# Rocks for African Cichlids



## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

What are some good options as far as rocks go for the aquarium? I have a Malawi cichlid tank with Haps. and a couple peacocks. I was going to go to a landscaping place to get rocks cuz it's cheaper than the fish stores and I want to know what to look for.


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## elarkin (Jan 31, 2009)

i have lace rock in mine and i really like it. it looks very cool. i've also seen some pretty awesome tanks with slate in them. you might look for the "rate the tank above you" thread. there are a wide variety of pictures of great tanks in there. i think you can often find it in either the "Tank Setups" forum or in the "Equipment and Supplies" one.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I really like the look of the flat oval river rock.

It keeps the rocks from taking over the tank, but still looks nice.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

They sell river rocks (rounded by water) for mulch or ground cover in various sizes. The local Barnes and Noble bookstore has them the size of human heads. I'm always scanning for a good one when I walk in/out of the store.

I like smooth better to reduce fish injuries. They dart around with all the chasing healthy mbuna do, LOL.


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## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

So what are you saying I should go to Barnes and Noble and help myself to their rocks?


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## MSUDawgs56 (Feb 1, 2005)

Ha, I can see the headlines now.... "Man arrested for stealing rocks at Barnes & Noble" :lol:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Not after I've been holding myself back from doing the same all this time. I'm saying the same thing is for sale at your landscaper. Or maybe the quarry.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I'm just really glad to see that I'm not the only one who looks at a rock and thinks how nice it would look in a fish tank...

Someone in our neighborhood has black lava rock in their yard...It's killing me!


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## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

yeah I know what ya mean. LOL


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## felix51 (Jan 30, 2009)

I usually target andesites or other volcanic type rocks as they are readily availalbe in my area, make great curved natural shapes for caves and arches. They are also typically easy to break apart into smaller pieces (with a sledge hammer) for personal preference. As far as rocks and gravel, i only buy from masonries or landscape yards, as LFS will markup rocks and gravel by anywhere from 5x - 10x the cost! Of course buying cheap means more labor for cleaning, etc, but that's not that big a deal, and it's always priceless to get the odd look from your neighbors when you're in your driveway cleaning rocks.

If you find a good masonry, they will have a lot of options for you to look at, but some rocks can screw with your water chemistry, so ask before you buy.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Malawi Hawk said:


> What are some good options as far as rocks go for the aquarium? I have a Malawi cichlid tank with Haps. and a couple peacocks. I was going to go to a landscaping place to get rocks cuz it's cheaper than the fish stores and I want to know what to look for.


I went to a landscape store and bought feather rocks (which is a form of lava rock) and I also bought some mexican beach stones (which are rounded and smooth). You can view my tank to see my rocks by clicking on my "tank" tab. I totally love the feather rock b/c it's super light weight and very easy to reshape and carve caves into. Because they are so light weight and b/c most landscape places charge by the pound, you can get a lot of rock for very very cheap. I spent a total of $45 and had more rock than I needed. I put the rest outside in my flower beds.

Susan


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

felix51 said:


> it's always priceless to get the odd look from your neighbors when you're in your driveway cleaning rocks.


hahaha at your comment!! So true! I bought my feather rock and had to haul it home, cut it, carve it, sand it, sanitize it, then I also had to silicone flat rock on to them to keep them from floating b/c soaking them in water didn't work. Was a lot of work but I didn't mind b/c I got my rocks the exact way I wanted them.


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## Decamio (Jun 25, 2009)

Malawi Hawk said:


> What are some good options as far as rocks go for the aquarium? I have a Malawi cichlid tank with Haps. and a couple peacocks. I was going to go to a landscaping place to get rocks cuz it's cheaper than the fish stores and I want to know what to look for.


If you wanna have a natural habitat i suggest you to look after black oval rocks. There are everywhere in the Malawi Lake. 
Also, the rocks must match with your background. Do you have a pict with your tank?


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## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

No I don't have any pics., I don't know how to do it yet. I have a black background. I do want the natural look for sure. I have fine gravel but am thinking about going to sand, black sand or white not sure yet.


