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View Full Version : Is Lava Rock An Ok Media For Discus?



FMA4ME
03-11-2015, 05:02 AM
Hi all.
I'm using lava rock as filter media, and read a post saying it may not be good for fish that prefer softer water. Do I need to rethink lava rock? Thanks again.

brewmaster15
03-11-2015, 06:30 AM
Alot of people use it in their fishtanks and filters and its generally safe. It has great surface area for biological filtration sites.Downsides are it may leach minerals and heavy metals into the tank over time. A good water change schedule should minimize that.

You can test if the rock will have an effect on pH by taking a piece of the filter material rinse it off very well to remove organics and then place it in some vinegar. If it bubbles or fizzes..it probably will raise your pH or buffer it.

Hth,
al

nc0gnet0
03-11-2015, 07:55 AM
https://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/filter-media/biological/lav_5L

jmf3460
03-11-2015, 08:46 AM
if you don't get the bubbles from the vinegar try using the nitrate #2 bottle (it may be the #1 I cant remember) sometimes vinegar isn't a strong enough acid to show the bubbles. I like lava rock for my shrimp tanks bc it puts minerals in the water that they need for their exoskeletons and for molting purposes but in my discus tank I would not want the extra hardness associated with what it may leak. now if you are doing daily wc's I doubt your gh would even show an increase but who knows. If you like the look of lava rock, google Malaysian driftwood, its similar in appearance and would add good stuff to your water not hardness.

FMA4ME
03-11-2015, 01:28 PM
Hi guys and gal! Thanks for the quick responses! :D
Ok, so it sounds like there is a possibility of lava rock leaching things into the water which bothers me. Would cintered glass be a better option?

brewmaster15
03-11-2015, 02:09 PM
I use sintered glass or ceramic noodles on alot of my aquaclear 500s .... Its a good porous inert material that makes excellent biological substrate. .. honestly though...sponges work great as well and are cheaper...i use those as well.

Hth,
al

FMA4ME
03-11-2015, 04:10 PM
Thanks Al! I should've mentioned how I'm using it this media.
Last weekend I set up a 40 gallon for my first Discus, which I will bring home this coming Saturday. I'm using a brand new AC110 and a brand new sponge filter. Right off the bat I wasn't too thrilled with how loud the sponge filter was. So I added a sports bottle of the lava rock (sponge blows through the bottle) to 1st diffuse/muffle the poppiness, AND hopefully get a nice bb colony. Well there is some little movement between the rocks and I think this will only accelerate the dissolving of said metals and other materials into my water. I got lava rock because it's cheap, and wondered about cintered glass coming apart under the same conditions. I think sponges will hinder flow in this application. But K1 could work better, making it a real moving bed filter, but again #1 is sound control, so I'm not sure how K1 will do there, what do you think ? Thanks Al!

brewmaster15
03-11-2015, 04:33 PM
Thats odd, I have used many aquaclear 500/11Os and never noticed the sponges being " loud. " They used to sell them with the ceramic noodles in the box... something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Clear-A1374-Aquaclear-110-Gallon/dp/B000A7BCGO/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=1K6BW1HAHPB5HXG9EES9

That filters flow is adjustable by sliding the intake tube to the side. One thing that will make the filter noisy is if its sucking air. Make sure those tubes are all snug..
The media bag I linked to would probably work better for you in this application,..better flow... Conversely a good old nylon stocking works well also.


hth,
al

FMA4ME
03-11-2015, 04:43 PM
Lol, no Al. I'm talking about my air pump driven sponge filter. Although my ac110 is quiet, it's not as quiet as my canisters :( But yeah, the sound I'm talking about was the air leaving the sponge filter.

Mad357
04-14-2015, 11:28 PM
Hi all, I have a 20 gallon sump on a 55 bb with 9 discus and I use lava rock as medium & working fine so far. Water parameters haven't changed, doing 15 to 25% wc daily. I used because it's cheap but like al said sponges are pretty cheap too & work very well & a lot easier to clean if needed. Mike d