# Where do y'all get your hardscape?



## Aaronious (Oct 20, 2020)

my yard mostly.

I have waited and found really good deals on things online. usually ebay, just gotta wait. I got some dragon stone(I think), like a $ a pound almost, shipped. It was great. one of the 2 larger pieces did break but at that price I wasn't gonna cry about it. Similar experience with drift wood.

But I get dried out oak from last season or older from my yard, soak that for about two weeks. after week 1 and week 2 I clean the wood and put in fresh water. they always produce something growing out of them. if any continues near the 2 week mark I go longer, this has only happened once though. ended up not using that branch anyway.










there is a plastic rock thing in the middle that has the dragon stone stack on and near it to create little tunnels so to speak. two larger branches on the left, the little one on the right I am still figure out what I want to do or even if I want to. It had plants stuck to it from an older setup, mostly just keeping the plant alive at this point. The largest dragon stone piece is in the back right hiding some CO2 and I put in some water sprite and some moss ended up back there which is perfect cause I want to toss in some shrimp one day.


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## sm1ke (Jun 30, 2016)

For rock, I bought in bulk from a local privately owned shop. 55lb of Seiryu stone for something like $100 CAD. Prior to that I bought Seiryu stone on Amazon at a much higher price per pound, and the stone appeared to be used (aquasoil still on the rock, dried moss clinging inside some crevices, etc.).

See if any of your local stores will let you buy a bulk lot of Dragon stone. If they do, you can pick through it and keep the pieces you like, then sell the remainder here or locally.


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## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

I have purchased rock online, in stores, and gotten it in the wild. I now only get it in the wild. The worst by far is online. You buy something like 20lbs of rock and think "that's a lot of rock!" but when it comes its barely enough to do some basic structure in a nano tank (a small nano tank). Plus you pay shipping for rocks... which is a lot of money compared to what they should cost. 

Next best is buying rocks from landscape supply. I have a landscape supply near me that sells a few rocks of interest including large pieces of lava rock. This is the best retail price for rocks of size. 

Next best is buying rocks from a well equipped fish store. This works to get rocks that look like everyone elses rocks. Meaning you can buy dragonstone or seiryu stone etc. 

The best though is finding them in the wild. Everyone no matter where you are, has rocks somewhere around them. Different states will have different laws on collection. Some won't allow it on public lands without a permit. Getting that permit might be easy or hard. Therefore its best to get them from private land where most people are perfectly pleased (actually typically quite amused) if you ask to go down to their stream or yard and pick up a bunch of big rocks. The challenge here is getting rocks that look like the same type of rock so they look like they belong in the scape. You also get to pick up a variety of sizes so you don't need to say crush a rock with a hammer to get detail stones. 

For wood there are a few options online. One that gets good reviews is the Mananita Dude on facebook. He has a website now: Aquarium wood | Manzanitastore.com


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## BlanketHogg (Feb 17, 2021)

I find my rocks and wood at a small stream and around my town and backyard. my pet stores don’t have great fish stuff, but the streams have nice, old wood


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## evil8 (Aug 7, 2018)

I've gotten rock and driftwood around outside in my area. I found a place on Etsy.com that had some Dragon Stone and when I messaged them about my project selected the correct size for me. I think they were out of Tx. I got Manzanita wood from bloomsandbranches.com. I've also found some smaller rocks from Michael's craft store. The best place for hardscape was Aquashella Chicago, but that's not a good answer for most people - though fish shows and clubs is a great idea if you can do that.


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## Mr.Shenanagins (May 2, 2017)

Got mine from a local garden hardscape center. Shop around because some locations have a limited supply while others have plenty of options. Bring some strong Vinegar or acid to test the rocks to make sure that they’re not going to mess with your water chemistry.


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

Can you find rare stones like dragon stones locally? I live in Texas and all the nearby streams have pretty large pieces of limestone but the problem is limestone breaks raises water pH and my ph is pretty hard as it is.


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## Oughtsix (Apr 8, 2011)

All of the stones in my new 180g tank came from my backyard. I wasn't too sure how basalt would look compared to the fancy stone that can be bought. I am VERY happy with how the basalt worked out. Because I have a HUGE abundance of basalt in my back yard a had a HUGE selection to choose from which made finding just the right pieces that look good together much easier.

What kind of rock is local to your area?


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## BlanketHogg (Feb 17, 2021)

greenguppy said:


> Can you find rare stones like dragon stones locally? I live in Texas and all the nearby streams have pretty large pieces of limestone but the problem is limestone breaks raises water pH and my ph is pretty hard as it is.


Try if there are any stones you’d part with in your yard, if that’s an option. I’m in New Mexico and none of the rocks from my streams were viable. The woods good though


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

Nope all the stones in the yard are limestone. I have some pieces of cape myrtle and I would like to put them in one of my tanks, but I am not sure if they are toxic??

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## BlanketHogg (Feb 17, 2021)

greenguppy said:


> Nope all the stones in the yard are limestone. I have some pieces of cape myrtle and I would like to put them in one of my tanks, but I am not sure if they are toxic??
> 
> Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


Idk, poor some vinegar on it and listen to what the rock whispers. Lol, just see if it sizzles, I don’t think it’d be horrible, and if you’re ok with it, you can take it out if it soesn’t work. And, um, wear goggles while your boiling the rocks and in general just be careful boiling Rockies so they don’t explode everywhere


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## Oughtsix (Apr 8, 2011)

BlanketHogg said:


> Idk, poor some vinegar on it and listen to what the rock whispers. Lol, just see if it sizzles, I don’t think it’d be horrible, and if you’re ok with it, you can take it out if it soesn’t work. And, um, wear goggles while your boiling the rocks and in general just be careful boiling Rockies so they don’t explode everywhere


 Crape Myrtle is a type of shrub / tree. 

