I have some rocks that look like they were synthesized from concrete that have lots of little holes and twisty curves to them. They also have sharp edges, and after seeing scrapes on my fish I've been phasing them out.

At an LFS yesterday I saw a great large "centerpiece rock" for my soon-to-buy 180G... but it had those same sharp edges.

Am I right to be steering clear of these rocks?

As it is, over time I have been cherry-picking the best petrified wood, zebra rock and sedimentary sandstone from LFS's as I circulate, so I have a good start for setting up my 55G and 180G even as it is. I also plan to get some river-style rocl from a home improvement place.

Thanks!

Don

Don if your worried about sharp edges you can break out the tool belt with the chisel and hammer! I've done that already. I've had a few rocks that I loved the look of but they had some rather sharp areas so I chipped the sharp areas down and I felt more at ease.

We use both sharp rocks and round river rocks in our tanks. I've seen fish with scrapes now and then, but never anything serious.

You can knock the edges off, as suggested above.

Kim

Don, I love the look of lava rock and had several set-ups using this type of rock.





The little scrapes do not bother the fish since they will heal quickly. However, after having to watch fish loosing their eye twice, I decided to get rid of the rocks. All it takes is a little scratch on the eye. The fish we keep are very fast swimmers and they chase each other in and out of the rocks in incredible speed. It can happen so quickly. I think you made a wise decision to discard your rocks.