# Rocks, Rocks and more Rocks



## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

grey granite should be fine, you'll want to inspect individual pieces for possible rust before using in the tank. 

i see a good bit of reds on the mountain granite so I'd be more leery of it. Although they have a disclaimer on there that say may not represent color or shape blah blah blah


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

kamikazi said:


> grey granite should be fine, you'll want to inspect individual pieces for possible rust before using in the tank.
> 
> i see a good bit of reds on the mountain granite so I'd be more leery of it. Although they have a disclaimer on there that say may not represent color or shape blah blah blah


Hmm... I think they have a HUGE pile of the grey granite over near me. What would be wrong if it had iron in it? Would that do more than provide some iron to the plants?


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

not sure, I just know I've read that you want to stay away from rust, metallics, sandstone, and limestone if you don't want them to alter your water chemistry.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Yea, I figured sanstone and limestone would raise my hardness. Just to be safe, I will stick with grey granite. Now to find some root wood to add to the piece I have lol.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Just drive to Golden and then take 6th avenue into the hills. There are lots of places to stop and literally tons of rock. Most of it is fine to use. It's free and it is fun to do too.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

BruceF said:


> Just drive to Golden and then take 6th avenue into the hills. There are lots of places to stop and literally tons of rock. Most of it is fine to use. It's free and it is fun to do too.


I had thought of doing that, right along the river? Maybe tomorrow I will be doing a bit of a trip lol


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## ZLogic (Aug 7, 2011)

We have a Pioneer Sand out here in Denver, CO. That's where I got this red"slate"


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Yeah by the river and under the cliffs. Just remember to watch out for falling rocks!!


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

ZLogic said:


> We have a Pioneer Sand out here in Denver, CO. That's where I got this red"slate"


lol I am not to far from you then ;p I am just about 15 min. north in northglenn, there is a pioneer just about 1-1.5 miles from me.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

BruceF said:


> Yeah by the river and under the cliffs. Just remember to watch out for falling rocks!!


I am going to make a trip tomorrow I think, I have some time after the cat goes to the vet lol


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

noah what type of rocks or layout are u looking for? smooth granite like boulders or some lace rock to make caves an tunnels? id really tell ya to check out paulino gardens thats where i like to go


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

HypnoticAquatic said:


> noah what type of rocks or layout are u looking for? smooth granite like boulders or some lace rock to make caves an tunnels? id really tell ya to check out paulino gardens thats where i like to go


Something grey, does not have to be smooth, but I love striations within the rock. 

I also have a nice piece of driftwood that is already in the tank that I am going to incorporating into the scape. I am going to have to do this not only on the cheap, but with the fish still in tank, or removed for a minimal amount of time. The current substrate is like the red florite.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

The http://www.thedriftwoodstore.com/ has some nice rocks for a tank that size.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

150EH said:


> The http://www.thedriftwoodstore.com/ has some nice rocks for a tank that size.


Unfortunately, I do not want to pay shipping, and I want to handle the rocks I choose for the tank. not getting an exact feel for the size would drive me crazy. The rocks are awesome though. 

I might be able to find what I want in clear creek, or the south platte though.


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## eser21 (Apr 19, 2011)

im pretty sure grey granite is what i have in my iwagami and it 'greens' quite a lot.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

eser21 said:


> im pretty sure grey granite is what i have in my iwagami and it 'greens' quite a lot.


Greening is quite alright with me, it makes the rocks look more natural.


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## SuperWen (Mar 24, 2011)

Granite and other igneous rock are safe for aquascape. Reddish colour or red crystals in igneous rock are usually Feldspar, not iron


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

So a little red would not hurt then? Since they are created through the same process that creates the granite?


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## SuperWen (Mar 24, 2011)

Noahma said:


> So a little red would not hurt then? Since they are created through the same process that creates the granite?


granite and other igneous rock is formed trough the cooling magma or lava, and this process create minerals and/or crystals.

Iron derived from rock oxidization or weathering, so fresh granite rock will not contain iron


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

SuperWen said:


> granite and other igneous rock is formed trough the cooling magma or lava, and this process create minerals and/or crystals.
> 
> Iron derived from rock oxidization or weathering, so fresh granite rock will not contain iron


Awesome, thanks I am going rock hunting tomorrow, Might stop by paulino gardens too.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

there is a small rock shop down on 44th just west of ward rd about 1-2 miles on the right side had friends get some slate from them to do there tank, norm if there small scraps you can get a discount as they dont really sell well for landscaping ext ext, and remember clearcreek has rattlesnakes i know for sure! show us what u picked out when ur done!


