texas holey rock

cwalters

cwalters

Member
I am in the process of putting a saltwater tank together. I used to have a 110 show tank with 110 lbs of Live rock. but do to moving and no place to put the tank I had to sell it.
Tonight I was at the local pet store and saw Texas Holey Rock. Is that safe to put in Saltwater? All I have ever used before is Coral so I am not sure to buy it or not? I know that it is commonly used in Chiclid tanks but I have never heard of it being used in salt.
Also, The aquarium is being put in a basement after it is finished. The aquarium is set up like a divider between two sections. So I have to filter the aquarium from one side. Without going with a wet/dry trickle type of system, what do you recomend. I plan on using a fluval 404. What else should I use?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Yes, this is (or should be) limestone rock. If you look closely, you will often find pieces with fossil shells in it. Assuming it is new and has not been previously used in a freshwater tank (which may have used copper medications), it should be OK. Give it a good rinse or soak.
This rock is often used as base rock to help build up a structure, which is then "faced" with LR, much like facing brick with marble. As the tank cycles, it will become covered with bacteria, and as the tank ages, other animals may take up shop too.
Get yourself a protein skimmer, which will not be used during cycling, but after.
Filters like Fluvals are not often used on saltwater tanks, but won't hurt. However one 404 would not be sufficient primary filtration for that size tank, IMO. If you use this (it is a good mechanical filter and also good for carbon), be sure to clean out and replace the filter pads often, as well as generally cleaning out the filter often. Improper maintenance on these filters can result in poor water quality. Rinsing the biomedia with old tank water (NEVER tap water) may be useful if debris gets stuck in there, but don't replace the biomedia.
Are you doing a reef tank? If so, your main filtration may be a deep sand bed (DSB) and LR, and lots of it. Even if you are doing a fish only, I would recommend a DSB and LR. If you are doing a predatory tank, I would seriously consider getting yourself a wet/dry filter because the waste produced can overwhelm the system.
What are your reasons for not wanting a trickle filter? Do you not want the overflow, etc? A refugium is also a good means of filtration, but requires overflows and a tank like sump in the stand.
If you haven't purchased them already, you will need some power heads for circulation.
 
cwalters

cwalters

Member
At first It will be fish only but a reef will happen someday (hopefully soon!) The more that I read about filtration, a wet/dry will be in the future.
Thanks for the info on the hirocks website. I plan on ordering some rock tonight!
 
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