By ScoriaSupply
Filed under: Aquariums, Natural Filtration, Tips & Guides
🔥 What Is Scoria?
Scoria — also known as clinker rock — is a natural material created when ancient coal seams ignite underground, baking and transforming surrounding shale and clay into lightweight, porous rock.
Each piece carries small air pockets and bubbles from the heating process, giving it a sponge-like texture that’s perfect for filtration and surface area.
This same porous nature that formed deep in Wyoming’s geologic history makes scoria a surprisingly useful tool in modern aquariums.
💧 Why Scoria Works Well in Aquariums
The most important factor in any aquarium substrate or filter media is surface area — the more surface a material has, the more room for beneficial bacteria to grow.
Scoria’s honeycombed structure provides an enormous amount of biological surface area for these bacteria to thrive.
When water passes over scoria, these microbes help break down ammonia, nitrite, and organic waste — keeping your aquarium balanced and healthy naturally.
Other advantages:
- ✅ Lightweight — easy to rinse and handle
- ✅ Long-lasting — it doesn’t break down like other media
- ✅ pH-neutral after rinsing (safe for most freshwater setups)
- ✅ Natural appearance — fits beautifully into aquascapes or planted tanks
⚠️ Preparation Is Key
Raw scoria can arrive with fine dust or powder from handling.
Before adding it to your tank, always rinse thoroughly:
How to Prepare Scoria for Aquarium Use:
- Place the scoria in a clean bucket.
- Fill with water and stir/agitate until the water becomes cloudy.
- Dump and repeat until the rinse water runs clear.
- Optional: Soak overnight, then rinse again for crystal-clear results.
That’s it — once clean, your scoria is ready for either your filter media baskets, substrate base layer, or decorative hardscape.
🧪 Is It Safe for All Tanks?
After rinsing, yes — scoria is safe for nearly all freshwater aquariums.
It’s widely used by aquascapers and hobbyists for:
- Planted tanks
- Shrimp tanks
- Community fish tanks
- Bio-media in canisters and sumps
⚠️ For ultra-soft or blackwater setups: it’s best to test a small sample first, as natural minerals in scoria can slightly buffer very soft water (rare but possible).
🪨 Why We Love It at ScoriaSupply
All our scoria is responsibly collected from Wyoming’s natural burn formations — where ancient underground fires turned clay and coal into this remarkable, living rock.
We rinse and grade it into three distinct sizes:
- ClinkerFine™ (1/16–1/8 in) — perfect for filters and top layers
- ClinkerMedium™ (1/8–1/4 in) — ideal for substrates and aquascapes
- ClinkerBlend™ — a balanced mix of both textures
🌿 Final Thoughts
Scoria is one of nature’s best examples of transformation — born in fire, yet used to create calm, balanced aquatic environments.
If you’ve never tried natural clinker in your setup, it’s an affordable and sustainable way to improve filtration, bio-load balance, and natural beauty all at once.
🛒 Shop Scoria for Aquariums
Ready to try it for yourself?
👉 Shop ClinkerFine™
👉 Shop ClinkerMedium™
👉 Shop ClinkerBlend™