What kind of rocks for Malawi setup??

[yankeefan]

Hello everyone.

I'm seriously considering setting up a tank for Peacocks and I've been pouring over many of your different threads soaking up as much info as possible. Many of you have some beautiful setups and I'm truly envious.

My question is: Where do you find some of these large pieces of rock to use as decoration? I'm no expert about rock, do you use slate, limestone, shale??
If shale were ok, I'm set. I've got access to tons of shale. It's free, so I'm sure it's no good for an aquarium. LOL

My LFS is little to no help, they are very small and limited in supply. I can drive to some of the chain stores but they don't seem to have much either.
Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Josh

[Northerly]

You could try a landscaping store/business for some excess rock. The type of rock is really personal preference, I prefer river rocks. Just recently I discovered black lava rock. I would also suggest Texas holey rock, it's readily available online.

[yankeefan]

Could there be a potential to alter the water chemistry in a negative way with the use of one type of rock versus another? I would hate to cause a swing in PH that could stress or kill the fish.

I guess I'm wondering about the possible effects of shale or limestone. I doubt either would look appealing, but thought it was worth asking

[Northerly]

Texas holey rock, which I'm pretty sure is limestone, buffers the pH to around 8.0. Aragonite and coral substrates/pieces will also buffer the pH to the same effect. For African cichlids a steady pH of 8.0 is pretty good. Some like it higher, but 8.0 is generally a good option.

[daimen123]

you could use whatever you like. The best thing to do is put a little drop of vinegar on it if it bubbles don't use it. if it doesn't give it a good scrub and even boil it to kill all the bad guys. limestone is used to buffer the water up to a stable high Ph. but what I.have found is that a stable Ph is the best rather then trying to keep it up with additives. If you have limestone then your lucky. Boil it up and use it if you like it. Don't forget lots of caves

[yankeefan]

Thanks for the help everyone.