I want to set up a small tank for this shimp that simulate the anchialine ponds of Hawaii. Can anyone suggest a black rock that would simulate the lava ponds they live in?
I cant seem to find small lava rock and other fish sites tell me its not good for a tank because it can contain metals and mess with the PH. Is that ok since this is the natural environment?
Garden places seem to only carry the red lava rock and pet places only seem to have the plastic coated stuff.
I want an all black tank. Any suggestions?
Red Volcano Shrimp Habitat (Halocaridina ruba)
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ucanbyteme
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YuccaPatrol
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ucanbyteme
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Relax there. No reason to lash out like that. Nobody is *required* to reply to anybody's posts here. Yucca contributed what he wanted to contribute and that's it. If anyone has an answer to your question, then you will receive a reply. Simple as that.ucanbyteme wrote:I know black lava rock is sold for grills, what are you saying? Is is really safe for aquairums? Dose it contain metal? Do you know of an aquairum source? Will it mess with te PH? Did you read my post?
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YuccaPatrol
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ucanbyteme,
Sorry if my answer frustrated you, but it seemed that you wanted to track down some black lava rock and had difficulty finding it.
Although I do know a lot about these shrimp as I have visited anchialine ponds on the big Island of Hawaii, have studied some of the scientific literature on the subject, and our department has close ties to Dr. Santos's lab at Auburn, I have not personally kept these shrimp nor have I conducted any chemical analyses on black lava rock.
Thus, I could not tell you the metal content of lava rock of unknown origin nor could I tell you how it would alter your tank's pH.
I am not willing to offer answers to questions if I am not certain that my answer is based on my personal experience, published scientific research, or other very reliable source.
This forum is somewhat unique amont hobbyist aquaria forums because it is set up to encourage discussions based on sound knowledge rather than speculative ideas or anecdotal information. Believe me, this is what makes this forum truly outstanding.
That being said, I will offer my best educated guess.
As these shrimp are extremophiles which can survive in an incredibly wide salinity range and other extremes of water conditions, and considering that the anchialine ponds consist of nothing but water and black lava rock, your shrimp should be just fine in a tank filled with the barbecue grill rock.
Although the BBQ rock may come from an unknown geographical location, all lava rock originates in the generally homogenous molten mantle beneath the earth's crust, and black lava from different areas of the world would likely have similar metal content as far as shrimp are concerned. Certainly a geologist would be able to identify and differentiate between different types of black lava rock, but I doubt your shrimp will know the difference.
If I were in your position and was concerned that the BBQ lava rock might be harmful, I would set up the tank without shrimp and do my own testing to assure myself that the lava rock was not creating any unfavorable conditions.
Sorry if my answer frustrated you, but it seemed that you wanted to track down some black lava rock and had difficulty finding it.
Although I do know a lot about these shrimp as I have visited anchialine ponds on the big Island of Hawaii, have studied some of the scientific literature on the subject, and our department has close ties to Dr. Santos's lab at Auburn, I have not personally kept these shrimp nor have I conducted any chemical analyses on black lava rock.
Thus, I could not tell you the metal content of lava rock of unknown origin nor could I tell you how it would alter your tank's pH.
I am not willing to offer answers to questions if I am not certain that my answer is based on my personal experience, published scientific research, or other very reliable source.
This forum is somewhat unique amont hobbyist aquaria forums because it is set up to encourage discussions based on sound knowledge rather than speculative ideas or anecdotal information. Believe me, this is what makes this forum truly outstanding.
That being said, I will offer my best educated guess.
As these shrimp are extremophiles which can survive in an incredibly wide salinity range and other extremes of water conditions, and considering that the anchialine ponds consist of nothing but water and black lava rock, your shrimp should be just fine in a tank filled with the barbecue grill rock.
Although the BBQ rock may come from an unknown geographical location, all lava rock originates in the generally homogenous molten mantle beneath the earth's crust, and black lava from different areas of the world would likely have similar metal content as far as shrimp are concerned. Certainly a geologist would be able to identify and differentiate between different types of black lava rock, but I doubt your shrimp will know the difference.
If I were in your position and was concerned that the BBQ lava rock might be harmful, I would set up the tank without shrimp and do my own testing to assure myself that the lava rock was not creating any unfavorable conditions.
Hello
This is my first post and sorry for my bad English.
But you're right - the shrimp should be just fine with any type of lava rock.
This is my first post and sorry for my bad English.
No, there are many different types of magma/lava, some have a very high amount of heavy metals such as Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb etc. The mantle is very diversified in his stucture and composision. Basic hawaiian lava is very rich in magnesium and iron and poor in SiO2 (silica), whereas BBQ lava is mostly asidic silica-rich with high amount of potassium and natrium.YuccaPatrol wrote:all lava rock originates in the generally homogenous molten mantle beneath the earth's crust, and black lava from different areas of the world would likely have similar metal content
But you're right - the shrimp should be just fine with any type of lava rock.
Last edited by Allex on Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Neonshrimp
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I am setting up a tank and hope to populate it soon with the hawaiian shrimp. I will consider what you and YuccaPatrol wrote to help me finish my tank 
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YuccaPatrol
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ucanbyteme
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Thanks guys, both of you make a lot more sense then my local fish store. They said seomthing like red is bad, black is good? I knew it could not be that simple. It makes sense to me that different parts of the world would have different chemical make ups.
The thing is, when you buy BBQ rock its not intended for consumption so to speak. Who knows where it came from, or if its been treated with chemicals. I found some online garden store that sold small bags and I soaked that stuff several times and trust me it needed it.
I finally got it cycling and notice a plastic smell. As I guessed, my substare was leaching stuff into the water and I had to do a complete teardown and start all over with PVC as a base.
Who would have thought a shrimp tank would be so much work.
The thing is, when you buy BBQ rock its not intended for consumption so to speak. Who knows where it came from, or if its been treated with chemicals. I found some online garden store that sold small bags and I soaked that stuff several times and trust me it needed it.
I finally got it cycling and notice a plastic smell. As I guessed, my substare was leaching stuff into the water and I had to do a complete teardown and start all over with PVC as a base.
Who would have thought a shrimp tank would be so much work.