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## Decamio (Jun 25, 2009)

Malawi Hawk said:


> I have a black background. I do want the natural look for sure. I have fine gravel but am thinking about going to sand, black sand or white not sure yet.


Well, take a look at this video ( 



 ) at 0:54 and you'll see that in Malawi is white sand and black or gray oval rocks. 
I have in my personal album a lot of picts with african tanks. You can inspire for your new set up. Look after tanks with black backgrounds, white sand (or black, but it's not natural) and gray/black oval rocks. If you like something just try to do it the same in your own tank.
http://decamio.sunphoto.ro/Pentru_ciclide_africane
http://decamio.sunphoto.ro/cichlids_tank

Good Luck! :thumb:


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Malawi Hawk said:


> What are some good options as far as rocks go for the aquarium? I have a Malawi cichlid tank with Haps. and a couple peacocks. I was going to go to a landscaping place to get rocks cuz it's cheaper than the fish stores and I want to know what to look for.


Here is a pic of my tank just to give you an idea of how feather rock, flat rock, and mexican beach stone goes really well (in my opinion) with a black background. I used Eco-Complete African Cichlid Gravel for my substrate and I mixed it with black sand just to add some color to it. I didn't want a super light/pale substrate.










The rocks on the left are the feather rocks and in each one of them is a tunnel or a cave that I carved into them. Plus, the way I stacked them on top of each other leaves spaces between them for fish to hide in as well.

I think you should get the rocks you like the best; afterall..it's you that will have to see the tank everyday so make sure it's something you will like and be proud of.

Susan


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## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks...Very helpful!!


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## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

Very nice tank


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

i do appreciate the beauty of that tank but in general, all the experts agree that to have a natural aquascape one should have a light colored sand, depending on habitat pea gravel may be mixed in in small amounts or else peat/mud. plain sand with/without sparcely placed pebbles or small gravel would be ideal for your tank. a deep blue or black background, no pictures, is most recommended personally i prefer blue as I find black too severe, only one type of stone or wood should be used as mixing varieties is deemed un-natural. my 63 gal. has play sand, a deep blue poster background and blue/black limestone, some pieces with quartz viens for added interest. my lighting is via two T5 tubes, the rear one is actinic blue, normally for growing corals, and the fore is freshwater white, an unusual combination but it works, especially with the blue background. An in-line heater is also a reccomendation as well as removing as much other equipment as possible as they are just a distraction from the fish.

This is all just my 2c and you may discard this post but i'm just trying to help :thumb: 
Paul


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

..


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

padlock 08 said:


> i do appreciate the beauty of that tank but in general, all the experts agree that to have a natural aquascape one should have a light colored sand, depending on habitat pea gravel may be mixed in in small amounts or else peat/mud. plain sand with/without sparcely placed pebbles or small gravel would be ideal for your tank. a deep blue or black background, no pictures, is most recommended personally i prefer blue as I find black too severe, only one type of stone or wood should be used as mixing varieties is deemed un-natural. my 63 gal. has play sand, a deep blue poster background and blue/black limestone, some pieces with quartz viens for added interest. my lighting is via two T5 tubes, the rear one is actinic blue, normally for growing corals, and the fore is freshwater white, an unusual combination but it works, especially with the blue background. An in-line heater is also a reccomendation as well as removing as much other equipment as possible as they are just a distraction from the fish.
> 
> This is all just my 2c and you may discard this post but i'm just trying to help :thumb:
> Paul


