Pumice & Lava Rocks As Canister Media !!!

[sharis]

Hey Guys .... Need little help here , Please suggest me ,Can I use Lava Rocks & Pumice stones as my Canister Media , are those Ok or good or great :D , & Most importantly will not harm the Fishes ( Off course If those are not containing Harm full things ) , Please let me know guys . Thanks

P.S.: are those media okay for Planted tank too

[Paul Sabucchi]

I know of plenty of people who use pumice or lava rock, also Seachem Matrix is pretty much like pumice (although they say it is "special"). Man made materials such as syntherized ceramic or glass in theory are better as they have a greater surface/volume ratio and allow bacteria to colonize the full thickness of the media. I am convinced that these materials exceed the requirements of your average tank. On the other hand I think that the dedicated materials have the advantage of guaranteed safety for the fish so I tend to stick with those, saving a few bucks on media does not seem worth the risk of possible contaminants

[pitdogg2]

Agree with the above. I've been real happy with both Seachem matrix and sintered glass rings.
The pumice i tried years ago was a pain since it floated.

[Filip]

Lava rock is widely used and considered safe for use although it rates poorly in surface area per square inch/cm compared to commercial sintered glass rings .
I haven't read first hand experiences on using pumice but quick search on on it gave me some doubts because I found that it may contain silicates and may raise PH .

I use LECA clay balls in my canisterb as an addition to my Seachem Matrix , Fluval rings and Sera Siporax materials and although not rated as efficient as comercial biomaterials I can at least confirm that they are chemically inert and safe to use with my discus .

[Tuterosso]

i use for long time pumice, cost me 2$ for 1L

[Filip]

i use for long time pumice, cost me 2$ for 1L

Do they raise or alter the pH of the water ?

[Tuterosso]

lava and pumice they no change ph