The Ultimate Aquarium Rocks! Dragon Stone vs Seiryu Stone: Which One is Better? 

Choosing the stone that fits your tank is, in my opinion, essentially about the contrast of color you are looking for. In my opinion, Dragon stone generate an amazing contrast of colors with dark black sand, green plants, and fish such as a black/blue/red betta (when swimming in front of the stone, its amazing how they look). The "Seiryu" is 2 syllabus. Seiryu stones are great with white sand, and green plants/moss on top, and yellow/white/orange/red fishes :)

Thank you Joanna 😇This is perfect timing ,I wanted to share with everyone! Currently at PetSmart they have buy one get one half off for the aquatic decorations and stones are part of that sale. If you buy the 25 lb box It may seem like a lot but when you do the math: 50.99 For 25 lb of stones The next box is split in half at cost for 25.50 So for 50 lb of stones you're spending $76 (+ tax of course) which translates to a tiny bit over 1. 50 a pound. That's a lot better than any aquatic store I've ever gone into and seen whatever they're charging. There's no way I could have gotten any stones yet if I hadn't taken advantage of this sale. So if they're available in your area try looking it up. And if you don't want to do two boxes of stones that's okay They also allow the sale for other decorations.

They're both beautiful in the aquarium. I love the texture of dragon stone, but I prefer the color of Seiryu stone. So, I'm more likely to use Seiryu.

They are both beautiful types of stones, and I love how you use them in your scapes. I'm on a budget though and prefer to use what I can find locally, especially around local streams and rivers. I really do find some neat textures and sizes to use. Maybe one of these days I will break down and get some of the designer stones, as like I said, they are beautiful. Love your content!!

I'd love to have more of a geologically based understanding of aquascaping rocks. Like what minerals, how it is formed or deposited, etc.

Great video today! I have not tried these stones yet and was glad to get some information about them!

In one of my tanks the seiyu stone keeps the TDS around 120. I use this to my advantage with my caradina shrimp. My TDS out of tap is 30-40 well water. Greatvideo. 👍

Thanks for the clarification and the tips!! Especially on the pronunciation of the Seiryu Stone. The stone work in a Aquascape is a work of art in itself!! I literally catch myself thinking about when I get more stones for hardscape what I want to create!! Until then I sure do enjoy watching how you keep growing and scapes you are creating!! I absolutely love the dragonstone. I have only had one little piece and it did deteriorate a very tiny little bit and made me a little more apprehensive about using it only! But when it comes down to creating some of the most beautiful layouts for a scape there's nothing like it 😍 It's definitely on my someday list 😂 Thank you for sharing Joanna and I hope you're having a wonderful day!!

I just used dragon stone for the first time in my newest 10 gallon scape. It makes a great retaining wall for a raised substrate! :)

I like the seiryu stone with darker driftwood and plants, and the dragon stone with lighter plants and driftwood. Both of them look good in a tank. 👍❤👍

Hi Joanna! As usual you take a simple topic and make it interesting and fun to listen to. I am a craptacular aquascaper! I tend to overuse plants and underused rocks and wood. So I've been wandering about different shops and I have been looking for more inspiration. This is your fault!!! 🤣🤣 So I found a shop that sells dwarf hair grass by the square foot, it is stored in a large tank under water! Petland carries some amazing wood! There are umpteen dozen plant people that sell good plants. I'm enjoying this process, my wife recently got into aquariums with me and she's telling me to go buy what I need, so Overcome temptation by fulfilling it! One other thing. You and Jason made me very jealous because you work together. I remember several years ago, he put a video out showing Saturday Tank day with the kids all doing tank cleanups. This was such a good thing to watch. I grew up working shoulder to shoulder with my Dad on the farm. It wasn't until years later that I realized how important this was. Any time spent with parents usually ends up to be so beneficial and that video he did still makes me smile today.

Definitely love them both. Dragon stone we've used the most in our tanks (working on a seiryu stone mountain in the 125gal) because of how you can customize the size and shape. It is a pain to clean, but the results after (we found that toothpicks and a hose do wonders) are stunning sometimes with all the holes and crevices. Awesome video! Thanks Joanna!

Thanks for the comparison video. We've never tried either type. The comparison format with graphs is a big plus for some of us visual learners. Looking forward to the next video, Jim PS: Have you ever tried dolomite? It is one of my favorites as it aids in a high pH for Multi.s, and it has rounded edges that are less likely to injure a fish.

