my big project: lava rocks

[flgoose]

Hi everyone,

what's wrong with using lava rocks?

I know i havent posted my progress in awhile so here is a little update. It seems like i never find the time to keep up with everything. I will post pictures and everything once i get this project done.

My original stand failed. The wood i used turned out to be too wet and after a month or so it started cracking and shrinking. I had gaps as big as 1/2". So back to the wood shop and I built another stand out of poplar. This one turned out even nicer than the previous. I'm working on the cannopy now. The tank finally got filled up ( it took 3 1/2 days) but now i discovered that the mag-drive 1800 is not enough pump. by the time it rises 5 ft, the output is reduced to 1200 per manufacturer specks. Of course with the elbows and T there is no telling how much lower it got. there wasn't much pressure coming out of the return and had to cut back on the returns to balance the input to output. So I closed one overflow and one return completelly and the pressure went up. I just ordered a second 1800 for this project. Good thing I built a huge sump as i have the room to put in another pump without re-position the baffle.

[scubadude]

How bout some pics....what size is your tank? So what are you doing w/the lava rocks? I dont think there is really anything wrong w/them there are reefs that grow on them naturally in hawaii....they are usually pretty porous....tell us more about your plans goose

[CutthroatKid]

using two return pumps is ok? I've been told this is a no no because they won't pump at the same speed...? sorry if this is dumb, I'm just a noob and was wondering

[scubadude]

Using 2 return pumps has pros and cons. the pros are that it serves redundancy if one pump fails then you always have the other to back it up, the other benefit is it can allow for more strategic and creative placement of your flow pattern(s). There are probably more downfalls to using 2 pumps the first and foremost would be efficiency, and heat to the water, electrical hazards, more plumbing which = more head loss. It really depends on the situation though.

[CutthroatKid]

alright then. thanks

[Poseidon]

I would be worried about any metals that may be in the Lava rock. It is true that a reef can grow on that rock in the ocean, but we can't come anywhere near that water volume. Nor can we match the current that moves any of those metals away....

[jaysonhadwick]

Im interested in the lava rock as well.

We have a black cinder flow about a 10min drive into the mountains where im at. I've used it as a biological media in freshwater tanks, decor for cichlid tanks, and as a substrate for freshwater mosses.

I've never used it in salt setups but I think i can remember reading in one of my older aquarium books about using cinder, or valcanic rock as base rock.

Also now that I think about it there is a company in the uk that produces man made volcanic rock called "Alfagrog" to be used as tank decor and filter media because of it's high porosity. They are taking an aggregate, powderizing it, then flash heating it to the point where it foams and hardens in a process called sintering.
If you can find their website (im to lazy to hunt it down at the moment) they have a chemical breakdown sheet of what the product contains.

Also this product is being marketed as volcanic rock when you do searches for it. So i guess what i'm trying to say is if there is a product on the market for aquarium use that very closely resembles something in nature why not use the real deal if its available and cheap as dirt?

If your main concern is metals leaching into the water, i think it would be worth it to do the research and find the truth behind it.

let me know what your thoughts are.

Jayson

[flgoose]

For those who are not familiar with my big project, the tank size is 83"x27"x27" 268 gal. it has 2 overflows with 1" out 3/4"in. Sump is about 60 gal. Skimmer holds about 14 gal of water. It has a mag 1800 for the return, koralia II for circulation, 500W titanium heather, Ocean runner 2700 with needle wheel for the skimmer, 150G/day Ro/di. Pictures at the end of post. The tank, sump, skimmer and base cabinet were all DIY projects. I am currently working on the cannopy along with everything else. I plan a building a glass reservoir tank for the R/O as well. My ultimate goal is to keep this as maintenance free as possible. A top off is going to be a priority as i'm evaporating an increadible amount of water per day. I have an idea for semiautomatic water changes but i'm not at the point to make it a reality.

The plan is to get this built and all the kinks out of it while i live in this house. Once i move, than the tank will be fish only for awhile and slowly going reef. So everything i have built is with reef migration in mind.

I had the lava rocks from my 75gal fish and invertebrates set up of years a go. I had them in the tank for over 10 years and never had problems with them. But someone told me it was not a good idea using them for reef because of phosphate leking out of it. I didn trust the one that tol me this that is why I asked the question. I figured the rocks are quite porous so that should be a plus. As far as metal leaking out of it, i would think that in 10 years of tank use, they should be clear by now. Anyway i am planning on using them for base rock at some point.

As you can see this is a work in progress. the tank is full of fresh water at the moment. I put in 100 rosy reds feeders to get the kinks out of the set up. I'm glad i went this route as i need to figure out how i can stop the stupid fish to constantly getting into the overflow. Bioballs will disappear once i go to reef. I built shelves right in the doors of the cabinet to hold supplies, test equipment etc. I figure since i have the room why not make everythng easily accessable. The switch panel on one of the doors also will make things easier. It is not wired up yet.

[jaysonhadwick]

I think i'm going to test this.

I recently dabbled with the aragocrete idea as a business venture so i've done tests regarging that.

i could understand why someone would think that it would leach phosphates on the assumption that "cinder blocks" do leach phosphates but the only reason they leach is from the portland cement they use as a bonding agent.