Rocks For Use In The Aquarium

[fishgirl1]

Thank You for sharing your knowledge with us. you have given some very good infomation.
Susan

 

[joejoehead]

hey i found some slate of some sort.. it breaks preety easy and is heavy it is used for gardens/walls/ garden walls.. it is gray with a gray inside.. i think it would be safe but how should i clean it

 

[fish nutter]

no one will probs reply but what about green stone?

 

[sara213]

Guy's I'm went looking for rocks today and i found some in a rock pile behind my barn (despite the snow..i found the rocks lol) anyhow...here are four rocks in total and I couldn't really identify them from the first post. Hoping for someone who knows a thing or two about them to see if they can identify them.

and another picture of all four rocks:

also note that ( you can't see from the pictures) but there are traces of fossils in them.

The vinegar test turned out negative.

 

[markandhisfish]

fantastic informative article . very useful worthy of a pin imo .

 

[ganesh_6663]

PLz identify the rock
Buy 2 new rock from market.
Please suggest me it is good to use for my FW tank or not.
Red one giving up its color when hold in hand , it's like brick but heavy (LFS guy told me that u can add plant on this stone)...........
and how to identify Driftwood

http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/40/05082012265.jpg/
http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/05082012264.jpg/



50G FW tank.
3 feet long,2 feet height and one half feet wide.
2 month old.
light--T5HO
having grain size white gravel around 1 inch thick.
Having four angle fish .
One top filter and oxygen machine running 24/7.

 

[don_kihotis]

Thanks for this informative thread 

 

[The-Wolf]

bump
 

 

[Rocks are riddles]

This is a wonderful thread. I tried to buy a few rocks from a masonry rock hard, they said I could have them for free. Two failed the acid test. I currently have the rest soaking in a 5 gallon bucket covered with a trash bag. In a few days I will test the pH against my tap water. I will go ahead and post the pics just Incase wolf is around. I think the black Rock is coal.

 

[Rocks are riddles]

 

[aliasger789]

Rocks
There are a lot of rocks to avoid in the fresh water aquarium, these include - Ores (rocks containing metal) & Calcareous (rocks containing Calcium) these shouldn't generally be used for fresh water tanks. As a rule of thumb, test the rock with an acid to see if it fizzes. If it does then the rock contains calcium and is unsuitable for aquarium use. I use white vinegar but you can, with the proper precautions and safety gear, use hydrochloric acid. Also you should pour boiling water over your rocks or wherever possible immerse them in boiling water to clean them and to kill any unwanted bacteria that may be living on it. Do not boil or roast in an oven and never use a microwave to heat up rocks.
Note; Rocks retain heat for a long, long time be extremely careful when handling hot rocks.


Alabaster
See Gypsum

Amethyst

Amethyst is a form of quartz, however it also contains Manganese and Iron.(this is what gives it the pale lilac to deep purple colours) darker the colour the more iron contained in it. The darker the piece the more hazardous it could be in an aquarium

Dead Coral. For Marine tanks only! Not Recommended.
Due to the poor collection methods and the unnecessary reef destruction this is a morally poor tank decoration and prohibited in some countries. Realistic artificial pieces are now widely available and are a much better choice.

Flint. (Flintstone)

Flint is usually dark grey, blue, black, or deep brown in colour & can be very sharp. It will scratch your tank if not positioned carefully.

Geodes. Not Recommended.

Geodes primarily consist of limestone, however many are quartz based. Sometimes minerals contained with in the hollow are harmful & even those that are �safe� are often razor sharp and can be lethal to fish.

Granite.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Granite is safe for aquariums; it is a very heavy rock and comes in many colours. Try to get rounded granite as it can come in jagged lumps.

Gypsum. Not Recommended.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Gypsum is Hydrated Calcium Sulphate a sedimentary rock. Being as it is made up of calcium sulphate it is entirely unsuitable for aquariums.

