New set up - is lava rock 100% necessary?

[GrizzlyOscar]

Hello there everyone! I am brand new here and just setting up my own opae ula tank. I bought a small 2 gallon off Amazon and got it all nice and decorated and cycling now. One question I have though, is the classic red/black lava rock 100% necessary? My LFS had these really nice-looking white CaribSea rocks that reminded me of coral so I got some. I think they're called CaribSea base rocks. I've attached a picture of the current tank. If I need some actual lava rock, I can definitely just take some of this out and throw some in there but I really like the look of this stuff.

[BaBa]

The advantage of lava rock is, it’s adding a lot of surface area for biofilm to develop. In my opinion, the base Rock you have in your tank will serve the same purpose, so you should be good. Just be patient and let the tank mature before adding shrimps. Good luck

[NeptuneDreamer23]

The base rocks look great! I think they're a great alternative to lava rocks, and I love the natural look they give to your tank.