any ideas??

Just got a 55 gallon setup off craigs(kinda pissed me off,the heater,on it's lowest setting is stuck at 85 deg.,plus the tank had been resealed and was pretty sloppy at that.We met halfway on a trade so i didn't see it before and they didn't bother to tell me.)But i need some ideas on what to do with it.Another reef is out at the moment,just can't afford it,so budget is a big thing with this one.It came with 5 large cichlids which i could take or leave.I may be thinking fowler aggresive,but the question i have is-I have a creek that i get driftwood and rocks from,the rock is limestone based as we live ontop of a large active limestone mine and i have used it for aquascaping in my freshwater tanks for years with no leaching problems.Can i use this same stone for a simplified fowler tank?All i really want is a trigger or 2 and cuc that compatible with triggers along with the rockscaping or would this be a bad idea?

 

If you didn't have a problem in freshwater tanks you will probably not have a problem in a saltwater tank. Probably won't look as authentic as liverock. Google limestone and saltwater and see what you find. Limestone might pull pH down a bit.

 

I have no idea what you're talking about with regard to limestone.

"Limestone" proper is coral skeleton, usually compressed. The base rock everyone uses is limestone. The aragonite sand everyone uses is crushed limestone. The aquacultured rock some people sell is limestone thrown into the ocean then fished back out.

All these things are primarily calcium carbonate, with some trace elements, potentially phosphate and nitrate as harmful traces, and magnesium or strontium as helpful traces. That's the only thing I'd even be remotely concerned about when taking limestone from an area with unknown composition.

 

Well that's what i'm wondering,i'm aware baserock is limestone,so it shouldn't hurt anything then i take it?

 

It'll do whatever it has done before in your other tank chemically, whether the tank was fresh or saltwater. Since that tank is good, I'd guess that this one will be too. The only thing I would check is copper, and I'd make sure not to get pieces that are from the surface, but at least an inch deep so you don't get any organics or nitrate from the runoff.

 

Thanks,thats what i was thinking,cool i'm just looking for a cheap(well.. free..)alternative.If i had any intensions of going reef i wouldn't use it.But with wanting to keep it very simple,it's not bad looking rock,it's not baserock looking,but it's not river bisquit looking either.I have also tested for copper in my fresh tanks and never had any as that was a concern when i first started using it.

 

Other than that, did you have any problems with phosphate or nitrate leeching?

 

I did some quick research on the limestone in your area, since you have your location set as public.

I think you hit the jackpot when it comes to the question "What limestone should I pick to live with in my backyard for the purposes of reefing?". If I'm right about your location, it seems you have Maxville limestone; there's a map on the next page that you can look at to check that my location estimate for you was correct. The primary traces found in that limestone are magnesium carbonate - perfect for a reef tank. It's relatively pure compared to some other limestones, too, so less of the random traces and more calcium carbonate.

That being said, I'm setting up a second tank and need a small amount of rock for it. Would you be willing to ship some to Jersey for my 14 Gallon BioCube?

 

If so,it's been very minute as i always have nitrates and phos in my tanks ;D,but very low levels.But on the other hand i always have small amounts in my 20 gal reef(which has none of said rock)just regular live rock.So mabey that could even be my water sorce,the machine at wally world.

 

Read the post right above this one!