# Advice With Lava Rock ANyone??



## Afri-Chi (Mar 31, 2013)

Hi guys,
I have lava rock and driftwood in my 4ft malawi tank but I've been hearing very suspicious things about lava rock. 
Is there anyone that can help me clear up the issue with some pro's and cons on them, my local dealer said they are safe for aquariums so I used it but lately *** been seeing and hearing different stuff?
Thanks a million in advance. :thumb:


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## Saleen281 (Feb 22, 2012)

well here is my opinion on lava rock. i use black lava rock i get it cheap from the local rock landscaping place.i mainly use it because it is alot lighter than anything else plus its dark thats the pros lol . cons are they are very sharp may hurt your fish depending on the type of fish you keep also is you need to be very carefull when putting inside tank it will scratch the **** out of glass and acrylic.my tank now has a few scratches from the rocks.make sure you boil or rinse in hot water before putting in.


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## PreposterousFish (Jan 8, 2013)

The only con I can think of is the sharp edges like stated above.

I've used lava rock as a biological media for a three stage pond with great success.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agree with the cons. Another pro might be you like the appearance. Being light is not a pro for me because there is no limit on the weight a tank will hold.


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## Afri-Chi (Mar 31, 2013)

Thank you so much. I am really considering changing the rocks. I have mixed malawis, mainly mbuna. Everything will be hunky dory with the tank and then a fish shows up with fungus along the body, I'm suspecting its from injury from the rocks, do you agree? Or could it be something else, I havent had much problems with disease so this is a newby to me.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Does the fish recover or die? I think you would see the scrape long before any fungus.


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## Hap man (May 28, 2012)

I have red lava in my tank. agree with all the cons above. It is good looking rock but can seriously injure fish if they are flashing or get spooked and slam into it. I lost a beautiful 9 to 10 inch Fosso. Rostratus due to being spooked. Fossos will dive into the substrate when startled and he slammed into a rock which caused a wound in his jaw. I never was able to get him healed from it and he died a while later.


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