# Opinions on "cichlid stones" sold online.



## Jayce913 (Apr 6, 2012)

I have recently found some unique cave stones that are made from ceramics, I would like to know if anyone has used or seen them and how they would be for about 20 cichlids.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=21383

That is the link to one of the sale sites. The main thing I have a problem with is trying to figure if the small stones would be too small for say, full grown yellow Labs to get in and out of.


----------



## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

completely unnecessary expense, but looks good. mbuna don't need nor "want" caves so this is just a "fun" decoration IMHO.

The photos show the "Large Stone" and then the "Giant Stone". Go with the Large Stones.


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Go to a landscape/nursery store, lot's of real rocks there, that look better and are cheaper.


----------



## lilcountrygal (Dec 27, 2011)

The small stones are very small. I dont think a full grown Lab would fit. That being said, i have at least 8 of these in my tank currently. None of my fish even use them. They predominantly stay in the caves I've made with the rock. So... I agree with the above... complete waste of money. I currently have them turned around so the "hole" faces the back of the tank so it looks like another rock. I very rarely see a fish swim out of one (maybe once a week/two). *** never seen a fish swim in or out of the small stone.


----------



## Jayce913 (Apr 6, 2012)

I have read alot that most African cychlids want to have caves to breed and have as there territory, would those caves maybe work better if they had a hole added to the other side so there were more ways out?


----------



## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Mbuna like rocks, crevices, overhangs etc. I think some folks struggle with words and think that the word "cave" applies to these rock structures. They dont apply. Ime, mbuna just get nipped tails from " tunnels" so putting a hole in the other side of these rocks isnt worth it.


----------



## Dacrittergitter (Dec 28, 2008)

I have a bunch of these in my tank, I like them because they're so light and easy to handle. My haps use the biggest ones to sleep in at night but that's about it. My syno's appreciate them the most, I see them constantly cruising from stone to stone.


----------



## Guest (Apr 11, 2012)

i like them cuz they dont displace alot of water like real rocks do and they give fish alot of hiding places... although my catfish spend most of their time in them instead of the fish.. the small ones are good for breeding plecos.. my bristlenose breed in those instead of the clay pleco logs i have for them in there.. i also put them in the pile with real rocks for my julies


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I like the real rocks better. :thumb:


----------



## durby (Mar 4, 2012)

the small ones are VERY small. i have 3 of these in mbuna tank and they do get used. i have a mix of these and real rock. my hongi love them. he's always popping in and out of the large ones and my yellow labs fight over them. but they do like the real rock more. i really like them because when i'm trying to catch one of them. i really just have to stick my hand in and heard them into hiding in the cichlid stone, then pull it out of the water and dump it.


----------



## stepht (Apr 1, 2012)

The small are too small for a grown fish. I have 2 larges and I seem them go in sometimes. I have a fire eel who uses them the most. They do look nice, but are expensive for what they are.
Here is a pic so you can see the large ones on the right


----------



## chrismwilson81 (Feb 28, 2012)

i have 16 stones mixed with some flat rock. my mbunas love them. the first couple of months i had them the fish seemed to ignore the fact that it was hollow. they just hung out in the voids between the rocks. once they discovered the holes they each started claiming their own rock. during the day they swim in and out of them but at night they hunker down in their own stones! i love the cichlid stones but they are pricey and you can achieve the same thing with cheap or even free rock.


----------



## quentin8 (Sep 30, 2011)

I have 20 somthing cichlid stones in my 50. At first I thought I would end up packing them back up and returning them. After a week algae strarted growing on them and they started looking nice. My mbuna love them thats where almost all spawning takes place. Also I have a 4 1/2" Yellow lab and he has no problem squeazing into the smaller stones. They really have grown on me however if I was going for a "show" tank look I would not be using them, real rocks look so much more natural.


----------



## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

these fake rocks/stones are great!
light weight and good natural looks, provides excellent protection to cichlids.

i have 4 large ones for my tank :thumb:

bad thing! too Xpensive! :x



quentin8 said:


> I have 20 somthing cichlid stones in my 50. At first I thought I would end up packing them back up and returning them. After a week algae strarted growing on them and they started looking nice. My mbuna love them thats where almost all spawning takes place. Also I have a 4 1/2" Yellow lab and he has no problem squeazing into the smaller stones. They really have grown on me however if I was going for a "show" tank look I would not be using them, real rocks look so much more natural.


----------



## nachotroll (Apr 14, 2011)

I highly recommend them! But buy only the large because you will soon find that the small and medium are way to small for when your fish grow! The large is what I have and my metracima caillanos loves them


----------



## master chi (Jan 3, 2010)

I gotta say there are distinct advantages to using "cichlid stones "

1st- many mbuna keepers profess all the time how changing their rockwork helps to keep aggression down in their tanks. The stones are so lightweight that changing them around is ridiculously easy in comparison to real rocks.

2nd these stones can actually act as fish traps,making it easier to catch sick,overly aggressive,or holding fish.

While some stones keepers say the large ones are the only ones to keep. I personally disagree.

My mbuna do use the large stones, mostly for breeding in fact I would go as far as saying the do their breeding exclusively in the large stones,but the medium stones work very well for many mbuna.

I have seen my large 5 inch Estherea swimming out of the medium stones on several occasions

but it's the smaller Labs and Rusties who I see using them very often for shelter.

the smaller stones are good only for fry and juvies.

It is true that the fish will take shelter in the spaces between real rocks. But that does not become untrue when using "cichlid stones". the fish will still use the in between space, but will also use the hollowed out stone space as well. essentially doubling your fishes hiding spaces.

Obviously they do not look nearly as natural as real rockwork, What works best is to combine the "cichlid stones" with a bunch of natural river stones. they will blend together quite nicely,but doing this takes away from my previously stated Number 1 advantage. Since the river rocks will be much heavier.

Notice I don't mention the weight of the rocks in regards to the glass breaking. Because tanks can hold a lot of weight. in fact a glass tank can hold more weight in rocks than what is even possible for you to place in a tank full of water and fish.


----------



## BunaPete (Apr 14, 2012)

My fish seem to LOVE them! I've got a couple of the different sizes 3 of the smallest 1 Medium and one of the LARGE toe holds scattered around the tank as well as somestructures made from Cultured Stone products that I constructed myself.... The fish have fun chaseing each other ian and around the caves! You'll love watching them! I geve em 2 thumbs up!


----------



## Vince-Lenny (Oct 3, 2011)

All 32 of my mbuna use the 10 cichlid stones in my 75 gallon (either inside a cave or in between stones).

As for the aquarist, it is much easier to deal with as opposed to real rocks.

If you don't mind the expense, I would whole-heartily recommend it.


----------



## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

I've always thought they were a bit of an eyesore. You can buy real rocks from a landscape store for much cheaper and they will look nicer too. My cichlids like the natural caves in my tank created from stacking rocks just fine. I see no need for cichlid stones.


----------



## master chi (Jan 3, 2010)

AulonoKarl said:


> I've always thought they were a bit of an eyesore. You can buy real rocks from a landscape store for much cheaper and they will look nicer too. My cichlids like the natural caves in my tank created from stacking rocks just fine. I see no need for cichlid stones.


 I absolutely agree that real rocks look not only more natural but nicer all around. However I still see the advantages. really it's up to an aquarists personal preference. But when someone asks for opinions I try to give an open minded one for sure.


----------

