Volcanic Rock in tank good or bad?

Gregs138 · 10/10/2012, 11:03 AM

Was talking to someone that recommended to me that I not use volcanic rock in my setup(currently building 125 gallon). I asked why and he said that he had used it before and that it seemed to naturally collect alot of impurities and to generally become pretty nasty.

This makes sense since volcanic rock is known to be a natural filter. However, couldn't you use that to your advantage as well? If you were to say collect the volcanic rocks in a plastic bag and clean them out in the sink every once in a while, you could use them basically as xtra filters?

Loooking for any feedback/experience from anyone that has used volcanic rock in a reef.

theatrus · 10/10/2012, 11:15 AM

"Live" (calcium, reef) rock will do the same exact thing - you'll likely be disgusted by the amount of stuff that comes out of live rock. In short, you shouldn't be washing out your rocks

As for using it, as long as its inert rock and won't leach metals or other undesirables into your tank it could be used. I've never tried so can't vouch for any pros/cons.

Zappo · 10/10/2012, 11:20 AM

I was told once not to use volcanic rock because of the chance that it might contain heavy metals that it can leach into the water over time. I'm not sure if it's true or not though, as I never took a chance on them.

coralsnaked · 10/10/2012, 12:30 PM

Volcanic rock is not a calcium dense rock and therefore should not be used in saltwater aqariums period. The end.

With that said we must understand the primary use of rock is to create a bio filter for our animals. The bio filter does contain many Nitrobactors which will live on many surfaces besides calcium rich rock. However the rock also adds a great deal of the buffering to the system, which we know is important in the chemistry of the reef. Sand and other non calcium rich substrates such as volcanic rock cannot make up this difference.

Then with that said we find that volcanic rock contains many things not desirable in a reef system. The primary thing being silica. Although volcanic rock composition varies, the most coman mineral found in the rock is silica. And any good reefer knows we do not like silica in our tanks, that is unless you like lots of algea in there as well. In addition there can be all kinds of undesirable minerals such as iron and heavy metals hitch hiking in on the volcanic rock.

Happy Reefing

10/10/2012, 11:03 AM	#1
Gregs138 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Mission Viejo Posts: 90	Volcanic Rock in tank good or bad? Was talking to someone that recommended to me that I not use volcanic rock in my setup(currently building 125 gallon). I asked why and he said that he had used it before and that it seemed to naturally collect alot of impurities and to generally become pretty nasty. This makes sense since volcanic rock is known to be a natural filter. However, couldn't you use that to your advantage as well? If you were to say collect the volcanic rocks in a plastic bag and clean them out in the sink every once in a while, you could use them basically as xtra filters? Loooking for any feedback/experience from anyone that has used volcanic rock in a reef.

10/10/2012, 11:15 AM	#2
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	"Live" (calcium, reef) rock will do the same exact thing - you'll likely be disgusted by the amount of stuff that comes out of live rock. In short, you shouldn't be washing out your rocks As for using it, as long as its inert rock and won't leach metals or other undesirables into your tank it could be used. I've never tried so can't vouch for any pros/cons. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

10/10/2012, 11:20 AM	#3
Zappo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Minnetonka, MN Posts: 582	I was told once not to use volcanic rock because of the chance that it might contain heavy metals that it can leach into the water over time. I'm not sure if it's true or not though, as I never took a chance on them.

10/10/2012, 12:30 PM	#4
coralsnaked Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Austin / Port Aransas, TX Posts: 1,479	Volcanic rock is not a calcium dense rock and therefore should not be used in saltwater aqariums period. The end. With that said we must understand the primary use of rock is to create a bio filter for our animals. The bio filter does contain many Nitrobactors which will live on many surfaces besides calcium rich rock. However the rock also adds a great deal of the buffering to the system, which we know is important in the chemistry of the reef. Sand and other non calcium rich substrates such as volcanic rock cannot make up this difference. Then with that said we find that volcanic rock contains many things not desirable in a reef system. The primary thing being silica. Although volcanic rock composition varies, the most coman mineral found in the rock is silica. And any good reefer knows we do not like silica in our tanks, that is unless you like lots of algea in there as well. In addition there can be all kinds of undesirable minerals such as iron and heavy metals hitch hiking in on the volcanic rock. Happy Reefing