Is This Rock Safe?

[fUbAr]

i purchased these rocks from my lfs, but am unsure if they're safe for tropical setups...

its a really light rock, very crumbly. Looks dark red/brown when dry, goes orangy when in the aquarium.

what is it, and is it safe to use?

many thanks.

 

[Cheffi]

The first pic looks like some tuffa rock I had, light and crumbly. If it is it's fine to use in a tank. Also you'd expect your lfs to only sell suitable materials for putting in aquariums.

 

[fUbAr]

both pics are of the same rock... one in the water one outside.

the shop sells all sorts, indoor... outdoor etc so was unsure exactly what it was suppoed to be used for. I guess i should have asked.

so if its what you think, its safe yeah?

 

[dizzied]

The first pic looks like tufa rock but the second looks like lava rock. Both are safe for the aquarium. Tufa will raise PH and hardness.

 

[fUbAr]

ah, could that be the cause of my high ph reading (8.4)?

 

[dizzied]

I don't think a small amount of tufa would drasticly change PH. Or maybe it isn't tufa and is something else.

 

[wodesorel]

Definately volcanic. I'd say lava rock, expecially if it sinks in water.

 

[atadon]

Definately volcanic. I'd say lava rock, expecially if it sinks in water.

if it is light, yes it could be volcanic, and on the other hand, do not boil (or heat etc) to kill the bacteria koz it might explode due to possible trapped air bubbles inside

// cheers

 

[Cheffi]

I'm surprised the 2nd photo is the same rock, in which case I would suggest it's not tuffa rock but lava rock as the others say. My tuffa didn't change colour in the water.

 

[fUbAr]

yep both photos are definately the same rock... i bought a big one and broke it up into smaller pieces, so the 2nd photo is just another piece of the same rock. However the 1st photo had both my aquarium lights shining on it.

so we're going for lava rock?

would this still raise my PH?

 

[dizzied]

Right, so maybe the lights are affecting the picture.

If it's white, it's tufa. If it's reddish, it's lava. Lava rock will not affect your water in any way.