# Hello all...



## Onewingdove (Apr 19, 2009)

This is just the second post as I'm new on APC, the first in the intro section. I live in the Garland area and keep two reef tanks now and have experience in the FW plant side but no plant tank as yet. The shop on Greenville Av. has started to carry the ADA line and put the bug back in me.

I thought I would ask some questions here about sources that are somewhat local for things like driftwoods, stones and hardscape items of good quality and selection. I try to do some things local if I can and don't mind scouting around a bit but really don't know where to look for things like that.

Can you point me to some of the choice spots to find some quality stones to use in a upcoming project?


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## Vivarium Concepts (Sep 6, 2006)

*Welcome to DFWAPC via APC!
Plenty of plant gurus here that can help with that bug thing you might have.
I've got many pounds (read a few hunderd) of Malaysian driftwood, and I'm just up the road in Wylie!*


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## Onewingdove (Apr 19, 2009)

Vivarium Concepts said:


> *Welcome to DFWAPC via APC!
> Plenty of plant gurus here that can help with that bug thing you might have.
> I've got many pounds (read a few hunderd) of Malaysian driftwood, and I'm just up the road in Wylie!*


Thanks, I'd like to take a look at some of the pieces you have. I'm self employed so I can make time to come and see, I'm thinking maybe some time mid to latter part of this week.


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## Vivarium Concepts (Sep 6, 2006)

*I'm looking forward to meeting you.
I will be around until Thursday, then I'm heading to Houston for the Orchid Society convention and plant sale!!.
Give me a call.
214-563-8833*


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## MacFan (Jul 30, 2006)

I've gotten most of my stone from http://www.customstone.com/ which has a location in Dallas as well as Keller and others. You just weigh your car when you arrive, then load your car with your selections one type at a time, re-weighing the car in between. They will use the weights to calculate your bill which is often very low since it's priced by the ton and we buy only a couple pounds of each.

They have various crushed granites and things in small size. I got some #00 size that was nice. But for substrate, if you're not going Aqua Soil, I would recommend #3 size Black Beauty sand blasting sand. You can buy it from Clemtex (http://www.clemtex.com/) for something like $17/100lb bag. It's coal slag, is iron rich (though I don't know if it is available to the plants.) I like it because it's very black, doesn't fade, doesn't seem to break down, and is heavy for its size so it holds the plants very well. I've been using it in my breeding tanks and recently switched two of my larger tanks to it.

I bought driftwood from Fish Gallery at great expense, then found a piece I liked best for my big tank at Odyssey Pets up on Preston Rd for a very reasonable price. It's luck of the draw... when you see a piece you like, you pretty much have to get it as they're all so different. I've heard you can order the kind everyone uses in nature tanks (lots of individual sticks) online. I just got petrified wood from a guy in the plant club for $2/lb, though it's more rock than wood.

Michael


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## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

I found the Black Diamond at TSC (Tractor Supply Company).


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## northtexasfossilguy (Mar 6, 2009)

Well I had a bad experience recently trying to harvest some stone from a local creek... gave my apartment a rather distasteful fishy smell, which took several hours to remedy. 

If you guys want pieces of stone, you can often get headstone chunks and pieces leftover from counter tops free or nearly that, when they have little pieces leftover, and that's all granite, with beautiful textures, some is imported from around the world even. It helps to dress dingy when you go to these places, because if you don't look like money they won't think you have it to spend on their leftover, relatively useless rock bits. Just in my experience as a rock hound..


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## supersmirky (Oct 22, 2008)

Do you have any pics of your rock finds?


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## kimcadmus (Nov 23, 2008)

Sulla here on the forum has a petrified wood connection here locally. I know he posted recenly under the "webinar at Texgal's house Sunday" thread. Ditto on Macfans Custom Stone suggestion they are very nice at the Dallas/Harry Hines location.


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## Onewingdove (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks for all the responses all. It's been a few days since I checked in on the site and things got wacky on the job so did not get the chance to go tool around. More rain tomorrow so I might get out to pick up some things.

I'm looking forward to getting a Plant tank up again but I'll take it a bit slow. I cant make up my mind on a tank though. Torn between a 40 breeder and a 75. Makes me wish I had the 36x24x24 I sold a long time ago.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Go big. That way when you run out of room you won't say to yourself, "I wish I'd gotten the bigger tank!"


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