually heard of someone having a negative experience with it?

Yes, I have.

How many people do you think actually attempt this? Does that make the few instances (that you even noted) more or less important?

 

[HBtank]

I've always wondered 'why not?', there are many natural reefs in the world built on the bases of volcanoes, ie, lava rock. If nature does it, why don't we do it in our tanks?

The ocean is not a small box of water in our house.

There is far more than that in terms of volcanic activity in the ocean, but that's not the point.

 

[HBtank]

much higher chance? How much higher?

Seeing how brand name products have leached aluminum and have crashed tanks with excessive manganese in salt, it's probably just as safe to use lava rock as any other product.

Because marine pure and other ceramic media might have aluminum, means that any rock must be just as safe? OK.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Yes, I have.

How many people do you think actually attempt this? Does that make the few instances (that you even noted) more or less important?

I'm just saying, I've looked at every reference I can find to this stuff causing problems in either fresh or saltwater (lava rock was and largely still is the gold-standard for freshwater), and I've never seen anyone have any evidence that the rock itself caused the problems in their tank. I have, however, seen numerous examples of this being used successfully (the evidence of the lack of harm being in the success). It's much easier to prove that it doesn't necessarily cause harm than it is that it does cause harm in this case though.

So, currently, given how many ways there are to crash a tank that don't involve rock, and the overwhelming lack of evidence I've seen that the rock itself caused problems in the tank, I'm currently inclined to believe the issues are 9 times out of 10 not related to the rock.

 

[HBtank]

I'm just saying, I've looked at every reference I can find to this stuff causing problems in either fresh or saltwater (lava rock was and largely still is the gold-standard for freshwater), and I've never seen anyone have any evidence that the rock itself caused the problems in their tank. I have, however, seen numerous examples of this being used successfully (the evidence of the lack of harm being in the success). It's much easier to prove that it doesn't necessarily cause harm than it is that it does cause harm in this case though.

So, currently, given how many ways there are to crash a tank that don't involve rock, and the overwhelming lack of evidence I've seen that the rock itself caused problems in the tank, I'm currently inclined to believe the issues are 9 times out of 10 not related to the rock.

Knock yourself out. On a basic level they are just ugly IMO.

There are some things we can control in this hobby. I prefer to not roll the dice like that on the foundation of the tanks ecosystem. They are also plenty of other reasons aragonite based rocks (and even more so, dry or live reef rock) are likely a better choice.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Knock yourself out. On a basic level they are just ugly IMO.

There are some things we can control in this hobby. I prefer to not roll the dice like that on the foundation of the tanks ecosystem. They are also plenty of other reasons aragonite based rocks (and even more so, dry or live reef rock) are likely a better choice.

I'm sorry if I've come across as argumentative - that's really not my purpose here - I'm just trying to point out that I've heard multiple times that lava rock is a horrible choice, but I've never come across solid proof to back that claim up. A handful of anecdotes, yes, but never actual proof (which again, is much harder to provide than proof of success in this case).

That said, using lava rock does seem to come with at least some risk (as I mentioned in my post - particularly with diatoms, given the high silica content of the rocks), no matter how small, and for that reason alone it is (at least as far as we know at this point) an inferior choice of rock to aragonite for our tanks. As you say, there are different reasons why aragonite is likely a better choice as well.

To the OP, if you want to try using lava rock (be it because it's cheaper, you're replicating a very specific environment, or because you like the look), I'd personally say to cure the rock before use to try and let any potentially harmful things that may leach out have an opportunity to do so (you could even test the curing water for copper or other things that may cause problems before use just to be safe), then I'd add it to the tank. That's just me though. If you decide to do so, please give us and update on how it all goes.

 

[HBtank]

I'm sorry if I've come across as argumentative - that's really not my purpose here - I'm just trying to point out that I've heard multiple times that lava rock is a horrible choice, but I've never come across solid proof to back that claim up. A handful of anecdotes, yes, but never actual proof (which again, is much harder to provide than proof of success in this case).

That said, using lava rock does seem to come with at least some risk (as I mentioned in my post - particularly with diatoms, given the high silica content of the rocks), no matter how small, and for that reason alone it is (at least as far as we know at this point) an inferior choice of rock to aragonite for our tanks. As you say, there are different reasons why aragonite is likely a better choice as well.

To the OP, if you want to try using lava rock (be it because it's cheaper, you're replicating a very specific environment, or because you like the look), I'd personally say to cure the rock before use to try and let any potentially harmful things that may leach out have an opportunity to do so (you could even test the curing water for copper or other things that may cause problems before use just to be safe), then I'd add it to the tank. That's just me though. If you decide to do so, please give us and update on how it all goes.

I re-frame it.

What advantages to you think "lava rock" (if we assume we know it similar to the denser black lava rock you posted, and safe) has in comparison to dry/live reef rock?

And vice versa?

 

[Slocke]

Watch this:

 

[vetteguy53081]

Does anyone use lava rock in reef tank? Will it harm fish corals?

This is no costs savings and will leach into your water altering ph buffering, turn water tea colored which will be acidic

 

[Slocke]

My FOWLR uses seriyu stone which is a limestone rock with veins of silicate. I was told it would cause terrible diatoms but 5 months in and nothing. Could be that I'll get issues later but nothing so far. It is a common rock for freshwater and a little cheaper than dry rock.