where to get rocks for a cichlid set up

[motoman]

I've got a friend who plans on getting a 30 reg or 40 gal high tank and setting it up this week-end. Any idea where in the ottawa area he could scrounge up some suitable rock to build some caves and hiding places out of? Should he put some pool sand or something n the bottom of the tank to prevent scratches? He's looking to keep some smaller cichlids. Recommendations or advice would be great.
Thanks

[repeej]

Got all my rocks from the shores of the Ottawa river.  

Pool filter sand is a good idea to put in the bottom along with eggcrate to balance the load of the rocks.  What's the footprint of this tank?

[darkdep]

Eggcrate is the best thing to use on the bottom to avoid scratches.  Cut a piece roughly to size of your tank bottom and cover with your substrate.

Landscaping places will have slate for a good price (very cheap).  You can break big pieces up with a hammer, and it's very easy to build structures with it.

[Nerine]

I had to take my slate out...they kept knocking it over and it was hitting the glass! so now they are being punished with "fake" rocks

[repeej]

I have a piece of eggcrate for your friend if he's interested.  $5

[Jim]

Nerine you should have siliconed it! it really works.

[darkdep]

Nerine you should have siliconed it! it really works.

Yeah!

[Mettle]

I still adore your set-up darkdep.

Question about the eggcrate though. Can't that make it hard to gravel vac properly? And also a tad unsightly when the fish eventually dig into it and expose it?

[repeej]

eggcrate is at most a half an inch think.....most people have inches worth of substrate on top of it so you should never see it.

at least mine will never show....i put down the eggcrate first....then added a little sand to fill in all the spaces in the eggcrate....added my larger rocks and then added more sand so that the bottom layer of rocks is burried in sand.

i've attached a pic of the finished product

[Mettle]

Your finished product look absolutely fantastic!

[Nerine]

dark - that is awesome!!

[NjOyRiD]

eggcrate is at most a half an inch think.....most people have inches worth of substrate on top of it so you should never see it.

at least mine will never show....i put down the eggcrate first....then added a little sand to fill in all the spaces in the eggcrate....added my larger rocks and then added more sand so that the bottom layer of rocks is burried in sand.

i've attached a pic of the finished product

where did you took your background?

[repeej]

where did you took your background?

Big Al's (Kanata)

[damarech]

Live in west nepean. I can let you have rocks like these for $1 a pound.

[gvv]

...i put down the eggcrate first....then added a little sand to fill in all the spaces in the eggcrate....added my larger rocks and then added more sand so that the bottom layer of rocks is burried in sand.

Did the same and was happy for 2 years. I even do it for my planted tanks - I found out that eggcrate is nice "substarte" when creating several levels in the tank. I just glue stones of different size fill with pool sand and have several areas that are on different heights.

I used redish stones - don't know the type - which I collected by the road in rural Kanata.

Regards

[darkdep]

Mettle:  I was a little worried about the digging and the eggcrate, but it hasn't been an issue.  I **might** be able to see a small piece of eggcrate (small meaning less than 1" of it) at rare times, but since they can't dig below that, and because I'm using small substrate, the water movement from the big guys darting around is enough to blow little bits of the substrate around and keeps any depressions covered in substrate.  Dunno if that makes sense, but it's what I've observed.

Nerine:  Thanks