# Can Lava Rock be broken down to gravel level



## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi,

Just wandering if i can go buy some lava rock, and then hamer them to smaller piece, to about gravel size, and use it as gravel?

Thanks


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## MDR (Feb 20, 2012)

You could, only it would be kind of expensive and time consuming IMO.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

is lava rock safe in aquarium with fish and invertebrates?


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## default (May 28, 2011)

zfarsh said:


> is lava rock safe in aquarium with fish and invertebrates?


It's only one of the most popular rocks you can purchase for this hobby.
It does not alter your parameters, but to smash it and use it as gravel? - messy and expensive. There are some substrates that have similar properties and feels almost the same. I think Caribsea makes some.


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## WiyRay (Jan 11, 2009)

Pretty sure yes, lava rock is inert. Good for shrimps because it gives a lot of surface area for them to pick away at. It depends on which type of fish though. Probably not very good for bottom dwellers/scaleless as it might scratch them up pretty bad.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

i was considering keeping some cories, i guess thats bad right? I was gonna seperate and have two areas, one with play sand, and one with another substrate.... Can i still use it as the big rock in my tank with corydoras, for decorative purposes? I also will have some breeding tanks attached to it, so i guess i could use it for shrimps and snails in those?

I guess i can also use it in a tank where i cant have sponges, like for blackworm culture, or daphnia.... I just thought about this, and so the blackworm culture could become a reality.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

As it happens, I have done just what you ask. I read that crushed lava rock made good bio media and since I had some I wasn't using for anything else, I took a hammer to it.

It was very MESSY.. got way too much dust and fines, not really anything the right size for substrate. Got enough pieces the right size for a couple of small HOB filters, but I would not do it again. You need goggles, it flies far and is very sharp ! I found quite a bit of it ended up as waste. 

You would not want to use it for a substrate for cories or loaches or any catfish really, it's much too sharp and would certainly damage their barbels. With loaches it would damage their delicate skin too. 

As a rock for decor, it should be ok for most fish, but not loaches, again, as they have such delicate fine scales and like to try and squeeze into small spaces between things. 

But lava rock is quite useful as a mount for ferns and moss, because the coarse texture offers a lot of surface for rootlets to grab onto. If it was well covered with moss, it would likely be ok even for loaches, as the moss would pad the sharp edges. Shrimp would probably like it fine, they don't have to worry about abrasive rocks.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

thanks fishfur, you are always there for me!!!! Thanks for sharing your experience, i will not go through the hammer thing.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Ehfilav like we talked about. It's much smoother then what you end up with breaking big chunks. I think it's tumbled before they pack it. 
Matrix also looks good and it's smooth

I break lava rocks for my canisters. It's a PITA messy and not too easy with just a hammer chisel is also needed.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi Jakob, thanks, all the eheim stuff is soo expensive for me 

I guess i will buy normal gravel as substrate, and look for smaller lava rock pieces (not sure where to buy them from, big al's were sorta large), to put java fern and anubias on, and use bigger ones as decor.

Thanks for that Ehfilav btw jacob, i used it as substrate in a breeder box which i only have shrimps and snails.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I should have mentioned, I used a slot screwdriver too.. to help break the bigger pieces.. still a huge PITA.. and messy. Don't have a cold chisel and I was not about to use my wood chisels on rocks !


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

No problem

What colour and how much gravel you think you need?


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

You said you had cory's so I wouldn't use larger stones with them, unless you plan to provide partial sand so they're whiskers(wtf are those things called again!) don't get damaged.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

You can use small smooth gravel like I have been using for over 10 years and no they don't get damaged


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Yeah but I figured with broken lava rock. or are you providing him with something more suitable jackson? Also... don't you have turtles? if I recall... and if so hows thems doing lol.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Ryan.Wilton said:


> Yeah but I figured with broken lava rock. or are you providing him with something more suitable jackson? Also... don't you have turtles? if I recall... and if so hows thems doing lol.


 he scrapped the idea and is looking for gravel.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

hehe, yeah, i saw thanks to everyone that my idea wasnt too great afterall, but it did inspire alot of new ideas, for using lava rock in other ways (thanks everyone again).

You see, i had gotten some small lava rocks with some anubias i bought, and they look so wonderfull.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Well, you could always do an aquascape of Lava rock that you've broken and resealed together to form a mountain. Then place it in a corner and decorate out 

Edit--> To Jackson....  Maybe I should learn to read more thoroughly... -.-" I should've read that...


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Those whiskers are properly called 'barbels'.. can be used for sensors and sometimes for defence too, in the case of some loaches. So having them worn down on sharp substrate looks bad and impairs the fish's senses in some cases, to some extent.


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## lovevc (Nov 24, 2010)

do u guys know where to get black lava rock? those red lava rock at big als are ugly


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