Cheap Rock and Leaching

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Hey everyone! I know I mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm looking at setting up a "budget" tank at some point down the line, and, well, live rock (and even to some extent dry rock) is not exactly "budget" friendly. So, while I am planning to use some live rock to seed the tank, I'm also looking to see if there are any cheaper alternatives to live/dry rock that won't leach deadly metals into my tank. As a note, the cheapest dry rock options I've found so far are available through BRS and Reef Cleaners, and they run ~$2.50 to ~$3.00 a pound. That's not a bad price, but when you compare that to stuff like lava rock (scoria) which is ~$4.00 for 25 lbs. and was (and to some extant still is) used in the freshwater scene, it looks pretty expensive still.

So, on that note, with "lava rock" (scoria) being so cheap, it looks pretty tempting. However, I have heard many concerns (including from people on the freshwater side of things) that metals may leach from the lava rock into the tank and nuke the livestock. On the flip side of that, I know that some (possibly many) people have used lava rock with no issues, but I understand that some lava rock is fine while other lava rock is not and there's not really anyway to tell which is safe and which is isn't.

So, my questions are these; first, are there any other super cheap rocks that don't run as high of a risk of leaching metals, and if so, what are they? Second, if one were to use a rock, such as lava rock, which does have a fairly high chance of leaching, how long would the rocks need to go through the soak/rinse cycle before they would be safe for livestock? A week? A month? A year? Longer? Third - if you have any recommendations for cheap types of rock - how porous are they compared to your typical live rock, dry rock, or lava rock? (As a note here, I know there is some debate as to whether or not porosity is actually helpful to the filtration process, but I've also heard that porosity is good for microfauna. So - barring any information being put forth that shows porosity is actually detrimental to/not helpful for the microfauna in the tank - I'm hoping to find something that's pretty porous to use).

Thank you!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I understand budget but you DONT want to skimp on bacteria and seeded rock - benefits worth every penny

 

[ApoIsland]

Hey everyone! I know I mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm looking at setting up a "budget" tank at some point down the line, and, well, live rock (and even to some extent dry rock) is not exactly "budget" friendly. So, while I am planning to use some live rock to seed the tank, I'm also looking to see if there are any cheaper alternatives to live/dry rock that won't leach deadly metals into my tank. As a note, the cheapest dry rock options I've found so far are available through BRS and Reef Cleaners, and they run ~$2.50 to ~$3.00 a pound. That's not a bad price, but when you compare that to stuff like lava rock (scoria) which is ~$4.00 for 25 lbs. and was (and to some extant still is) used in the freshwater scene, it looks pretty expensive still.

So, on that note, with "lava rock" (scoria) being so cheap, it looks pretty tempting. However, I have heard many concerns (including from people on the freshwater side of things) that metals may leach from the lava rock into the tank and nuke the livestock. On the flip side of that, I know that some (possibly many) people have used lava rock with no issues, but I understand that some lava rock is fine while other lava rock is not and there's not really anyway to tell which is safe and which is isn't.

So, my questions are these; first, are there any other super cheap rocks that don't run as high of a risk of leaching metals, and if so, what are they? Second, if one were to use a rock, such as lava rock, which does have a fairly high chance of leaching, how long would the rocks need to go through the soak/rinse cycle before they would be safe for livestock? A week? A month? A year? Longer? Third - if you have any recommendations for cheap types of rock - how porous are they compared to your typical live rock, dry rock, or lava rock? (As a note here, I know there is some debate as to whether or not porosity is actually helpful to the filtration process, but I've also heard that porosity is good for microfauna. So - barring any information being put forth that shows porosity is actually detrimental to/not helpful for the microfauna in the tank - I'm hoping to find something that's pretty porous to use).

Thank you!

Check craigslist or FB market or your local reef club. I see posts every couple months where someone is selling live or dead rock on the cheap if not free.

 

[MaxTremors]

Hey everyone! I know I mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm looking at setting up a "budget" tank at some point down the line, and, well, live rock (and even to some extent dry rock) is not exactly "budget" friendly. So, while I am planning to use some live rock to seed the tank, I'm also looking to see if there are any cheaper alternatives to live/dry rock that won't leach deadly metals into my tank. As a note, the cheapest dry rock options I've found so far are available through BRS and Reef Cleaners, and they run ~$2.50 to ~$3.00 a pound. That's not a bad price, but when you compare that to stuff like lava rock (scoria) which is ~$4.00 for 25 lbs. and was (and to some extant still is) used in the freshwater scene, it looks pretty expensive still.

So, on that note, with "lava rock" (scoria) being so cheap, it looks pretty tempting. However, I have heard many concerns (including from people on the freshwater side of things) that metals may leach from the lava rock into the tank and nuke the livestock. On the flip side of that, I know that some (possibly many) people have used lava rock with no issues, but I understand that some lava rock is fine while other lava rock is not and there's not really anyway to tell which is safe and which is isn't.

