Fossil Rock?

[too_many_fish]

I found a large Fossil rock yesterday that is just beautiful and I was wondering if once it is cleaned could it be used as the centerpiece of a saltwater tank? It has many hidy holes and crevices for life to form once the tank is established and I would love to use it if at all possible. Your advice is greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

it depends on what the actual rock is but it should be fine as long as it is free of chemicals and pesticides and doesn't contain traces of copper.

 

[SkiFletch]

would be a good idea to rinse it in tapwater a few times, then leave it to sit in some RO water for a day or so , drained, and then you can use it.

 

[too_many_fish]

Hi, thanks for the responses! I asked at the LFS today and of course I was told NO, unless I wanted dead fish. I have no clue what kind of rock it is, just thought it would be a neat centerpiece. She doesn't even have any LR for sale, just BR. The LR she had in her tank was from someone else that brought it in because it had algae growing on it and she said it was a "treat" for the fish and such in her tank.

 

[Donya]

The LFS person's comment seems a bit harsh without knowing what the rock is. If you can't tell what the rock is, leaving it out is probably safest...but if you can ID the rock type, after soaking it shouldn't be an issue. I've used plenty of non-reef rocks in my tanks without issue; it's turned into some of the best LR I've got.

Something to add onto what Ski said: to be extra safe if you're not 100% sure of the mineral content of the rock (or if you can't see into all the holes in it) check the pH of the water before soaking and periodically over the couple days it soaks. If you see a sharp drop in the pH, that can be an indicator of other trace minerals that you might not want, or decaying organics hidden in places that weren't visible, etc.

EDIT: should also point out that if you want to preserve the fossils in this rock, particularly if it's carbonate-based, an aquarium will destroy it over time. Sometimes the fossils can even be softer than the surrounding rock and dissolve first (not that common, but I've run accross that situation a few times). If the fossils are worth keeping then you might want to save the rock rather than allow reef critters to munch on it.

 

[too_many_fish]

WOW! Thanks so much again for the great info! I think I will feel safer leaving it out seeing as how I don't know what it is I have. Might be best to just make it a centerpiece in the garden somewhere outside. THANKS AGAIN!