Hello everyone. I'm in the process of setting up a nano SW tank (my first attempt at SW BTW) and my plans are to make a "zero" impact reef, so I bought some type of porous rock that I can't ID correctly and I also don't know if it's right for a reef habitat (yeah, my LFSR told me that these rocks are reef safe but I don't completely trust this LFSR).

So, can someone help me out on this one? I'm really worried about the rock leeching unwanted substances.

Oh, and the blue and orange pigments from the macro shot is painting from the spear like tool that I used for breaking the stone, those spots will be removed from the rock with a clean brush.

Hi aquabud,

Bienvenidos :welcome: to TR!

It is hard to tell from the pictures but some of my rock has the pebbled appearance like in the middle of the second picture.

Does the dust/rock dissolve at all in white vinegar?

What did the LFS have the rock labeled as? Can you get them to give you the supplier's name?

Can a strong magnet (old hard drive magnet, rare earth magnet, etc...) on a string pick up any of the dust? Will it "pull" towards any areas on the rock?

Bottom line: I'd quarantine for at least 8 weeks. Don't dose anything, not even buffer, just do big water changes every week or so and test the water regularly (including testing for copper and iron).

I wonder if its man-made rock???

... I'm in the process of setting up a nano SW tank ...

For a nano you don't need very much rock, so it might be worth looking at a product with a proven history of quality like Marco Rocks for just for the "peace of mind" it would give you.
Link: Marco Rocks (http://www.marcorocks.com/)

Bonus: Marco Rocks is also a TR sponser
Link: Talkingreef - Marco Rocks (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/marco-rocks/)

What a nice community, thanks for your time everyone.

Well, another characteristic of it is that when I tried to drill it, once the drill bar got around the center of the rock, the bar got completely screwed up so I highly doubt this is a man made rock.

As for the name of the rock I don't know the translation to English.

OK, so there is a way to know if this rock is adequate for a reef system... test it with white vinegar and magnet, if these tests are OK then I proceed to quarantine it for 8 weeks and test the water, what I need to monitor is PH, ammonia, NH3+, NH2+, iron and copper right? Do I also need to test for phosphates? calcium?... gee I think I better go the safe route and get some reef grade rock like doctorthompson suggests, there are several LFSR that carries reef safe rocks, but like I said earlier, the goal is to make a zero impact reef. But i guess I'll have to bend the "zero" concept part just for the sake of security. what about lava rock?

I've already did the magnet test and guess what? it did capture some rock rubble.

I guess this rock isn't reef safe, is it? here's the evidence:

What is the name of the rock in Spanish? We have several guys here who are latino and maybe one of them would know the English name. That being said, I would not want the metal in my tank. They will leach out. Lava rock is not reef safe. There are too many impurities in it including metals.

What is the name of the rock in Spanish? We have several guys here who are latino and maybe one of them would know the English name. That being said, I would not want the metal in my tank. They will leach out. Lava rock is not reef safe. There are too many impurities in it including metals.

Oh I did not know about that, the name is carriza or something.

*sigh well I guess I'll play it safe and buy reef rock then.

I don't know if any of the latinos hail from Mexico or not. You know how names vary for things from even north to south so it may not be called the same somewhere else. I know that Manny is from DR and cubano is from Cuba and Emora is from Spain. I think it would be safest to buy the reef rock. You can buy mostly dry rock also called base rock and just a bit of live rock to seed the other rock.

I don't know if any of the latinos hail from Mexico or not. You know how names vary for things from even north to south so it may not be called the same somewhere else. I know that Manny is from DR and cubano is from Cuba and Emora is from Spain. I think it would be safest to buy the reef rock. You can buy mostly dry rock also called base rock and just a bit of live rock to seed the other rock.

Dang, You're completely right carmieJo, sometimes it varies from state to state!

Yeah, I'll definitely go the safe route. Buy some base rock and perhaps buy two live rocks, each LR coming from a different geographic location (I'm planing on keeping a stomatopod before I venture to a full reef and i also would like some bio-diversity).

Thanks for the help guys!!

I'd love to see pictures when you get your tank up and running. If you can get a couple of people who keep marine tanks to give you a cup of their sand that will help increase the bio-diversity of your tank.

Hey, thanks for the tip carmieJo.

I'll definitely post pictures, a journal would be nice too!