Is lava rock ok to use as a base rock

[cobia]

wanting to get some live rock in my tank I already have some nice lava rock pieces in the tank and was wondering if they would work well as a base rock and if coraline would ever start to form on it. all of your thoughts on this would be appriciated

 

[fedukeford]

im pretty sure lava rock is really bad to use, its somehting like theres some chemical in it... mabey copper?

 

[nytrillium]

Depends on the composition, and if you bought it/found it then there is no way to know for sure whats in it( unless it was sold specifically for an aquarium).... There is the possibility for toxic metals or gasses to be trapped in the rock and they can leech into the tank. I wouldnt use it if it was my tank.

 

[cobia]

I bought it at my lfs a couple of years ago its been in my tank since i just didnt know if it would afect and or work well with live rock

 

[happyvac]

I've heard mixed things...some people use it and it seems to work fine, others say it leeches unwanted chemicals into the tank.
IMO it's best to stay away and not risk it just to save a little cash.

 

[cobia]

do you think what I have is safe though because its been in my tank now for two years and i havent had any problems i would think that if it was going to leak any chemicals or had some kind of metal in it I would have noticed some problems by now

 

[nytrillium]

if its been there that long with no problems i wouldnt worry about it.... Its too late now anyway...

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by NYTrillium

if its been there that long with no problems i wouldnt worry about it.... Its too late now anyway...

I agree, I wouldn't worry about it now

 

[forcrz6]

Well from an Experiance that I have had I would not use it. The phisycal comp of the lava rock made it a Magnet for Algey and the algey seemed to prefer the lava rock so I had to get rid of it. Plus on some website Icant remember right now but will look for it. It servers no filtration purpos at all. the color of some is very nice in moon light but othere than that I would have to call it a nucence.

 

[thomas712]

Aragonite - this is very reef safe and calcium based. A good choice.
Tufa- which can be a soft rock that coralline algae can grow rather well on. This rock can have heavy minerals in it which could make it a poor choice, but many have used it with success. Tufa, although may have some minerals(all rock does), is form the sea, beneath the water line. It is form within the reef.
Lava- A few have used this with success as well but it to can have minerals in it making it a poor choice. Lace Rock is volcanic. Lava, is loaded with minerals, and is from below the earths crust. Not sure if there is any substance to these facts, but Magma is of a far different composition, and does generally contain some minerals that we know not to be safe for fish tanks, however, It more than likely also depends on the origin, as any other minerals and metals, it can only contain those which are native to the region(lead here, silver there,and so on, but this also includes beneficial or non-harmful too).
I listed these as a good deal of LFS that I have been to carry these three.
If you use Tufa or Lava set up a bucket with saltwater and test it over a few weeks to see if anything bad leaches out of the rock.
Thomas