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

HypnoticAquatic said:


> there is a small rock shop down on 44th just west of ward rd about 1-2 miles on the right side had friends get some slate from them to do there tank, norm if there small scraps you can get a discount as they dont really sell well for landscaping ext ext, and remember clearcreek has rattlesnakes i know for sure! show us what u picked out when ur done!


Thanks for the reminder. I HATE rattlers. I think I would be stopping on the edges where pull offs are


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## eser21 (Apr 19, 2011)

on the up side they do green in quite a nice way  just doesnt work in an iwagami as it blends with the HC.



















Wanna play spot the hydra!!!


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

eser21 said:


> on the up side they do green in quite a nice way  just doesnt work in an iwagami as it blends with the HC.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Upper left on the rock!


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, picked out some Granite today from a local landscaping company. I got it for around .08 per lb lol, which seemed to be a great price to me. It is blacker than the grey granite, but I think it looks good. 

I plan on using the larger piece on the right, and its smaller friend just to the left of that. And the two pieces below that, almost in the positions they are set with in the picture. Then the rest I will figure out as I am placing them. In the tank they look a bit pinkish which might go well with my redish substrate. The tank will be done with my current population in tank, using the plants I already have in the tank (until I figure out what I want lol. 

What do y'all think? (born and raised in Colorado, and I managed to use Y'all in a sentence lol)



















My existing driftwood will be worked into the scape on the right side of the tank.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Looks good, I just wish they had more dents and points


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## Carriegiesler (Feb 11, 2012)

Any updates?


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Carriegiesler said:


> Any updates?



Actually not yet lol, today is the rescape day. I am just about to start tearing down the tank to get things going.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Noah i went to the same place when i was getting stuff for my African cichlid tank and I couldn't have been happier. It did take a while to boil all the rocks though. Can't wait to see what the new scape will look like. Are you still going to try for the dutch theme?


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Rockhoe14er said:


> Noah i went to the same place when i was getting stuff for my African cichlid tank and I couldn't have been happier. It did take a while to boil all the rocks though. Can't wait to see what the new scape will look like. Are you still going to try for the dutch theme?


not as much, it will still be pretty heavily planted.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Noahma said:


> not as much, it will still be pretty heavily planted.



Are you keeping the same species you have or are you trying something new.


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## nokturnalkid (Apr 3, 2007)

Good thing this thread got revived, got a Pioneer Sand up the road from me. Was worried about where to get aquascaping stuff around here being new to the area.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah it's an amazing deal the rocks are sooo cheep.


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## Alplily (Jan 1, 2012)

I live in Estes Park, CO and got my beautiful dark gray schist in the Big Thompson Canyon. It has lots of mica in it and some nice texture. Free, and it was fun hunting. Good luck!


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Rockhoe14er said:


> Are you keeping the same species you have or are you trying something new.


Yep, all my initial plants will be the same, I might start swaping out some species for others as I din more that I want. 



nokturnalkid said:


> Good thing this thread got revived, got a Pioneer Sand up the road from me. Was worried about where to get aquascaping stuff around here being new to the area.


This was not a pioneer sand that I got them from, although the one by me in northglenn has a bunch of nice grey granite. I payed about 6 bucks for the rocks lol




Alplily said:


> I live in Estes Park, CO and got my beautiful dark gray schist in the Big Thompson Canyon. It has lots of mica in it and some nice texture. Free, and it was fun hunting. Good luck!


Thanks


The tank is about 1/4 way filled, I hate planting stems dry, so I am going to fill it, plant the stems and reintroduce the fish. The black sand makes the tank look so much better, and is much easier to plant in. I got my root medic order earlier in the week, which is what prompted me to get this show on the road. I will post pics in my build thread here soon.


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## wgreenbay (Jan 13, 2012)

I'm digging the grey granite rocks. Not so into reddish or lighter colored rocks! Too bad it's still winter here and our landscaping stores don't carry much of a selection right now.


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