# Is lace rock safe for freshwater tanks?



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I added some lace rock to a tank today and the gH is going up quite quickly. I didn't even think to worry about this because the same kind of rock was on display in a freshwater tank in the store where I bought the rock. 

I like the look of the rock but I'm not sure if I should keep it. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks!


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy said:


> I added some lace rock to a tank today and the gH is going up quite quickly. I didn't even think to worry about this because the same kind of rock was on display in a freshwater tank in the store where I bought the rock.
> 
> I like the look of the rock but I'm not sure if I should keep it. Does anyone have experience with this?
> 
> Thanks!


I've wondered this since I added it to my nano. I don't test for gh so I had no idea what it was doing to my water. Hopefully nothing horrible. My fish, cray and shrimp seem to be fine...for now.

Hope someone knows more about this type of rock.


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## Raf (Nov 6, 2010)

i use it mostly for african cichlid and saltwater tanks as I believe it does affect hardness/pH..


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

lol. Yes, you are directly responsible for my putting lace rock into my tank. I liked your nano pics so much! I do have a gh/kh test kit, though. But it's a finicky test and my results might be skewed because I also add Equilibrium to the water (a bit) and that can dissolve over time.



Atom said:


> I've wondered this since I added it to my nano. I don't test for gh so I had no idea what it was doing to my water. Hopefully nothing horrible. My fish, cray and shrimp seem to be fine...for now.
> 
> Hope someone knows more about this type of rock.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have not seen it in person, but based on googling around lace rock appears to be vesicular basalt and will likely have some minor amounts of carbonates at least. But probably nothing unmanageable. I'd be more concerned about its abrasiveness. Unless you're keep blackwater species with ultra low pH, you should be fine.

The concern in a smaller tank is the volume. Changes can be fairly rapid in a small volume, so if is any carbonate dissolution, it may have a significant effect in a nano compared to say, a 40 gallon.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Gary is right. Super sharp. You don't want to see your fish eyes against it. You can get multiple cuts working with the stuff.


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## pistolpete (May 2, 2010)

I have Tufa in my tank, which is quite similar to Lace. It raises PH, and KH significantly. That's all right with me, because I have mostly tanganyikan cishlids. Most fish will readily adapt to a higher PH (say 8.0) as long as the change is not too sudden and the PH is stable.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, everyone. 

I will keep an eye on the water parameters. If I keep the rocks in the tank, I'll make sure not to put corydoras or plecos or any large-bodied fish that might crash into them. I was planning to have shrimp, mostly, and a few small dither fish. But I can keep it just for shrimp... or change the rocks.


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