# Ocean Rock in Mbuna Tank?



## laney_miller85 (Jan 8, 2013)

Hello!

I'm currently setting up a 55 gallon Mbuna tank. I bought a used saltwater set-up from a friend and it came with a TON of live rock. I've since dried the rock out, soaked it in a bleach solution then rinsed thoroughly before letting it dry for a few days to make sure it's void of it's former inhabitants and safe for cichlids. My question is - is there anything wrong with using ocean rock for Mbuna? Could the rocks have edges that are too sharp or holes too tiny? I know that the idea is to recreate their natural habitat, but I figured as long as they had plenty of caves and crevices they would be happy. I would rather not have to find or purchase a different kind of rock since I have SO MUCH of the ocean rock on hand!


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## iridextr (Feb 8, 2013)

Assuming you're talking about what is commonly called base rock in the world of aquariums, yes it is fine to use in the tank. I'm not a fan of using bleach however, and if I were you I would soak the rock in clean water for a couple days and perform complete water changes (put rock in a bucket and dump the water every day, refilling it with new water), but that's just me. 
I used to use lace rock (very similar to base rock in composition but not in formation, similar texture, look, etc) in many of my tanks for years but stopped recently simply because it's so darn hard to clean with all the pores. This would go for base rock as well, it's just too porous to really be able to deep clean when you get a little brown algae or whatever it may be. I use it in my reef tank still and can never get the darn stuff clean because the algae is still in the tiny pores I can't reach with a wire brush. They do have some jagged edges and at first the fish will rub up and possibly get scraped but I've never had an issue with it, they all figured it out pretty quickly. 
I would go ahead and use it, you should be fine.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

geez.. that live rock was worth between 5 and 12$ a pound depending on where you shop, SW guys pay good money for decent cured live rock... you could then have ordered marco rocks which is the same stuff just not live for less than $3/lb..


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## laney_miller85 (Jan 8, 2013)

The rock wasn't live when I got it. It had been sitting in a bucket of cold water for like 4 months, so it was not really worth anything. I did let the rocks sit in fresh water for a few days, refilling the bucket with fresh water every day. I use lace rock in my other tanks, but i didn't need a lot since I went with peacocks/haps. It would be really expensive for all the rock Mbuna need. Thanks for your suggestions!


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Ok, well with that rock really watch your levels, there could still be a lot of die off which could cause an ammonia spike.


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## laney_miller85 (Jan 8, 2013)

Even after letting it dry out for 6 months, bleaching and rinsing it? I doubt anything could live through that! I'll be doing a fishless cycle with the rock in the tank so I'll be able to monitor the water parameters for a while before adding fish. Thanks for the suggestions.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

You didn't say it had been left to dry out for 6 months.. but regardless, watch your levels..


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Yeah even after all that 6 months later you'd be surprised how much of a ammonia spike you can get from "live rock". A lot of guys boil "live rock", and stuff still survives. It's insane how much life there is haha, but hey if it occurs it'll just help the cycle.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Please don't boil live rock... even if you think its dead


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## laney_miller85 (Jan 8, 2013)

I've read some horror stories about boiling rocks in general. I never do that - I think it's a huge risk. The rocks can actually explode into shrapnel if they have an air pocket inside them - like a bomb going off in your house! But yes, it will be some time before I can afford to stock my tank, so I'll have plenty of time to monitor the levels and ensure any die-off that occurs will be long-over with before adding my fish


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## Ebi Omer (Dec 13, 2013)

I've recently used dead ocean rock in my hap and peacock tank and hadn't any issues. It's been about 4 months to date. The Rock was run in clean RO water then dried out in the sun and thats about it.


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

You should have no issues. The only thing I dislike is the fact that you used bleach. But if it's rinsed good, no problem.

I have old live rock in some my tanks also, all I did was hit them with a power washer and tossed them in. never had an issue.

As for being porous as someone stated, once a rock has entered my tank, I've never cleaned a rock in my life, ....ever. My bushy nose pleco's do that for me :wink:


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## laney_miller85 (Jan 8, 2013)

I was weary of using bleach, but it seemed to be a very common method of cleaning rocks on this site. Thought it would be fine - but I rinsed the rocks over and over again to be sure.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Couldn't hurt to soak the rock further with some Seachem Prime to ensure no bleach is present. Just dose it fives times the recommended dose.


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## laney_miller85 (Jan 8, 2013)

Sounds good. Thanks, everyone!


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