Adding Rocks To An Aquarium....

[Tommy Gunnz]

Hey everyone! I am working on creating a system of caves and what not for my fish and figured out that the rocks I can buy at the LFS aren't really the best bet. So, I collected a bunch from around the house and now I just need to make sure that they are ok for the tank and wont hurt the fish.

They are all relatively clean, I didnt have to dig em up or anything. If I was to boil them, would that help ensure that they wont pollute the water? Should I take any other steps to clean them? And is there anything else I havent thought about before I start in on this project? Since none of the rocks are 'soft' like limestone would be, will they affect my water parameters much?

Thanks in advance!

 

[CBTF]

I always boil mine then add them to the tank. No other tests.. haven't lost a fish to date. I recently bought new rocks at my LFS, because they're polished.

I hear some people on here say that some rocks contain minerals that leech off and are bad.. i believe putting a drop of vinegar on each rock will test this- if it fizzles then the rock is a bad one to add. Someone with more knowledge on this may want to clarify.

 

[sylvia]

The vinegar test establishes whether or not a rock will increase your tank's pH/hardness so it's a good diea to do that. Anything that doesn't fizz is inert and, therefore, should be alright.

Boiling them afterwards will kill off anything alive that could pose a threat.

Just a thought - something I've tried for making caves/rock systems was to mould some (white) clay into the shape(s) I wanted and then ask a friend to fire the structures for me. This kind of DIY has the obvious advantage of ensuring everything is done to your taste and is suitable for your tank. I realy liked how unique the look was and the clay also has the advantage of being inert. Obviously, however, you need suitable clay and someone with a kiln

 

[Lynden]

Avoid marble, I believe it leaches arsenic into the tank.

 

[The-Wolf]

Check out the pinned rock topic (see my sig)

 

[Saedcantas]

There's a lot more to this than just the fizz test to ensure that your rocks are inert

Some pictures or description might be helpful, Read The Wolf's topic and my own more basic guide written for fishcrazy could help also
Suitable Rocks for the Fishtank...

 

[guitarfish]

I setup a new tank 6 days ago, and tossed in some nice rocks from the woods where I live. The rocks are a kindof maroon in color, nice looking. Three or four days later I checked the pH, it was at 8.0! The tap water is 6.3, and the rock was the only thing in the tank. As a test, I took one of the rocks and put it in a bucket of tap water, and in 24hrs the pH of the water went from 6.3 to 6.6, so I concluded the rock is raising the pH.

My tank is a small 28g, so I removed the rocks, and bought a resin rock and am planning to use some Malaysian driftwood. These, and some plants later on will do the trick. Natural rocks would've been nice, but too many unknowns I guess.