# Seiryu Stone



## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

wakewalking said:


> Is there any place other than ada to get seiryu stone in the us? My geology isn't expert, I am wondering if this type of stone is indigenous to any area in the us?


search SNS for the user "boink". he usually has a bunch for sale.

you may find similar stones in and near rivers, but i doubt you'll find anything that looks just like it...

http://www.socalaquascapers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4489


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

xmas_one said:


> search SNS for the user "boink". he usually has a bunch for sale.
> 
> you may find similar stones in and near rivers, but i doubt you'll find anything that looks just like it...
> 
> http://www.socalaquascapers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4489


thank you.


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## pwninkev (May 10, 2009)

yes boink has boxes of them for sale around 3.50 per lb


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## NanoDan (Oct 11, 2008)

go down to your local landscape nursey rock yard and look at China rock. It is nice looking rock and only cost ya 50 to 60 Cents/lb at most. I got a few pieces and they didnt charge me anything for it.


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## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

I'd have to throw in a personal recommendation for Boink. He has a thread listed over here on the SnS. I received a package from him this past weekend, and I'm impressed. Good quality stone, package nicely, and good communication throughout the ordering process.

Also, there is the benefit of getting to see exactly what you are going to be buying before you actually buy it.


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

I'm probably going to purchase some seiryu but I went down to a local stone distributor and picked up some dark black bed rock. Looks great against the hc and was too cheap. I'll keep an eye on the ph though. They probably would have given it to me for free, but I gave the guy 5 dollars for about 50 lbs. He wanted to give me change, I think they sell by the ton for $65. Also had some great round river rocks for a 180 I'm planning, they were labeled delaware or hudson stones. In any case like NanoDan said definitely check out local landscaping places before going the expensive route.


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## hoa101 (Aug 31, 2009)

I don't get how you guys convince landscape supply and stone distributors to sell you a couple rocks. I must have tried 6 places, and every single one said that would not sell me less than 1/2 to 1 cubic yard, because it wasn't even worth their time to deal with me. Jerks.

Oh, and I noticed that in bags of small Delaware stone I bought, a decent percentage of it was calcium carbonate-based stone. So watch out for that... I dropped some in a bucket with white vinegar for a few hours, and when I came back I saw tiny bubbles all over the place. Also, some of them can be scratched with a really tough fingernail. Try to find granite or basalt ones that are able to scratch glass.


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

hoa101 said:


> I don't get how you guys convince landscape supply and stone distributors to sell you a couple rocks. I must have tried 6 places, and every single one said that would not sell me less than 1/2 to 1 cubic yard, because it wasn't even worth their time to deal with me. Jerks.
> 
> Oh, and I noticed that in bags of small Delaware stone I bought, a decent percentage of it was calcium carbonate-based stone. So watch out for that... I dropped some in a bucket with white vinegar for a few hours, and when I came back I saw tiny bubbles all over the place. Also, some of them can be scratched with a really tough fingernail. Try to find granite or basalt ones that are able to scratch glass.


Don't ask me, I guess you just have to look poor . Dude was just a nice guy and I tried to take up as little of his time as possible. Now to drop some acid on these.


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## Dan the Man (Sep 8, 2009)

I've found nothing at my local landscape dealers that remotely resembles the character of ADA rock. I've seen some guys go rock hunting and find some good specimens but after three landscaping companies and a rock quarry I think I'm through with that. Glad you have had a different experience though.


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## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

That is the same experience I had with looking at local landscapers and rock yards. Most everything I found was either too holey for my liking, like lace rock, or simply too flat, like slate.

Well I suppose that it isn't that I don't like lace rock, I can, but only in certain shades.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

hoa101 said:


> I don't get how you guys convince landscape supply and stone distributors to sell you a couple rocks. I must have tried 6 places, and every single one said that would not sell me less than 1/2 to 1 cubic yard, because it wasn't even worth their time to deal with me. Jerks.


Is it possible you hit six wholesale to the trade landscape suppliers?
If six places all wouldn't deal with you I'll suggest you went in during a busy time of day and they felt annoyed, or it's you. 

I go in on the off season for chat time. 
For rocks and gravel, I recommend you try Tuesday through Thursday around 10:00 AM or 1:30 PM. If the weather is at all cool, a box of donuts and a half gallon of cider will probably get you a guided tour and help filling your five gallon bucket. 

Good luck.


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

yeah I would suggest trying to go when its raining.

what I got was some delaware and basically black rip rap with white creasing, but there were hundreds to choose from. Iwagumi purests would definitely look down on these stones but that amount of ada stone plus shipping would cost me $300+, instead of just 5 dollars. I think a successful aquascape just gets matching stones in an interesting, peaceful, and deceiving arrangement. Apache and Arizona stone also looks nice.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

As much as i love seiryu stones, everyone else loves them too so you see em in many aquascapes and thus they become trite.

Go off the beaten path... Some of the BEST stones I've seen are at country roads at exposed rocky outcrops. I'm too afraid to get any though because they are right on the road and it looks like they could fall if I touched them.

The rocks in my tank look like marine live rock, and i thought they were really weathered chunksn concrete that aquired a brown color somehow but whe tested they don't dissolve or affect water. When breaking them to make them smaller and keep the good part, little crystals are inside and the rock on the inside is several different colors!

I have never seen good aquarium rocks at rock apply places. All I see is boulders, slate, and other rocks that are more or less flat and made for pathways, fireplaces walls, etc.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

as for the rock places saying you arn't worth the time of day, simply show up and start looking at the types of rocks they have. in the end when they ask how much you need. Say "oh just these couple" or what ever you found.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

Yeah it's easier to get them to do what you want when you are there in front of them... For example some people won't fill your co2 tank if you call but if you just show up, they'll probably do it.


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

bigboij said:


> as for the rock places saying you arn't worth the time of day, simply show up and start looking at the types of rocks they have. in the end when they ask how much you need. Say "oh just these couple" or what ever you found.


lol yeah thats pretty much what I did, less questions=less time. Use some aggression and man up, jk. While picking out the rocks some of their crew were asking me where equipment was. I guess once you have worked landscaping the aura of it never goes away. lol

I love how I have so much stone I have to buy more substrate. I am just hoping the hc will grow at the heavy angles I created with the stone to create near rock walls. Some of the angles must be 75 degrees, anyone have any luck with this?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

hoa101 said:


> I must have tried 6 places, and every single one said that would not sell me less than 1/2 to 1 cubic yard, because it wasn't even worth their time to deal with me. Jerks.


 Tell them you'll pay for a 1/2 cubic yard (which isn't all that much anyways) and take only what you want - there's no reason they should say no to that, and it's still not more than a few dollars.


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## NanoDan (Oct 11, 2008)

*Landscaping Supply rock*

Here is some rock I got at landscape rock yard called China rock. Looks real nice in tank.


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

^^^ that's some nice rock, nanodan!

fiss test?


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

NanoDan said:


> Here is some rock I got at landscape rock yard called China rock. Looks real nice in tank.


+rep, almost exactly like seiryu


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## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

Looks very nice.

Anticipating the fizz test myself here.

You can never have enough hardscaping materials.


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## Dan the Man (Sep 8, 2009)

I've been searching for "china rock" all over charleston online. Haven't seen it at any landscaper...but I've heard it's a great rock for scaping as evidenced by your specimen.


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## NanoDan (Oct 11, 2008)

I did the fizz test with white vinegar and it passed that. I has'nt changed my ph or water hardness any. It is a extremely hard rock, can't hardly break it into pieces without big hammer lol.


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