# Lava Rock



## Eruptiion

Hello, 

Im new here & I'm planning to buy lava rock for a new DIY filter project which I'm starting soon. So I'm wonder where all you people buy yours, the lava rocks, ones I'm looking for should be around the size of a golf ball + a little bigger. 
So do you think maybe Home Depot or Canadian Tires would sell these in the garden section. I live close to Markham - Steeles & Wadren

Thanks


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## PACMAN

the only lava rock i've used in my tank was from big als, and they were the large pieces about a foot or so big. Technically, you could smash these up into smaller pieces. 

I'm not sure if the lava rock from HD is ok for aquarium use, so you're going to have to wait for someone eelse to reply and help you out on that front


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## Eruptiion

Well thanks a lot for helping me out on the first step. I heard that there were lava rocks in the garden & pond section thats able to be used in aquariums.


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## bae

I've seen bags of broken lava rock for people to put on the bottom of their BBQs, but I haven't seen it lately. It's about the size you're looking for. If you find any, let me know. I want to attach plants to it.

It can't hurt to soak the rocks for a while before using them. Change the water a few times. You can do this in a bucket outdoors. AFAIK, volcanic rock, once it's weathered a bit, is usually safe for aquaria.

Garden centres sometimes have chunks of lava rock they sell by the pound, far far cheaper than a fish store does. Your best bet is to go to a large garden centre that has a lot of landscaping stone and such. If you just want small pieces like that, and are willing to pick them out yourself, they may give it to you much cheaper or even free, since such rubble is less useful than larger stones for landscaping.

Let us know what you find out.


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## dl88dl

I got 3 bags from Canadian Tire last year the ones for the BBQ and used it in my Bakki shower from my TT filter for my pond since the Bacteria House filter media were so expensive and have to be imported from Japan.


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## Eruptiion

Alright bae I'll be sure to tell you when I find them. I should be looking for them around this week, thanks for the details.

As for dl88dl, Thanks for tell me where you got yours. Ill check Canadian Tires (In person) for sure. Could you tell me if you still get yours and which Canadian tires in the GTA as well as how much 1 bag cost.

Thanks
Jimmy


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## dl88dl

Eruptiion said:


> Alright bae I'll be sure to tell you when I find them. I should be looking for them around this week, thanks for the details.
> 
> As for dl88dl, Thanks for tell me where you got yours. Ill check Canadian Tires (In person) for sure. Could you tell me if you still get yours and which Canadian tires in the GTA as well as how much 1 bag cost.
> 
> Thanks
> Jimmy


I got mine from the Whitby north CT. I think they were 25lbs per bag at $2.99 or $3.99 a bag but not sure they still have it. When I go there next time I will check it out.


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## BillD

http://www.wernersponds.com/biofiltermedia.htm might be useful to you. Lava rock is not the best in terms of surface area for volume.


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## BettaBeats

Your best, cheapest bet, depending on how large of a filter you need these for - say a pond biofilter, i would check out an aggregates company, or a ornamental garden rock dealer. for a smaller application i'd check out canadian tire (check their website) or an aquarium store.


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## Eruptiion

Now I have a new question. So at home Hardware http://www.homehardware.ca/Products/index/show/product/I6422542/name/rock_lava_bbq_7lb
So this is bbq lava rock, Is this possible to put in aquariums or filters for waterlife. Could this BBQ lava rock be posion or treated with bad stuff? Pleasee answer if I'm able to use this or not cause its a very low price.


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## tom g

*stone*

try betz stone on kennedy road i am sure the guy told me that they sell it to big als . good place great prices . chke em out


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## dl88dl

Eruptiion said:


> Now I have a new question. So at home Hardware http://www.homehardware.ca/Products/index/show/product/I6422542/name/rock_lava_bbq_7lb
> So this is bbq lava rock, Is this possible to put in aquariums or filters for waterlife. Could this BBQ lava rock be posion or treated with bad stuff? Pleasee answer if I'm able to use this or not cause its a very low price.


Those are the ones you can use but the ones I got has a different brand name. I just rinse them in hot water and use it in my Bakki shower filter and did not lose any fishy in my pond. You can soak it for a few days or boil it. What kind of filter are you going to use? Maybe plastic pot scrubbers are better choice then these lava rocks


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## bcarlos

dl88dl said:


> Those are the ones you can use but the ones I got has a different brand name. I just rinse them in hot water and use it in my Bakki shower filter and did not lose any fishy in my pond. You can soak it for a few days or boil it. What kind of filter are you going to use? Maybe plastic pot scrubbers are better choice then these lava rocks


Don't mean to derail this post, but do you have any photo's of your Bakki shower, Dave? An awesome filter that is rarely used over here.


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## BillD

Eruptiion said:


> Now I have a new question. So at home Hardware http://www.homehardware.ca/Products/index/show/product/I6422542/name/rock_lava_bbq_7lb
> So this is bbq lava rock, Is this possible to put in aquariums or filters for waterlife. Could this BBQ lava rock be posion or treated with bad stuff? Pleasee answer if I'm able to use this or not cause its a very low price.


That is the stuff, but you should check how much it would take to fill the space with pot scrubbers, which are a better choice.


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## dl88dl

bcarlos said:


> Don't mean to derail this post, but do you have any photo's of your Bakki shower, Dave? An awesome filter that is rarely used over here.


Hi Brandon, the Momotaro Bakki showers are usually 4 levels full of bacteria house media and driven with very high flow rate pumps but my is a diy single level with lava rocks. At one end of my pond I have a smaller pond that is about 7.5feetx2.5feetx18"deep as my surface skimmer and I use a 4200gal/hr submersible pump in this skimmer which is connected to a 55gal drum with 40gal of bio-balls as my TT filter and at the bottom of this barrel I drill many small holes so the water from the pump runs over a 2" matt at the top of the barrel and down over the bio-balls and the water comes out of the barrel like a shower over the lava rocks and the water is return to my main pond via a 10feet river and at the other end I have a 4feet high waterfall fed by 6x55gal drums as my main filter and the water exit the pond via a 4" bottom drain and I also have a in pond surface skimmer near the waterfall. I will get some pictures up hopefully soon as I am re-doing my waterfall and landscaping.
BTW, my submersible pump stop working couple of weeks ago. Looking for a 4000gal to 5000gal submersible pump. Anyone has one for sale?


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