It is indisputable that, along with plants, stones add relief and decorative content to the aquarium. Properly selected, they are able to improve both the appearance and the inner world of the inhabitants of the aquariums. The stones created by nature of various shapes, colors and sizes, they provide rich soil for all kinds of design options for home aquariums.
What are the stones in the aquarium for and where to get them
In addition to external beauty, for certain types of fish, stones for an aquarium are an indispensable element of the world and ecosystems that contribute to their survival and reproduction. They are also needed to regulate water quality. Having a minimum set of knowledge about aquarium stones will allow you to choose the right stones for the aquarium.
Find stones for aquariums anywhere. In general, this is not such a difficult task, but they will suit you or not, this is perhaps the most difficult question. In the current conditions, you can buy them at a pet store, which is not difficult, but often experienced aquarists ignore this method. An independent search for fillers for the aquarium brings much more positive emotions and allows you to abandon the established stereotypes of design, adding to the design, something different, unusual and unique.
When independently searching for stones for aquariums, it is more advisable to pay attention to the following places:
- sea and river banks;
- quarries for the extraction of building stone, such as marble, granite and their varieties;
- surroundings of volcanoes.
Types of stones for aquariums
For ease of understanding, stones for an aquarium are conventionally divided into two types - artificial and natural origin. Natural stones, in addition, are also divided into several types - of natural origin and processed.
Consider each species individually, as well as their main pros and cons.
Artificial stones for an aquarium can mainly be used to give a complete aesthetic appearance and are made, as a rule, from safe, non-toxic plastics. The external form of such stones is very diverse from ordinary glass pieces of various shapes and colors to stones glowing at night and bizarre rock elements. The price of such stones varies depending on the complexity of manufacture and similarity with natural stones. Despite the safety of the material, as a rule, instructions for the use of artificial stones go according to the rules of handling and their preparation before installation.
Natural processed stones for aquariums are found mainly as ready-made compositions of natural stones in the form of underwater caves, rocks or as a ready-made stone application. As a design element, in addition to processing the stone, its painting and gluing are often found. Despite their external attractiveness, being made of inappropriate materials, such stones in the aquarium can quickly fall apart and harm fish. Treated stones made with high quality will cost accordingly.
Natural stones are the most practical and cheapest material for decorating aquariums. However, not all stones can suit your fish, because some of them can release certain substances into the water that change the level of hardness and alkalinity of the water.
Neutral to water (do not emit any substances in the water) and can be used safely in any aquarium, such stones as:
- granite;
- gneiss;
- gray sandstone (not to be confused with porous white sandstone);
- quartz and quartzite.
Stones from: increase water hardness:
- slate;
- some types of tuff;
- dolomite;
- cockleshells and cockleshells;
- limestone;
- marble.
Stones from: increase water alkalinity:
- tufa of lime;
- limestone;
- porous white sandstone (increases water hardness).
In addition to the above, pebbles are often found on sale. These are natural stones of a round shape, the edges of which are turned with water. They come from completely different materials and as a result are able to have different effects on water.
Lava is also water neutral. Compared to other stones, it is significantly lighter, and its bizarre forms will undoubtedly add originality to the water landscape. However, it is not very popular mainly because of the high cost.
Sea stones look most interesting, however, they can be placed inside only after special treatment.
A separate type of stones for the design of aquariums emit live stones. They are small parts of corals obtained as a result of collection at sea. In most cases, they are suitable only for marine fish, as they are part of the marine ecosystem.
Despite the rather high price, the presence of living stones in the aquarium justifies itself with interest. Being beautiful and safe for the inhabitants of the aquarium, they contain plankton and produce special nutrients. Coral can also be used as a living natural filter for an aquarium, which constantly pumping water through itself will purify it.
When choosing a live stone, it is better to give preference to stones with a developed relief, a large number of pits and cavities. Such specimens will not only look profitable, but also give the fish additional shelter.
How to choose and check the stones before putting them into the aquarium?
You need to choose stones depending on the type of fish living in the aquarium.
Before placing decorations in the aquarium, you must know with absolute certainty what kind of water aquarium fish need. Soft water is mainly suitable for tropical fish. Alkaline water is mainly suitable for marine life. In any case, when buying fish it will be necessary to check with the seller what water it contained.
When selecting stones, it is necessary to adhere to the following generally accepted rules:
- stones should not have a significant effect on water and significantly change the hardness and alkalinity of water contrary to the preferences of fish living in the aquarium;
- it should not crumble and crumble with a slight mechanical impact;
- it should not have pronounced spots (orange or green spots), which are clear signs of the presence of metals. The presence of odor in the stone also indicates the presence of impurities; it is more expedient to use stones of darker tones, since against a light background they will look more advantageous;
- stones should not be very heavy, as they can damage the aquarium when dropped;
- for one aquarium, it is preferable to have stones from the same material.
Regardless of whether a stone was bought or found, it must go through the process of verification and preliminary processing.
To test the stone for suitability, it is recommended that you first rinse it well and clean it with a brush with a hard bristle. After drying, you need to drip on it with acid: acetic, sulfuric or hydrochloric. When a reaction appears in the form of gas bubbles, as well as the appearance of orange and green spots (signs of oxidation of iron and copper), we can conclude that it is unsuitable for an aquarium.
After the tests, the stone is washed again without using soap solutions under running water. The brush removes dirt and traces of the presence of living microorganisms, after which the stones boil for 20-30 minutes or heat up strongly in the oven. Before putting them into the aquarium, they must be cooled.
