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I wanna find some nice rocks for my 55 gallon zebra pleco tank. I am trying to find some big rocks with some caves or hiding spaces in them, but am having no luck. Everything that I find just has holes all the way through it and is not near big enough.

Where would everyone go to get such rocks?

Thanks
Dustin

Your backyard?

Okay on a serious note...

The LFS I work at- we have a HUGE shelf of nothing but rocks. They're sold by the pound usually, and aren't too expensive. And we have just about every rock in every color you could imagine.

I'd try a couple of family owned fish stores, rather than chains, as they don't tend to have a big selection of natural aquarium decor.

You could prolly get creative and try some sort of craft/DIY/hardware store too, just be sure that whatever you put in your tank is aquarium safe.

I'd hate to see you lose your zebras, as they are such precious and beatiful, and pricey fish.

G/L...HTH


[hr width='40%'][font color="#000080"]"I know that you are something special, To you I'd be always faithful
I want to be what you always needed, Then I hope you'll see the heart in me"[/font]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

I live in an appartment, so I have no backyard

I have hit up every LFS in my area and it seems that no one in the fort wayne area (indiana for those who are in warmer climates ) and all anyone sells are little rocks and ones with huge holes all the way through them. I have seen some nice rocks, but not many with good hiding spaces.

I'll check some garden shops in the area.

go out to any local river, stream or lake and see what you can find. it's pretty easy to make them "aquarium-safe". just make sure they pass the vinegar test. pour a small amount of vinegar on the rock and if the vinegar boils then don't use it. these types of rocks will leach calcium into the tank which will raise the ph. this would be fine for some fish but definitely not for zebra plecs.

to make the rocks safe, simply take some type of wire brush and scrub the rocks thoroughly under warm running water. after you're finished scrubbing them either boil them or bake them at 400 F for an hour.

yea, Jason pretty much said it all, and another thing u can do is soak them in bleach, that works, i also kinda find it ammusing that u have $200-300 fish yet u live in an apartment, u can also usually order rocks offline pretty cheap, and get somenice rocks like Texas Holy Rock, (that's best for africans though)
(if you ever breed your plecos {which i strongly advise} please tell us, you'll be sure to find some buyers here )

Daka<<<<

You can create a cave by half burying a clay flower pot in your substrate. Disguise the flowerpot by camoflaging it with your indigenous rocks.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I have been searching the web for rocks I feel look nice enough, but I hesitate to order simply for the cost of shipping.

And yes I do intend to breed them, and no I do not have any yet. Trust me, once I do get the breeding down to a science I will be posting adds everywhere

I also intend on starting to make my own stands out of solid oak if anyone is interested in one --- lmao ---

thanks all
Dustin

good luck with breeding them. I know a man (Phil Benes--President of the ACA) who has been trying for like 4 years or more to get his colony of zebras to spawn and they just won't. He's tried everything from raising and lowering ph, adjusting the temp, adjusting the current in the tank as well as many other tricks to try and trigger spawning and so far nothing has worked. I'd also note this man has bred many species of cichlids, rainbows, catfish and at least a couple other species of plecos so he is a very experienced breeder.

My intention was not to rain on your parade so to speak, just beware that breeding them won't be easy.

BANDAID SOLUTION;
I know you want a natural look but; You can use some clean new small terracotta pots in the meantime. Cheap and will be enclosed. They stack and can be placed behind the more natural rocks that you already have (if you don't like the look of them)

Flat rocks stacked against eachother or the tank wall can still provide cover.

Good luck with your setup.


Last edited by wish-ga at 17-Feb-2005 21:21

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Go to local Landscaping Places that sell rocks, dirt, and other landscaping stuff. Save you a ton of money and depending on the place will usually have a large selection.

Great tip!


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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~