So, my questions are these; first, are there any other super cheap rocks that don't run as high of a risk of leaching metals, and if so, what are they? Second, if one were to use a rock, such as lava rock, which does have a fairly high chance of leaching, how long would the rocks need to go through the soak/rinse cycle before they would be safe for livestock? A week? A month? A year? Longer? Third - if you have any recommendations for cheap types of rock - how porous are they compared to your typical live rock, dry rock, or lava rock? (As a note here, I know there is some debate as to whether or not porosity is actually helpful to the filtration process, but I've also heard that porosity is good for microfauna. So - barring any information being put forth that shows porosity is actually detrimental to/not helpful for the microfauna in the tank - I'm hoping to find something that's pretty porous to use).

Thank you!

I wouldn’t skimp. I don’t think there is any debate that more porous live rock is better, I’ve never seen any arguments that less porous is better or even equal to more porous rock. I’m currently using mostly dry rock that is not very porous and it’s ability denitrify pales in comparison to quality live rock. If you’re going to go with dry rock, I would go with mined aragonite/coral skeletons, it’s more porous and will help buffer your PH. Rock choice may seem kind of arbitrary, but it is one of the most important choices, IMO, it’s at least as important as lighting, flow, and filtration (it’s a huge part of your filtration). As mentioned, paying for quality live rock (or at least a few pounds to seed dry rock) is worth every penny, personally I will never use dry rock again (used it once and never again), the negatives far out weigh the cost and risk of hitchhikers associated with live rock. I would not use lava rock, besides the potential for leaching metals, its not natural looking, is too dark, and would lack any buffering ability. If you end up getting rock that is not very porous, I would recommend burying some marine pure under the rock or put it in your sump, just to aid in nitrification and denitrification, and to provide a place for microfauna to breed.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks for the replies!

I definitely agree that the more the live rock in the tank, the better - hence why I am planning on seeding the tank with some live rock. If possible I would fill the tank with LR from local classifieds and/or reef clubs for cheap/free.

Assuming that that's not possible, though, I'm essentially looking for the cheapest, least bad option available (cheaper than the dry rock from BRS or Reef Cleaners if possible).
Does such an option exist?

(And yes, I would be willing to wait an appropriate length of time for the live rock to seed the tank well - time for this build is not really an issue, just money is).

Also, with regards to the porosity, I haven't seen any debate on the saltwater side of
things as to whether more porous or less is better, but I have seen some pretty heavy debate on it on the freshwater side of things. Some people feel that the pores gets clogged and end up having less useful space than just round river rocks and the like (I have no idea if that line of reasoning has any base in reality, but it's what I've heard). Again, regardless, I'm currently thinking that the more porous the better.

 

[MaxTremors]

Thanks for the replies!

I definitely agree that the more the live rock in the tank, the better - hence why I am planning on seeding the tank with some live rock. If possible I would fill the tank with LR from local classifieds and/or reef clubs for cheap/free.

Assuming that that's not possible, though, I'm essentially looking for the cheapest, least bad option available (cheaper than the dry rock from BRS or Reef Cleaners if possible).
Does such an option exist?

(And yes, I would be willing to wait an appropriate length of time for the live rock to seed the tank well - time for this build is not really an issue, just money is).

Also, with regards to the porosity, I haven't seen any debate on the saltwater side of
things as to whether more porous or less is better, but I have seen some pretty heavy debate on it on the freshwater side of things. Some people feel that the pores gets clogged and end up having less useful space than just round river rocks and the like (I have no idea if that line of reasoning has any base in reality, but it's what I've heard). Again, regardless, I'm currently thinking that the more porous the better.

I don’t know if less porous is better in FW tanks (haven’t kept one in almost 20 years), but for SW, porous is better because the water flowing through the rocks is the majority of your biological filtration. It’s also good because deep with in highly porous rocks denitrification can occur by providing an oxygen poor place where anaerobic bacteria can grow. The aerobic nitrifying bacteria colonize the outer layers of the rock and strip the water moving through of oxygen, leaving the middle of rocks a perfect place for denitrifying anaerobic bacteria to colonize. You do want to occasionally blow your rocks off with a turkey baster, both to clean them but also to keep the pores open.

 

[jpark457]

Check craigslist or FB market or your local reef club. I see posts every couple months where someone is selling live or dead rock on the cheap if not free.

You have to watch but it def comes up. I got 160+lbs of pukani rock for $75 that’s mostly chilling in my garage for now. I don’t need that much right now but figured it seemed like the kind of thing to hold for when / if I ever do a much bigger tank and cost less than buying even a small amount of dry rock from a shop.

 

[Tamberav]

I wound use clay bricks from a place like
Home Depot before I would trust lava rock! They ugly so you would have to use the base rock and cover then with normal dry rock to hide them.

They are what I use in my QT tank. They are similar to using garden pots for clowns to nest on.