sanstone for brackish tank?

The forum for puffers that either live or start in brackish biotopes: GSPs, F8s, Ceylons & more.
Post Reply
User avatar
susiejames101
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 100
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 3:44 pm
Location: uk

sanstone for brackish tank?

Post by susiejames101 »

Hi
My LFS has got some really pretty multi coloured rock ( shades between cream to brown) with a very sandy feel to it which also has holes drilled into it, and I am sure my F8 would love to play in it. I asked what the rock was and was told it was sandstone and when I asked if it would be suitable for a brackish tank the guy said it would be perfect for a brackish tank as it would keep the PH up,
Not that I am cynic or anything but I have been told things in LFS's before only to find out it was total twaddle so I was wondering if anyone knew if sandstone was good or bad for a low end brackish tank
Ta
Sue
User avatar
Corvus
Mentor
Posts: 1405
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:35 am
Gender: Male
Location: Planet earth; mostly Germany recently

Post by Corvus »

Sandstone is ok for low end brackish. But most sandstones consist almost exclusively of quartz (SiO2), which does nothing at all measurable to the pH.

Carbonate rocks (ocean rock, reef rocks) can buffer the pH.
Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he'll eat for weeks.
Nick
Former Staff Member
Posts: 3231
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike
Location (country): Northeastern USA
Location: Middletown, CT
Contact:

Post by Nick »

Some sandstones contain enough lime to buffer the PH, but most likely they are confusing them with Tufa stone, which WILL buffer PH, and looks a bit like corroded styrofoam. I have a big tufa rock in with my baby Shakespeare and he likes swimming around and through it, all the little crannies seem to stimulate him to search it for worms/snails.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
Post Reply