Rock Question

[Soul Of The Night]

Hey all! Yet another ? from me about tank setup.


I want rocks in my aquarium (fresh water), and dont wanna pay hundreds of dollars for it. I am currently redoing a 55 gallon tank and am doing sand and i want to do rock.


Would it be ok to go to my local wooded area and just use rocks from there. Of course i would put them through serious cleaning first, but would this be alright?


Please, i need an answer quick because im going to do it in the morning and need to make sure im not going to be doing something stupid.


Thanks

 

[Lateral Line]

Most rocks and stones are safe to use in tanks. There are a few exceptions however, and it depends what you intend to keep.

Generally limestones, dolomites and similar rocks should not be used unless you intend to keep marines or a rift valley tank - they leach minerals, (mostly Calcium and Magnesium Carbonates and Bicarbonates) into the water which raise the pH and increase hardness, this is undesirable in most tanks. To test if the rock is of this type, put a drop of acid on it, (vinegar for example), these rock types react mildly but visibly and slowly produce a froth of bubbles, (Carbon Dioxide).

Another group of rocks to avoid are ore minerals. Be careful if you live in an area where there has ever been any kind of mining for metals, (coal mining is different - that tends to be safe). Any rocks which look "rusty" or are particularly heavy for their size are probably best avoided. Ores can leach metals into the water. Although most do so very slowly, some can quickly pollute a tank and unless you know what the minerals are, it is best just to avoid all of them.

As you are already aware, they will need a good clean. Some people put rocks in the oven, this is not good advice though, the rapid change in temperature can cause certain rocks, (mostly igneous and metamorphic rocks), to split or shatter, sometimes explosively.

Another simple piece of advice is to avoid examples with sharp edges for obvious reasons.

 

[Soul Of The Night]

Thanks, will do, and how would you recommend cleaning them? boiling? I know not to use any chemicals.

 

[Helen G]

I find slate very satisfying to work with. And you are pretty safe from ores - If it does contain any it is very easy to spot. I once made a fairly large structure with lots of caves. As regards cleaning, I used an aquarium disinfectant to scrub and rinsed very well. As regards putting things in the oven - think volcano!!!

Helen

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www.iridium-design.co.uk

 

[Lateral Line]

If they have been out in a woodland area, probably just a good scrub would suffice. If they are near any agricultural land or other places where they may have come into contact with sprays/pesticides/fertilisers etc., a few good scrubs and soaks in changes of water.

 

[lil.guppy]

I went to my local garden center. They had theses HUGE slate rocks. They charge by the pound, so I asked if they could take a hammer and break some pieces off for me. Then I also got some pool filter sand. I did the whole tank with sand and rocks for less then $20