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I am hopefully setting up a rift lake biotype full of malawi cichlids and im thinking of placing sandstone in it.
One of my friends said I can't put sandstone in water as it wears away in the current-Is that true?
Also how do they pile the rock so high in the fishtank every atempt I've done ends up under 10 cm 4" high and the gaps only cater for 7cm and smaller fish.(so Frustrating)]:|

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Hmm, I've heard of sand stone breaking apart over time in the aquarium also...

Well, best way to stack up rocks high is to either have TONS of rock and stack it over egg crate or another sheet of plexiglass (to prevent the bottom from cracking), or you silicone it piece by piece (which is reccomended, since if a piece falls, it can easily break the glass).

Sandstone is exactly that...stone made from sand. Which means it would wear away more easily than other types of stone.

As for stacking the rocks. Silicone is really suggested . Not only does it prevent the possiblity of cracked glass but falling rocks have sometimes been known to fall on fish too

^_^[hr width='40%']"There’s an emptiness inside her. And she’d do anything to fill it in.
And though it’s red blood bleeding from her now. It's more like cold blue ice in her heart.
She feels like kicking out all the windows. And setting fire to this life."

I would certainly steer away from Sand Stone as it wears away it could realse a lot of fine particles and could cause filtration and impella problems.

Silicone is often used for this purpose just make sure it is the Aqu safe type. As you are in Aust you can contact Selleys 1300 555 205 to make sure you are getting the correct silicone.


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Keith

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I had sandstone in my tanks for over a year and never had problems with it breaking apart. *shrugs*

Yes, it releases calcium into the water, thus bringing up the KH and the pH of the water, which is why I was using it. Apparently my water figured out what the heck it was doing and I was able to take out the sandstone and have a nice happy, naturely neutral pH without having to spike it with sandstone.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Hi,
Actually the answer to your question depends upon what kind
of sandstone you have. It depends upon what the cement is
that is holding the grains together. Some "sandstones"
are cemented by carbonate material and over time the
carbonate disolves into the water increasing its pH as
it disolves.
In most sandstones the grains are cemented together by
a silica and that will not fall apart in the tank, nor will
it affect the water quality.

Test the sandstone by dripping a couple of drops of acid
on it and see if it fizzes. If it does it is CO2 escaping
and the "cement" is carbonate. The most common acid in
nearly any home is vinegar. Geologists use dilute
Hydrochloric Acid (HCl).

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks everyone,

I tested the sandstone with vinegar first then a drop of hydrochlauric acid and it did not fizz, ( am i using the right acid?)
I will wait a while before I put it in my new tank but for now im just going to use a few rocks from other tanks.

also what type of substate should I use for a rift lake biotype-Thin/thick,White/dark,gravel/coral chips?

and can opal go in the tank to add a bit of colour?

Also is their any aglae eating fish to place as suckermouth catfish prefer acidic water.

I had sandstone in my tank for a year or so, only a small piece crumbled, and it was on a fracture mark. pH was above 7, so i assume the sandstone may have had something to do with it, but it didn't bother the fish.

I snaffled mine from the Hawkesbury river, where'd you get yours?

And opal is fine In fact, it'd look peachy! I never thought about it! rough opal i'm guessing?

Last edited by Callatya at 03-Oct-2005 03:35

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Hi,
Opal is a form of cristobalite that has submicroscopic pores
that filled with water. It's formula is SiO2.nH2O where the
"n" can range from 2 to 20% water with the average around
2-3%. Immersing opal in water will, over time, dull the
stone and ruin its colors and sheen. Gem quality opals are
always kept in an oil solution to prevent the gem from
absorbing moisture and dulling.

The waters that are in the rift lakes are very hard because
they absorbe minerals as they percolate up through the
freshly cracked bedrock. Because our tap water is adjusted
to around 7.0 at the water plant, we need to add something
to that water to keep it over 8.0. The easiest way, and
the most faithful to the real thing, is to use a substrate
that constantly leaches into the water and keeps it over
8.0. Many will use crushed limestone, Crushed Dolomite,
or Crushed Oyster Shells. Crushed Coral is also an option
but it is generally a pure white, and is almost completely
CaCO3 with no other "impurities" in it. The prefered would
be Crushed Dolomite, or Crushed Limestone both would contain
other minerals necessary for the fish. Some (a little)
crushed oyster shells scattered along the surface of the
substrate might look neat, but a tank full of the stuff,
IMO, looks ugly.

Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 03-Oct-2005 10:39

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--