Love all of your info and tips. Thank you so much!!

I used both in one of my tanks and it turned out amazing

she would be a good teacher!😃

I’m in a habit of only using Dragon stone so I decided to go out on a limb and order some Seiryu stone for my latest scape. I was worried about it effecting my Ph but I also have very hard water so that information made me feel better! Thanks Jo ❤️

Thank you for the info! I’ve been afraid to try these rocks because of the possibility of a negative change to my water parameters. I will definitely give these a try. I just started the hobby in July and am loving it! I’m trying really hard to not have multiple tank syndrome😂

Great review on the 2 rocks. I like the Dragon stone. Although I have to check my local aquarium shop for the Seiryu stone. The rocks in your tanks really look great.

Thanks Joanna. I have dragon stone and I'm planning on using it for my reshape on my 20 gal. Now I know to really clean in those crevices.

Thank you for all these details! After watching I knew which one was right for my 10 gal with black substrate..Seiryu stone won and it’s striking in my tank and I can’t wait to buy a couple lg pieces for my not Nano tank thanks Joanna

Interesting video. Never used either stone, but just bought dragon stone for a future 3ft cube aquarium so looking forward to trying my aquascaping skills with it

Love them both. I think dragon stone has more texture but a total drag to wash. I spent almost an hour washing my stones using a bottle brush, wire brush and tooth brush...every crevice had clay in it..but once clean..man is it a beautiful stone

i may be not be an expert scaper but dragon stone is my fav. looks so good

Put in about 3 weeks of thought to choose and another 3 weeks of looking to find the seiryu I wanted... No regrets, I love my rocks

I love the Seiryu stone. It has the rugged mountain side look.

Very helpful, Joanna. Just removed what I thought was limestone from my mbuna tank and the pH rebounded from 8.0 to the St. Louis tap water's 8.4. Excellent tip too from ShelbyRae Lane.

I love the look of Seiryu stone, I wish it didn't mess up the pH of a tank. If it weren't for the negative effects on water parameters I would have some of these in my tank :(

I've used seiryu stone more than dragon stone. I may try dragon stone in my next planted tank because of the colour variation. And maybe do dragon with red plants😊 great video, thank you Joanna

Home Depot and Lowes both have these stones for about half of what you would pay in a pet shop. They're available online in 44lb boxes that will be shipped to you for free.

Dearest Joanna 😇 It amazes me how you and Jason always seem to be right on time for my next aquatic endeavor.. 4 days ago I just ordered my first dragonstone from PetSmart and I'm so excited!!!!!!!! I was tossing back and forth about the two types of stones and I said well because dragonstone is more porous it'll be a good opportunity for me to learn with and possibly make a mistake directly in a bucket as far as cleaning them goes. In a way thinking that if I have seiryu stone it'll be easier for me to work with with my next venture.(My whole family is so excited and they want to see what I do!)🌟☺️😁🧐💖 The other deciding factor was between the two stones the color.I love the warm tone of the dragonstone and should coordinate with my first aquascaping project. I do have one quick question And I hope it's not a stupid one. with your largest fish..to ensure that the tank doesn't break at the bottom Do you ever put any kind of a Mat or extra sand as a buffer at the bottom of the Heaviest stones so they don't have direct contact with the glass? I've watched my cichlids throw their sand around and I don't know what strength they really have but I know my Large tex cichlid ,that dude Acts like a bulldozer 😁

I like the look of Seiryu/Mountain Stone but it seems to show algae much easier than Dragonstone. I have a tank up for about six months now and the Dragonstone has never been cleaned. There are a few spots of green algae but barely noticeable. The Seiryu needed constant scrubbing during the setup process as it would show the brown diatoms every couple of days. I ended up just breaking down the tank to start over as the algae got worse and other algae started showing up. Could have been just an individual tank issue, but from that experience I think the lighter colors of the Seiryu make it show algae much more easily.

I have never used either in my tank. I will have to try it sometime.

So happy I loaded up on dragon stone at Lowes when they sold dragon stone for 1 dollar a pound. They called it yellow rocks. :)

Thanks for sharing. Took advantage of the Lowe's haul last year (wink wink) Pish, a bucket, summer time set up a kiddie pool fill with water and reinforce the neighbor's notion that you are strange as you sit outside scrubbing rocks!!

Hello! I have 55 gal set up with Seiryu with many pieces having a nice white line running through. I really love the look. I have yet to try the dragon stone. Thank You for your video. :-)

Both are beautiful. Have both in our aquariums.