I don't know if Crape Myrtle is toxic or not but I know there are several list on the internet that will show if it is aquarium safe or not.


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## BlanketHogg (Feb 17, 2021)

Oughtsix said:


> Crape Myrtle is a type of shrub / tree.
> 
> I don't know if Crape Myrtle is toxic or not but I know there are several list on the internet that will show if it is aquarium safe or not.


Lol  i didn’t know, that’s very funny. Thanks for telling me
thought it was just some fancy rock.


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

Lol ok thanks I will do some research.

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## Mr.Shenanagins (May 2, 2017)

Myrtles are similar to manzanita, dried out you can use those branches. I have myrtles in my yard. Please DO NOT boil rocks, unless you or your family would like to visit the emergency room or the morg. A simple scrubbing and bleach soak will suffice. No your not going to find exotic stones like dragon stone at hardscape centers in the US. But you can certainly find some with similar color and character if your willing to look around. Here’s some rock I collected and how it looked with my scape.


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

Ok good to know I will try the crape myrtle

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## Dinopuppy (Sep 28, 2020)

Etsy or eBay. Pro tip: if you put something in your Etsy cart and leave it for a couple days, the seller might email you a coupon. It’s automated and I believe a setting per listing


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## rakali (Sep 19, 2019)

I did an emergent island tank design with a big piece of grey pumice stone I got from a local landscaping company. I liked the pumice first and foremost because it was light. But it's also kind of sculptable. You can sort of carve into it as I remember. You also get tons of surface area so it's basically a giant filter medium rock. I did have to glue to a piece of slate to keep it from floating.


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## Mr.Shenanagins (May 2, 2017)

Thanks very much, going to rescape soon.


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## 413801 (Jan 17, 2021)

Surprised no one mentioned Amazon. I buy most of my hardscape on Amazon. Even plants. It can be hit or miss, but so can Etsy/Ebay. Vendors are vendors—there’s going to be some trial and error no matter who you purchase from, if they’re online. Amazon’s sheer quantity of customer reviews with their posted pics can be helpful.


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## Mr.Shenanagins (May 2, 2017)

Patriot4098 said:


> Surprised no one mentioned Amazon. I buy most of my hardscape on Amazon. Even plants. It can be hit or miss, but so can Etsy/Ebay. Vendors are vendors—there’s going to be some trial and error no matter who you purchase from, if they’re online. Amazon’s sheer quantity of customer reviews with their posted pics can be helpful.


Online is good for small quantities and nano size scapes. Sure you can get all that you need online, but the amount your going to spend skyrockets when we are comparing a 5-10 gallon tank to a 40+ gallon tank to fill with hardscape.


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## Mr.Shenanagins (May 2, 2017)

@Patriot4098 
Oh dear, I see you are one of those.

I am here to assist and provide insight from my own experiences, as have many other people on this forum. If you bothered to look over the whole thread as I requested, you’d notice myself and a few others mentioned sourcing local stone from hardscape/landscape centers as an alternative to expensive aquarium stone. I’m no expert, but I have some experience worth sharing to help others. If your contribution is to just micro manage individual posts, please move on.

You might also notice the OP “liked” my responses, so clearly my insight was helpful.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Seriously? Insulting other members over something so trivial?

Don't insult folks or try to get all tough guy. That behavior is unnecessary anywhere.

I know living through the past year has been a nightmare for many but _come on_. Take a breather. Think twice. Let it go if you can't have a decent conversation. This is a plant forum. It's not life or death.

*This thread has been cleaned up.*


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

All answers were helpful no need to get up tight lol

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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Just thought I'd let you know that Patriot4098 is a troll like everyone thought. They went behind the moderation team's back and had the admins "delete" their account/change their username to Removed4098 in an attempt to mask their retched behavior.


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## Planted-Jungle (Mar 13, 2021)

greenguppy said:


> Nope all the stones in the yard are limestone. I have some pieces of cape myrtle and I would like to put them in one of my tanks, but I am not sure if they are toxic??
> 
> Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


Greenguppy, do you live in Kansas? I know a VERY good store for you if you do.


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## brohawk (May 19, 2008)

greenguppy said:


> Can you find rare stones like dragon stones locally? I live in Texas and all the nearby streams have pretty large pieces of limestone but the problem is limestone breaks raises water pH and my ph is pretty hard as it is.


Call your local bonsai stores and ask if they stock any decorative rock. They may not call it by that name, but some may actually have it and/or seiryu. There's a shop here near Seattle that has both; imports them in bulk from China.


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

No I live in Texas. Ok I will try that[emoji846]

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## brohawk (May 19, 2008)

greenguppy said:


> No I live in Texas. Ok I will try that[emoji846]
> 
> Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


Yeah, I meant you should call bonsai stores in the DFW area.


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## Planted-Jungle (Mar 13, 2021)

greenguppy said:


> No I live in Texas. Ok I will try that[emoji846]
> 
> Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


Oh ok, nevermind then.


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