Both Tufa and Lava Rock can be used to form the main building block to decorate and create the best aquarium landscapes for your saltwater marine tank. They are considered the main substrate apart from the coral sand which will fill the rest of the empty spaces at the base of the tank. Basically the rocks are meant to be used to arrange and pile up together to form a structure which can be a perfect hiding place for your marine fish and invertebrates. Other than that, the surfaces also provide a large area for growth of marine algae.
Choice of either to use tufa or lava rocks as decor largely depends on the availability and basically I can’t tell you which one is better as each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Tufa is highly porous and lightweight and depending on which types of tufa rock that are selected, some can actually cause the pH to shift slightly. Most tufa rocks that you can see sold in pet stores are formed with the base material made up of limestone (calcium carbonate) but there are some which contain extra composition of other chemically unstable materials which I would advice to avoid at all cost. Lava rocks on the other hand, are slightly darker in color with uneven texture in nature and they are also more expensive but the best part is that they still retain all the characteristics seen with tufa rocks.The common question which I often come across is hobbyist asking whether they can use both rocks as decoration in freshwater tanks and my firm answer to them is “Definitely No” except for certain types of cichlids tank which prefer hard water. Back to the saltwater marine tank, apart from rocks as decor, you can also consider adding giant seashells or artificial corals to give the extra natural look and to create the perfect backdrop. Avoid buying dead and bleached natural corals collected from the sea as it is environmentally destructive to follow that practice. Finally depending on your creativity to come up with the best arrangement, just make sure that the whole structure is stable and place them properly so that high gush of water returning from your aquarium filter will not disrupt the balance and cause everything to collapse.
Benefits and Consideration for the types of aquarium decorations