Seiryu stone looks amazing. Going to have to give it a try 👌

I have both, purchased dragon stone at Petco. I used flat head screwdriver and hammer to get the perfect break. 🤣 I didn't soak and just rinsed, cloudy!! Lol

Have only used Seiryu stone but like the patterns through it.

I prefer sponge boulders. Lava rock full of quartz geodes and crystal formation.

Seiryu means “azure dragon” in Japanese. It’s actually a Chinese constellation symbol (called “qinglong” in Chinese) and also a deity (very normal because many parts of Japanese culture, like Go, koi fish, the fox spirit, and dried persimmons, to name a few, actually originated in China). It’s probably why some people refer to it as dragon stone. It’s pronounced a little bit more like how your son pronounced it, but in Japanese they don’t really pronounce r’s the way we do, it’s more similar to an “l” sound so it’s sort of like “sei-lewyu”, so kinda in-between how your son pronounced it and how you pronounce it. Anyway cool video!

I like the look of both, (maybe the dragon rock a little more) but ive actually just ordered 5KG of each type to decide on, i am however leaning towards the Seiryu because i also want some type of wood in my tank to sit along side of the rock, like driftwood etc, problem is, i think because the dragon rock is brown in colour it will be to much, if i use the Seiryu i will have a mix of grey/brown with a soil substrate and plants, choices choices! 😄

Dragon Stones!! Learners' paradise 😉

Maybe prices vary according to locale, but I paid $40 for an 8 lb. bag of dragon stone at Petco. It worked out, because it was for a 10 gallon and a 2.5 gallon. Mainly, I got it because I didn't want to pay shipping for such a heavy item, but there are vendors who ship free on Amazon and charge a lot less. There's also a buy/sell/swap group on Reddit, and sometimes you'll find good buys on stone (and everything else) there, since it's mostly other hobbyists, and not people who depend on sales for their primary income.

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

Love on the ROCKS!…ain’t no surprise, seiryu and dragon don’t tell me no lies🙂👍🏻💯⭐️ Awesome Joanna! So far I’ve only used dragon stone thanks to you and Jason with the lowes sale a yr ago! Got a 44lb box devilvered for like 50 bucks.I’m gonna superglue some Java moss on a piece today, also I give credit to you for this as well⭐️ Awesome awesome awesome! Thanks as always-jeff

I spent almost 7 hours cleaning my ohko stone last week. Those clay pockets are no joke 😂

😊 I like the dragon stone.

Love them both but I learned the hard way about the dragon stone and cleaning it well. I rinsed it but not enough 😳

LOVE THE DRAGON STONE.

Hey....what about pink granite? I ordered some and it was supposed to be here today, but it's delayed. It's going in the same tank that you, Joanna, gave me the great advice on how deep to plant my red crypt. It's been over 2 weeks and there's barely any melt. But yeah have you ever used pink granite? It's not pink pink...like pink 💗....not that color...lol

I've bought some dragon stone and i'm picking it up tomorrow morning, this has given so many ideas to change my 120ltr tank. Thank you

Texas Holy rock is my favorite

Hi that Betta Tank @5:15 do you have a video link? Praise God! Your creations are wonderfully & fearfully made!

Like the comparison by parameter / characteristic. Thanks

I prefer dragon stone because cost wise it would be more advantageous because they are less dense and more porous compared to seiryu stone. So in essence, I can get bigger volume of the same weight and price, giving me more parts to play around with. But yeah, as stated in the video, the trade-off is that you don't get to have clear, blue water :(

I've not tried them but I do have lace rock in my 14gal. I was thinking I'd get some for my rescape nano

Any tips on having loaches with dragon stone would that be safe..?

Got my first 2 pcs of black seiryu just now

Hi have a great week!!!

I just got a piece of dragon stone was almost impossible to clean it haha I think in my white sand tank mountain stone is my favorite but that could change after my river tank

I love the look of dragon stone however it is a bit fragile. I haven't tried the other yet but will soon 😃

Petsmart had this box of dragon stone on clearance for at least a couple months now. Was tucked away in a really obscure corner. I finally picked it up and it ended up being 1$ a pound.

I have dragon stones in 2 of my tanks. I really like the way they look. My local fish store sells them. I would like to try a planted take with these stones in my 5 gallon Betta tank. What plants would you recommend? I've never had a planted tank before.

