can baserock be used in freshwater?

Discussion in 'Live Rock' started by grinder37, Apr 14, 2010.

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  1. grinder37

    grinder37 Whip-Lash Squid

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    i have a few peices of leftover base rock that i'm wanting to put in my freshwater community tank,but don't know if it will throw my ph off or any other bad effects.I,m trying to redo the decor and make it look a little more reefy.:confused:
     
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  3. grinder37

    grinder37 Whip-Lash Squid

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  4. Peredhil

    Peredhil Giant Squid

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    i wouldn't think it's a problem
     
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  5. WhiskyTango

    WhiskyTango Eyelash Blennie

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    I have no idea, but from what I understand of freshwater setups, the lower ph might dissolve the rock or the rock would keep the ph up. So based on that I wouldn't add base rock unless someone here on 3reef knows otherwise and gives you the lowdown.
     
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  6. Rawdogz

    Rawdogz Torch Coral

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    you shouldnt have a problem
     
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  7. bje

    bje Long-fin Bannerfish

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    depends on what the baserock is and where it came from.

    i have "baserock" in my cichlid tank, but its not the same "baserock" as whats in my saltwater tank. in my case I could use aragonite baserock in my cichlid tank because the PH needs to be higher.

    i had a smaller tank back in the day that i had put fiji rock in. it was fine. kept the PH up though.

    the current baserock i use for all freshwater applications is "texas holey rock". i like how easy it is to cut and crack to your liking. its very porous for a freshwater rock, and the way algae seems to grow on it makes an almost marble looking effect. i can take a pic of one of my cichlid setups if you wish to see texas holey rock in action.
     
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  9. bje

    bje Long-fin Bannerfish

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    id suggest you clean it really really well if it was 'used' in another application....(search for nuking rock) take a bucket of dechlorinated fresh water and measure its PH. lets say for sake of example the ph is 7.0. throw in the piece of rock into the water and wait an hour and retest the ph. if the ph has risen >7.0 you'll know it'll spike the ph if you use alot of that rock in your water.

    I have a small chunk of texas holey rock in a freshwater tank that has a PH of 6.8. I have another freshwater cichlid tank with the same texas holey rock at a PH of 8.0 for my cichlids. The rock works great in both applications and was very cheap to purchase.

    Hope that helps
     
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  10. grinder37

    grinder37 Whip-Lash Squid

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    Kinda mixed reveiws, i really appreciate all of your input.But since half of you say it shouldn't hurt,i'll try it and monitor the ph,i do need to clean and soak the rock as well, it has been in saltwater before, and let sit outside for a few days.The tank is an established 29 gallon with just a bunch of tetras,platys,etc.But it's in the same room as my 20 gal reef,and when i look at all the fake plants and plastic decor,it about makes me sick!! lol ! I want it to look way more natural,I even bought some of those walmart plant bulbs,to see if they really grow(i do have a powerglo coral bulb in the fixture,and algea seems to grow really well!!)With some real plants and a rock formation,should really improve the apperence of the tank. K+ to everyone :cheesy: ps-worst case senerio,if my ph does jump,i'll probably just trade in the fish at lfs and get some higher ph fish,mabey chiclids and a green puffer or some type of brackish fish.;)
     
  11. bje

    bje Long-fin Bannerfish

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    cichlids are messy compared to any other freshwater fish ive owned. just consider your filtration if you do choose to go higher ph...

    i know exactly what you mean about the difference in aesthetic appearance between the salt and fresh tanks. my cichlid tank is a peninsula right next to my inwall saltwater tank and im slowly changing the look/feel of the cichlid tank to be more natural. i have at this point removed all fake plants, etc. just have the rock and fish in there at this time. need to get more real plants like i had before and get the lighting a little 'bluer' so its not so night/day when looking at my tanks
     
  12. grinder37

    grinder37 Whip-Lash Squid

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    Bingo,that's exactly what i'm trying to do,my tanks are 4 ft apart from each other,and when someone checks out the reef,there so fascinated that they look it over for half an hour,then i show 'em the OTHER tank,they go mmmmhhmmm......:-/ But i'm gonna change that,also have a creek 100 yards from the house that i'm gonna get a bucket full of rock there and boil/clean and add to it as well.