Importance of Lava Rock

[Flippers]

Hi friends! I read that shrimp enjoy lava rock and while I'm not sure that this actually improves their chances of breeding, I want my shrimp to be as happy as possible. If you read my previous threads, you saw that my tank contained a large dark piece of lava rock and three smaller, lighter, pieces. I have since swapped my dark piece with a lighter piece from an already established freshwater tank. This is both to enhance the appearance of my tank (the black and red were heavily in contrast), and because the "new" piece has more holes.

What are your opinions on lava rock & shrimp? Do they really prefer more holes? I want to mimic their natural environment as best as possible...
I've attached a picture, please let me know what you think! Thank you.

[Super Jess]

More holes = greater surface area for beneficial bacteria and algae growth. My shrimp seem to enjoy them.

[Flippers]

More holes = greater surface area for beneficial bacteria and algae growth. My shrimp seem to enjoy them.

Great, thanks! It seems that I made the right decision to switch, then

[Aennedry]

The way how I look at it is, lava rock is what they know. It is home to them. I use black lava rock in my tank, they stand out well against it, and the anchialine pools they originally came from are lined with the stuff. Which makes sense considering how the Hawaiian Islands were formed. And it looks good too. A rugged natural look.
=^._.^=

[Flippers]

The way how I look at it is, lava rock is what they know. It is home to them. I use black lava rock in my tank, they stand out well against it, and the anchialine pools they originally came from are lined with the stuff. Which makes sense considering how the Hawaiian Islands were formed. And it looks good too. A rugged natural look.
=^._.^=

They have some lovely lava rock in there now, they are very happy shrimpies!

[DavidZ]

Hi,
I am a complete newbie at this, but from what I can tell, besides being part of their natural environment, lava rocks are extremely beneficial because they have a very large surface area, which allows for more bacteria/algae growth.
Plus, in my opinion, they look super cool!

[DavidZ]

Hi,
I am a complete newbie at this, but from what I can tell, besides being part of their natural environment, lava rocks are extremely beneficial because they have a very large surface area, which allows for more bacteria/algae growth.
Plus, in my opinion, they look super cool!

I Just realized your question has been answered identically by 2 others, so sorry for that lol.

[SGTSHEW]

I used the Carib Sea South Sea Base Rock because it came perfect sizes with lots of holes. I'm using lava on my next one just because of the color scheme I am using but I have been extremely pleased with the Base Rock.

[Flippers]

Hi,
I am a complete newbie at this, but from what I can tell, besides being part of their natural environment, lava rocks are extremely beneficial because they have a very large surface area, which allows for more bacteria/algae growth.
Plus, in my opinion, they look super cool!

I Just realized your question has been answered identically by 2 others, so sorry for that lol.

No worries!!

[Flippers]

I used the Carib Sea South Sea Base Rock because it came perfect sizes with lots of holes. I'm using lava on my next one just because of the color scheme I am using but I have been extremely pleased with the Base Rock.

My shrimpies are loving the many holes in their rock. They enjoy playing "hide and seek".

[Mustafa]

Actually, lava rocks have no importance at all in Supershrimp tanks. They just serve a decorative purpose if you choose to use them.

[allisonnorberg]

Where could I get lava rocks safe for the shrimp?

[planisphaerium]

Where could I get lava rocks safe for the shrimp?

All lava rock are safe for shrimp as far as I know. They should just be cleaned thoroughly depending on where you get them. They don't need to be specifically for aquarium use. I got mine from Amazon (they were meant to be used for grills/barbecues).