IceCap Seiryu Stone, 44lbs

1. Open your 44lb Seiryu case outside or over a utility towel. Carefully layout all the distinct stone segments to assess their sizes, grain paths, and sharp feature faces.
2. Use a stiff-bristled brush to thoroughly scrub all exterior crevices under running tap water. This removes fine gray stone dust or transit sediment caught in the craggy valleys. Warning: Never wash aquascaping stones with bleach, household dish soaps, or chemical cleaners.
3. Test your layout on a flat table or inside an empty box cut to your tank's footprint before placing them on the aquarium glass.
4. When stacking heavy, jagged Seiryu boulders inside your tank, never place them directly on the bare bottom glass. Lay down a plastic grid spacer (like eggcrate) or a 1-inch layer of sand to distribute the weight evenly and protect the pane from stress cracks.
5. Secure steep arrangements or tall cliff lines by interlocking the stones tightly, using specialized aquarium-safe epoxy or cyanoacrylate gel at the contact points to prevent sliding.
6. Slowly fill your aquarium with water. Direct the stream over a plate or bubble wrap to avoid shifting your sand bed or washing loose substrate over the clean faces of your stones.

Pro Tips:

• Use regular Water Changes to Easily Balance Mineral Buffering. Because high-quality Seiryu stone contains natural calcite deposits, it can slowly raise your water hardness (TDS) and pH over time. If you are keeping soft-water plants or specialized Caridina shrimp, don't worry—you can easily keep this in check. Performing a routine weekly 20% to 30% water change using fresh RO/DI water will reset your mineral levels and keep your water parameters perfectly stable.
• Acid-Wash with Muriatic Acid to Unlock Ultra-Deep Charcoal Tones. If you want to maximize the visual contrast of your IC-RSS hardscape, you can perform a brief acid-wash before adding the stones to your tank. Working safely outdoors with heavy gloves and eye protection, dip the stones in a diluted solution of muriatic acid and water for 2 to 3 minutes, then neutralize them in a baking soda bath. This removes the outer dull gray layer, making the deep charcoal colors pop and leaving the white veins looking incredibly bright and crisp.
• Incorporate Active Aqua-Soils to Keep Your pH Level Neutrally Balanced. If your ultimate goal is a lush, high-tech planted tank with carpeting plants like Dwarf Baby Tears or Hairgrass, pair your Seiryu stone with an active, buffering aqua-soil substrate. These volcanic-based soils naturally lower and buffer your pH into the 6.2–6.8 range. This perfectly counteracts the gentle upward buffer of the Seiryu stone, leaving you with a highly stable, neutral environment where both your rocks and plants can thrive.