The Hidden Benefits of Lava Rock
Lava Rock which is formed from the intense heat of volcanos has many hidden benefits for the aquarium that many hobbyists are not even aware of. This blog post on The Hidden Benefits of Lava Rock will give an insight into how this rock really does help.
What are the benefits?
It's is perfect for providing the ideal living environment for your aquarium because it has beneficial denitrifying bacteria. This bacteria will improve your water quality by reproducing and then removing nitrates.
How does it work?
You only have to inspect the rock and you can see it is covered in tiny holes making it extremely porous allowing water to pass through and diffuse into the rock. So what does The Hidden Benefits of Lava Rock really mean? An anaerobic environment is created inside the rock as beneficial nitrifying bacteria consume all the oxygen in the water. Within this anaerobic environment inside the rock, denitrifying bacteria consume the nitrate and produce oxygen and nitrogen. We all know how nitrate in the aquarium is bad news for fish and shrimp so Lava Rock really is the most natural and best way of removing nitrate.
What do I do with it?
Lava is an attractive rock in its own right so not only is it beneficial, it is also ornamental too. They look very natural and stack very well indeed. Some people comment that it is like as if the rock has glue on it as it stacks together so well. It is so versatile and you can really have some fun playing around with different pieces and creating various shapes and constructions. It is popular for creating a cave effect (see picture below) making it a perfect refuge for certain fish and shrimp. Shrimp love to forage on Lava Rock in search of bits of food that may have fallen into the holes. Shrimp also like to have a safe place to hide when they moult so creating them a cave with small pieces would be ideal for them. It really is true The Hidden Benefits of Lava Rock!
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26 comments
I have both lava rock and snails in all my tanks with no problems. I think the rough edges are overrated. I have had more problems with normal rock having rough edges. Besides the edges on lava rock are very easy to smooth if needed but I usually don’t bother…I have had to smooth out some edges on other rocks that I placed in the tank though.
You can buy it pretty much anywhere. Landscaping/hardware stores (or their websites) tend to have the best prices especially if buying in bulk. It is pretty much my favorite substrate because it is the most trouble free in the long run as it provides biological filtration naturally regardless whether you have a filter or not…although it does take a bit of an adjustment if used to sand or even gravel and it tends to need the most cleaning in the beginning as those pores hold a lot of dirt…
While some lava rock can have rough edges they are rarely if ever sharp, bettas are usually fine with lava rocks. If need be, you could always smooth the edges out…it is very easy to do. You could do it with just a scrub sponge.
No, lava rock does not supply additional nutrients to plants, however because of their porosity, they will supply water and nutrients in the water column to plants that get their nutrients from the water column when the plants are rooted in the lava rock.
I use horticultural lava rock in my biological filters. I also use large aquarium grade lava rock pieces as growth medium for live plants that prefer to grow on surfaces rather than in substrate - Bolbitis, Java Fern, Anubias are my primaries.
One this to beware of when purchasing lava rock is to make sure it is either aquarium grade or horticultural grade because they are completely innert. Stay away from lava rock for BBQ & fire pit applications because they have a chemical coating on them which can poison your aquarium inhabitants.
Also note that crushed lava rock isn’t good for many aquarium fish as a substrate…. Corydoras catfish end up with life-threatening mouth damage, foraging fish like Goldfish can end up with not just mouth damage but actually chocking as the rough rocks get stuck in their mouths, inquisitive fish with fancy or fragile fins like Bettas can end up with tears in their fins which open them up to life-threatening infections. Snails can be hurt by the rough surface as well — I notice my cleaning crew of snails generally avoid the roughest of the lava rocks. So keep your aquarium residents foremost in mind, not aesthetics when considering the use of lava rocks.