I've heard way too many bad things about sand, especially light colored sand. From what I hear and have read numerous times on this forum from lots of people, it looks dirty all the time b/c of fish waste laying on top of it. You have to clean it every single day if you don't want to see fish waste sitting on top of the sand. Plus you have to churn the sand (light or dark) periodically to release trapped food and gasses b/c if you don't it becomes VERY toxic...and from what I've read, when churning sand to release the gases it smells like rotten eggs. Yuk! Not so lovely! And a light colored sand (and light colored rocks as well) can really wash the colors out of the fish (depending on the type of fish in the tank). You also have to rinse sand like crazy before adding it to the tank or the water will be cloudy for days and days. So that is why I decided to use a substrate such as crushed shells and coral instead of sand, plus my substrate has another benefit too--it's helps buffer my water. Eco-Complete Cichlid gravel is some amazing stuff! It contains aragonite which helps maintain a high pH and it requires no rinsing. True, certain types of cichlids such as sandsifters & shelldwellers are happier with sand, so I think the tank's stock list and owner's personal taste are the two major factors when choosing a substrate. I much prefer the crushed shell look rather than the sandy look plus my fish are rock dwelling mbunas; sand is not a preference of mine (that's just my opinion though). The same goes for the background as well; blue or black...it depends on the type of fish in the tank. I personally would not want a blue background with a lot of blue fish in my tank! I want the colors of my fish to "pop" against the background and not blend in. My blue cobalts and yellow labs look awesome against a black background.

To the original poster.....have you decided on your rocks yet? I'm curious what you decided to do? Let us know.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Malawi Hawk said:


> What are some good options as far as rocks go for the aquarium? I have a Malawi cichlid tank with Haps. and a couple peacocks. I was going to go to a landscaping place to get rocks cuz it's cheaper than the fish stores and I want to know what to look for.


I also wanted to point out that haps and peacocks are not rock dwellers. I found an article and below it mentions things to consider about rocks as well as your substrate...

Lake Malawi, being a rift lake, is naturally rocky both along its shoreline and below the water descending to the depths. This however, is not universal for the entire lake. There are many areas that have sandy beaches and sand below the waterline in addition to intermediate habitats that have a mix of both large rocks and sand. Typically, the lake has very little plants and those that do occur tend to be near river mouths and in swampy areas. In general though, the theme is rock and sand.

In the home aquarium, every attempt should be made to replicate these conditions as much as possible. However before deciding on decor, a little research on the species to be kept may be necessary. In general, there are two groups of cichlids in lake Malawi. The mbuna, or rock dwellers, spend most of their time in the rocky habitats and therefore should have a tank that is mostly filled with rock. On the other hand, the non-mbuna, often referred to as the Haps and Peacocks, typically live in the intermediate to sandy habitats and therefore require much less rock in the home aquarium. It is generally not a good idea to mix these two fish together not only because of the different tank set-up requirements, but also because of diet and aggression. Keeping both groups can prove challenging to the owner and often result in unnecessary deaths.

If you decide to keep non-mbuna or mostly non-mbuna, the tank will require much more open swimming space and not too much rockwork. The tank should have a sandy/fine gravel substrate with a few rocks spread along the bottom to serve as shelter/spawning sites/territorial markers. Some species, such as the Aulonocara and the Lethrinops greatly benefit from a sandy substrate as this brings out the many natural behaviors that are often seen in the wild. Using sand also makes cleaning easier as the debris stays at the substrateâ€™s surface where it can be easily removed. Ultimately, it is up to the owner which substrate they like although the substrate should be darker rather than lighter to replicate the natural conditions in the lake and to bring out the color in the fish more.

So, like I said in my above post, it really depends on the type of fish you have in your tank and you're own personal preference!

All this info can be found here...http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/l ... _setup.php


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## Malawi Hawk (Dec 3, 2007)

WOW great responses and very very helpful. Thanks again.


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

there is always going to be some one saying that "experts" say its unnatural this or that. As long as you provide for the fish's needs then i doesnt matter if you use bright pink gravel and green rocks. Provide for your fish and remember YOU  are the expert. Make the fish happy and make you happy and thats all that matters.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

caseyof99 said:


> there is always going to be some one saying that "experts" say its unnatural this or that. As long as you provide for the fish's needs then i doesnt matter if you use bright pink gravel and green rocks. Provide for your fish and remember YOU  are the expert. Make the fish happy and make you happy and thats all that matters.


Agreed! :thumb: (although bright pink gravel is a little tacky) hahahaha!


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