Lava Rocks for Aquarium

Lava Rocks for Aquarium

Buy lava rocks on Amazon (paid link):

https://amzn.to/4cO8zYu

I got a 6 pounds bag of char-broil lava rocks to use in my aquariums. 

Char-broil lava rocks cost a fraction of the same lava rocks sold for aquariums. 

Char-broil lava rocks are usually smaller in size than lava rocks for aquariums. 

Size and price are the only differences.

 Wash lava rocks clean under running water.

 I put all the lava rocks in plastic containers filled with tap water. 

And quarantine it for about a week or so under supervision of my trusted guard dog.

 A week late on January 8th, 2024. 

The water is clear - all looks good.

 Let's pull all rocks out of water. 

Lava rocks are porous and relatively soft.

 We can drill holes in lava rocks using a hand drill.

 I am going to use a power drill to go faster through that many rocks. 

Make as many holes in each rock as you want. 

Use drill bits of desirable sizes. 

Also notice that soaking lava rocks in water helps to keep the drill bit from getting overheated.

 I make holes large enough to fit in wire wrapped in silicon tubing. 

This way I can connect lava rocks to make sculptures of any desirable shapes. 

Let's wash lava rocks again under running water to remove all the dust from drilling. 

I did not drill holes in small rocks. 

Though, I drilled one or more holes in larger rocks. 

There are enough lava rocks in the 6 pound bag to cover 2 square feet of surface in my aquariums :)

 I've been using gravel in my aquariums for many years and I like it.

The porous surface and irregular shape of lava rocks provide an even greater surface for bacteria and tiny critters. 

Lava rocks could serve really well as anchors for plants and for making hidden spots for fish to rest.

 I am going to use small lava rocks without holes to cover gravel in this 3 liter aquarium garden. 

Lava rocks provide surface and cover for scuds to hide from fish. 

We can pull fishing lines through holes in lava rocks to attach plants. 

I am going to use wire wrapped in silicon tubing to connect lava rocks together. 

The same wire and tubing I used for planters and hangers for land platforms in my aquariums.

 Check my previous videos for more details. 

Here I am making a cave-like structure for my 29 gallon tank. 

And we can interlace wires in many different ways. 

This structure is pretty rigid and can be used to support a land part above the water level. 

I made it look like a giant spider or crab :) 

It's sturdy for fish or newts to move around.

 I am going to put this sculpture right in the middle of the tank. 

Here it goes. 

The lava rocks sculpture adds volume and a lot of hidden spots. 

Later I may attach moss or some plants to the lava rocks.

I think the tiny Least Killifish in this 8 liter tank may like to hide in caves of lava rocks. 

First I have to pull out plants.

 I made a chain of lava rocks and shaped it into a ring.

 It's perfect for the least killifish and scuds like it too :)

 I like the color of these lava rocks - it makes a nice background. 

It looks like one giant cave with many hidden spots between rocks. 

And the rest of the lava rocks I use to cover the bottom of this small tank. 

I am going to talk about this particular aquarium in future videos.

 So, I used a 6 pound bag of char-broil lava rocks in four aquariums. 

Take a look.

 I used the large lava rocks to make two very large cave-like sculptures.

 And I used the small lava rocks, that makes about a half of the bag, to cover the bottom of two small tanks. 

Let me show you one more time all four aquariums with lava rocks. 

Price-wise it is much cheaper to buy char-broil lava rocks than lava rocks for aquariums. 

And your imagination is the only limit to what aquascape you can do :) 

Have fun and happy aquariums :)