I have had several types of reef rock over the years. First, Figi live rock, then tonga branch (both which are great) the down side is the cost and pests (which were many). Then I dabbled in aircrete rock which worked fairly well. The downside was the weight.
The hot ticket now seems to be dry rock from the quarry which I hear is good.
Now its on to Ugly Rock. Yes, I do think it’s ugly. Shaping and firing up the clay.
Ceramics!
The ugly rock looks awesome to me!
The ceramic could contain some copper but it appears to be an acceptable limit~ 80 PPB which is a little high and could be from the clay, however, that was a several week soak with no rinsing of the ceramic and no water changes. I thought at first this caused the pods to disappear but they were actually in the tank hiding. I did a water change and all is looking well, pods abound in the tank.
In the future I will soak the ceramics in RO water to give it an initial rinse to reduce leaching (if it actually does). I will do another copper test after some time to see if it creeps up.
Hey Ed, no experience with this. In previous tanks long ago in more civilized times during the old republic; I used live rock and fairly porous concrete rock. Marco rocks were around but no one used them.
The advanced testing is new since I’ve reefed. How do I go about getting a test on it?
my original plan was to soak in RO water if needed to pull any contaminants out. Then I heard from potters that firing clay renders it inert. I Can’t verify this hence the need for a test.
I found it easiest to set up a nano, combine the ceramic and phyto/zooplankton experiment and cycling all in one. Several weeks in…. No pods, no green phyto- but a brownish growth of some sort which may be standard cycling with no oceanic live rock??
Does this clay have any metals in it? I've heard of and used clay in freshwater but not salt. What has been your experience?
Why ceramic?
-It stacks extremely well
-I theorize that it will filter well
-It’s very light
-Endless shapes
-It’s inexpensive
And the number one reason comes with a little back ground...
My favorite aqua scape style has been minimalism. I’ve set up simple bommies, little stacks, and I experienced the same thing that I saw the bulk reef guy experience in a video. The fish weren’t happy. Especially small fish. They would start fine, become territorial and beat the snot out of each other until one succumbed.
I want little fish. I want lots of little fish and I want them to be happy.
I was in the Caribbean with the extended family, out on the dock drinking morning coffee and we peered into the water. Someone said, “Huh, theres no fish.” I said, I think there is. I sprinkled orange crackers into the water and 50 fish appeared seemingly from nowhere. All happy, all living in little holes.
So the number one reason I’m attempting “ugly rock” is that I’m making them hollow with countless paths and homes so multiple fish won’t be fighting over a handful of barely adequate hiding spots. The bommies in the new tank will me massive. far larger than all the pieces in the above pic.
It is ugly. I hope people won’t pay attention to it. I hope it’s purple and covered with corals. And I hope fish love it.
Some odd examples below with far too much artistic liberty 🤓