I usually get rocks in the "wild" lol. When I moved to a new house (1870) I decided to test all my rocks even some that had been in my tanks for awhile. I used the nitrate liquid and most didn't bubble. However I believe the seiryu did so I put it in my garden. It's under snow so I am not 100% sure. I think it's a good idea to check your rocks for peace of mine. I have high kh around 300 and high pH so don't know if the seiryu would have been a problem. Can you check with the professor on this? Thanks for your excellent videos.

I'm on team Seiryu!!!

I prefer Seiryu stone, for no other reason than the colour. I prefer cooler tones and it reminds me more of the outdoors here at home with our mountains.

I didn’t know Sara Palin liked to aquascape

I'm gonna do a 10 gallon dragon stone moss, anubias water fall scape. It's gonna house a betta! Inspired by you and serpa designs !!!it will be my first attempt at a waterfall

I want to keep zebra danios. Does seiryu stone harden the water. Currently my water ph is around 7

Hey someone told that stone increased ph..with on that disturbing wster ph? Because i want to pu cardinal shrimp

does the dragon stone with sharp edges hurt the fishes?

Seriyu stone has not been exported for years due to Japan prohibiting it. The reason people call it Ying stone is because that is what it is and it comes from the central Guangdong province in China.

I use both in my tanks but, I do like seiryu stone more.

My wonderful wife just so happened to find 11 lbs of seiryu stone at a resale shop for $7!! Stealllll

Hey u guys should do an aquascaping on a budget video!! I have 16 tanks as a hobbiest and just can't invest a few hundred dollars into aquascaping stuff

Good Morning.

Joanne I have two questions. Do you gravel vac a planted tank? And I bought two plants from Petsmart and just the tips are brown (Anubias Congensis and Java Fern). Should I snip off the brown parts?

Great video Joanna! Believe it or not I’ve never used either. I like features of both rocks, so how to choose?! I love rocks! 🥰 I prob will be deciding and purchasing very soon because I just found a small crack in my 10gal. 😩 Time to set up a new tank and a new scape. Bad timing though because my mystery snails born back in Aug just laid 2 new clutches in there! 🐌 ...impressive your son takes Japanese! ...do your videos usually happen on Wed?? I kept second-guessing myself and I had to check multiple times what day it was today. 🤪🙃😆 I work M,W,F, and I had to make sure I wasn’t supposed to show up for work! Ha! 😆 Midlife brain! 🙃

I currently have seiryu stone in one tank and dragon stone in my shrimp tank. The 3rd tank has local granite.

New to your channel , great video. Any chance of a close up on that tank set up behind you ?

What is the name of the plant the dark green moss looking one @1:51

I go for walks on gravel roads and look for something I like.

I set up a 10 gallon tank and used three beautiful mountain stone which I believe is the same or similar to Seiryu stone. My well water PH is 6.8. The PH in the tank kept going up and reached 8.4. As much as I loved them and they were absolutely beautiful, I decided to remove them. I put in a very large smooth rock similar to a river rock and now my pH is much lower again and more stable. Has anyone else had this issue?

I've used dragon stone but avoid seiryu as I was told it can mess with water hardness.

I've been wanting to add these stones to my 29 gallon, but I'm almost maxed on the weight limit for my floor. Is there anything lighter aside from lava rocks I can use?

I've never soaked my dragon stone and I've never had a cloudy tank as a result of not soaking it.

Love them both but just used Seriou stone with black substrate? Perfect contrast. Good luck breaking off a bunch of small pieces! It's so hard! There are turquoise areas showing up on the rock, now. Hope it isn't copper. Doesn't look like algae. I'm stumped? Any ideas?

I have not used them. They look kind of rough. Could a betta’s fins get injured?

Blue Fin Stone? Is that shale??

Hi Joanna. I have a question. Do you have any thoughts about Seiryu Stone Rock Acid Washed? Good thought? Bad thoughts? Thanks, a billion.

I love the look of Seiryu and used them for 2 years. But with the hard water in my area, these rocks leached something that killed my plants. When I removed them, plants lived and flourished. Do your research all

What happens if you boil the rocks?

Seiryu stone is inconsistent. I will always buy it if I am hand picking it. Some is ugly though so if I am buying sight unseen, I get dragon stone. It is always the same so you know what you will get.

@thesmallscape can I know what the sucker fish is at 0:43 of the video?

What's bad about boiling rocks?

What about holey rock

Thank you for noticing and responding to my question? Do u have a patreon account?

have you ever heard of zikler rock