# Cleaning Lava Rock



## DaPennsta (Aug 28, 2013)

Hey I have a 55G with a mix of African Cichlids and I want to redo the landscape to make more caves, smaller ones in particular. I find my caves are a bit too big and don't really provide the protection they should so I recently purchased some used lava rocks online. I can tell that the rocks were used in a tank before, probably not too long ago as it still had that aquarium smell while I was washing them. I scrubbed them as best as I could but there is still a yellow/mustared like coloration to one side of many of the rocks. I can't tell if its some kind of algae growth or something but it looks like it has filled in the gaps so the rock is much smoother on that side.

Here is a picture of two of the rocks side by side, one is covered and the other is normal.









Should I be worried about? I've tried scrubbing it as hard as I could and it won't wash off. Would it be harmful to my fish?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Hap man (May 28, 2012)

you could always boil them if your not sure


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## Injdog (May 15, 2013)

I would not boil lava rock. The rock is porous all the way through. The rock will not explode but, will have a tendency to crack apart into smaller rocks depending on air pocket alignment. I normally put the rocks in a container that can withstand heat, boil water and add to the container. I collect mine from the beach shore so, I also add some white vinegar to the mix.


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## interex216 (Jul 12, 2008)

If you'd like more holes in it use a manonary bit and drill extra holes in our rock. We did this in 3 of our large pieces without much difficulty. It can be messy so make sure you do it outside =)
Pic is old but you get the point lol.


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