Found Rocks

[AshleySpatula]

there is a dry riverbed near my house ( i live in AZ and the only time there is water is when it rains)
i found some cool rocks down there and would like to add them to my tank.

i figured if i scrub them wet with an old toothbrush then boil them that would get rid of any dirt, algea (there is a little water in the river bed) and anything else that might be bad.

would that be ok?

 

[roseK]

i collected rocks from the rivers edge for my turtle tank, and i just did a little washing in hot water and it was fine

 

[divisible by zero]

they could still have bad minerals in them, there are other tests that can be done on them, you'll have to research them more.

 

[roseK]

a vinegar test, to make sure theres no limestone or what ever

 

[AshleySpatula]

just drop vinegar on em? then what do i look for?

 

[roseK]

im not sure, ive never done it. supposibly its acidic and it will.. evaporate or something lol

 

[AshleySpatula]

cool lol thanks! i dont think there is any limestone though one looks to be a hunk of quartz, another one is green and lumpy almost like turquise but not blue...
i think they will look awesome in my tank!

 

[backley420]

i live in az too..

i did the same -

but i got a bunch of rocks - put them in a trash can filled with 25% bleach(mixed with water)
after that poured vingar on it and if it fizzes then its bad.
Then boiled it
But i choose river rock- the smooth kind and it looks nice

 

[Matty P]

If you put vinegar onto some limestone it will erode it because it is carboniforous.