# Where to buy cheap tufa rock or holey rock?



## alpharalpha

I just paid $6 for a little piece of tufa at petsmart today and none of our garden centers have any of this stuff. I'd like to fill my tank right up with it. 
Thanks,


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## Cichlid1000

I dont know of any where, you usually have to pay something like $6 or $8 a kilo. Its quite ridiculous but what other choice do you have


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## emc7

Sometimes a guy drives up from texas and sells holey rock at our auctions. The stuff is pretty, but I've gone to using "river rock" from a "stone center". The tufa is sharp enough that I and my fish will occasionally get scratched by it. River rock is cheap and inert, but awfully heavy.


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## lohachata

i have used tufa rock in my african cichlid tanks for 35 years..awesome stuff.and i like it much better that the texas holey rock.and it is cheaper too..
when i have it;i usually sell tufa rock for $1.00 a pound most shops charge $2.00-$3.00 a pound.i usually buy it by the ton.so i get it a little cheaper...i wonder how much i can fit in a large flat rate box...hmmmm


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## alpharalpha

Yeah it's ridiculous. It's just tufa. I just bought a ten by ten castle from lowes and so far it hasnt killed my fish. Big "cave" for the money but I would've prefered the tufa. Can you put some in a box and send it if I pay you?


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## lohachata

where do you live alpha..don't know how much i can get into a large flat rate box but the shipping would only be $13.95.and you are allowed a max of 70 lbs..but i will have to look around and see how much i have..


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## alpharalpha

Brandon, Florida.


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## jones57742

alpharalpha said:


> Brandon, Florida.


ar:

I have done a ton of Googling trying to help here and you may be in similar situation as Suess (Chris).

You live in Hillsborough County and FDOT has a ton of ongoing projects especially proximate to Tampa.

The FDOT specifications for the principal base material being employed on these projects includes marble and dolomite but I believe that these materials are included for use in Gainesville and Ocalla areas.

These specifications also include limestone!! You just gotta have a limestone quarry somewhere near you!* and hence a source for limestone rock and possibly holey rock.

*I could be wrong about this but your surface geology maps do indicate limestone.

The two major quarries near San Angelo have very nice holey rock but these rocks are typically not quite as pretty as the ones which come from the Texas Hill Country even though both are in the same formation.

If you are interested in pursuing this avenue please post.

TR


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## lohachata

tufa rock does not come from a quarry..it is what is called prehistoric limestone.it is collected from farmers fields every spring when they plow.i do have access to tons of it;but not until spring when the weather improves.
if you want dolomite for a substrate for a saltwater of african cichlid tank;just look in the phonebook for gravel yards or landscape suppliers.ask for crushed limestone.i prefer mine to be a little smaller than #10.plus;if you sift it out you can save the really small stuff and you willd have a sand substrate for shellies and such.


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## alpharalpha

Yes, we have lots of limestone down here; that's what was so frustrating about not finding it around. I will call some quarries and see what I can find out. I think that limestone is what's between us and the groundwater here. Sometimes it gets too thin and we get sinkholes, and pollutants drain easily thru it into the aquifer. I saw some aquifer rock at a lfs but he wanted 2.29 lb for it; kinda looked like holey rock. Thanks!


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## anya

*Tufa Rock*

I am not into fish anymore, but I have lots and lots and lots of Tufa Rock, small pieces big pieces by the truckload. Is anyone interested? Please let me know at [email protected] my name is an'ya


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## bmlbytes

lohachata said:


> i have used tufa rock in my african cichlid tanks for 35 years..awesome stuff.and i like it much better that the texas holey rock.and it is cheaper too..
> when i have it;i usually sell tufa rock for $1.00 a pound most shops charge $2.00-$3.00 a pound.i usually buy it by the ton.so i get it a little cheaper...i wonder how much i can fit in a large flat rate box...hmmmm


A flat rate box can take anything you can put in it up to 70 pounds. If you are shipping rock, I would be interested in getting some. It would be good for my old world cichlids.


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## lohachata

this spring i will see if i can borrow my nephews pick up to go get some tufa..probably may or june..


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## ledfootz28

i have to say after googling both rocks i like the texas holey rock better bc its got cool holes and caves in the rocks which they say cichlids like to swim through or even sleep in them for protection.

do rocks like tufa or holey rock affect the water quality at all?
where can you get texas holey rock from?


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## lohachata

both will affect the PH by elevating it to just a bit over 8.0..
texas holey rock just has holes in it..tufa rock has fossils in it.when you clean tufa rock you will discover holes and caves and cubby holes that were not there before..i find it far more interesting than holey rock..
but i do encourage folks to get the holey rock over the tufa rock ; as that leaves more for me to get...

texas holey rock can be found in texas..


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## ledfootz28

it can also be found in my pet store which i just got a piece


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## bioNerd

*delayed response but....*

If you have a Pet Supplies Plus nearby, I have been buying tufa for 0.77/lb! That is quite a steal!


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