Ironstone

Ironstone has a chemical composition of (approx) per 88.85 gm
Fe 89.86 %, Hydrogen 1.13 %, Oxygen 8.01 % & other base elements 1%

the large amount of Fe maybe beneficial to a Dutch aquarium but one with fish it could be harmful in the long run.

Jade
A semi-precious stone.
Jade is a name applied to two different silicate minerals, Nephrite

and Jadeite

.
Nephrite is a form of amphibole, actinolite (a mineral that also includes a form of asbestos).
The second, the mineral jadeite, is a pyroxene.

Nephrite contains mostly iron ions and or magnesium ions and would therefore be more suited for jewellery than for an aquarium.
Jadeite is perfectly safe for aquatic use but probably more cost effective to sell it to a jeweller.

Jasper
Red Jasper

Rainbow jasper

A form of Chalcedony (mixture of Quartz and Moganite[SiO2])
This mineral is also an oxidate which means as it breaks down in water it produces oxygen and oxides.
Rainbow jasper has lots of metallic impurities in it, so is best avoided for aquatic use.
to emphasise
red jasper good
rainbow jasper, best avoided.

Limestone. African Cichlid tanks only!

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Limestone is a very heavy rock and will raise the pH. Limestone rocks are sedimentary rocks that are made from the mineral calcite which came from the beds of evaporated seas and lakes and from sea animal shells.

Live Rock. Calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms. For Marine Tanks only!

Cured live rock looks great in a marine tank by making it as natural as possible. It can provide a very good biological filter. Lots of marine life will be added to the tank along with it.
Note; Some of the above life may be undesirable.

Marble. Do not use!

As marble is a metamorphosed limestone and is composed of fairly pure calcite, it is very dangerous to be used in an aquarium.

Obsidian.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Obsidian rocks are igneous rocks that form when lava cools quickly above ground. It is actually glass and not a mixture of minerals. The edges of this rock are very sharp. It will scratch your tank if not positioned carefully.

Onyx.

Onyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz and is therefore safe to use.

Petrified wood.
Petrified wood is safe for all aquaria it is often banded and of variable colours. It is almost always made up of microcrystalline quartz. It's very inert and safe to use in an aquarium. There are exceptions and you should use the acid test to be certain.

Pumice. May not sink.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Pumice rocks are igneous rocks which were formed when lava cooled quickly above ground. You can see where little pockets of air had been. This rock is so light, that many pumice rocks will actually float in water, so it may not be suitable for aquariums. Pumice is actually a kind of glass and not a mixture of minerals.
Note; do not boil or roast due to possible explosions of trapped air pockets.

Quartz.

Quartz can be sharp and it is harder than glass. It will scratch your tank if not positioned carefully. IMO doesn�t look very nice in aquariums.

Sandstone. Not recommended.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Water-worn pebbles of varying sizes can give a very natural look to an aquarium. Sandstone is mostly safe to use for all tanks after the standard cleaning protocols; however it is a sedimentary rock made from small grains of quartz and feldspar.
Note; due to the feldspar, (which can contain potassium, sodium or calcium) it may be harmful.

Slate.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Slate can vary in colours for pale grey to a deep purple. Completely inert and is cheap to buy. Large thin pieces can be used as a background.
Note; Beware of sharp edges.

Tuffa Rock. For Marine and African Cichlid tanks only!

A very light rock ideal for where a lot of rock is needed to build a reef. Very cheap to buy if you get it from garden centres instead of local fish shops.
Note; Tuffa rock is formed from Magnesium Sulphate so it will harden the water.

Volcanic Rock/Lava/ Scoria.

Photo used with permission from Franklin Institute Science Museum and Tammy Payton www.tammypayton.net
Scoria is completely inert & very light. It needs to be mixed with rounded stones because it is too jagged for fish to use for spawning. It has an unnatural looking purple colour when new, but it soon naturalises. Scoria rocks are igneous rocks which were formed when lava cooled quickly above ground. You can see where little pockets of air had been. Scoria is actually a kind of glass and not a mixture of minerals.
Note; do not boil or roast due to possible explosions of trapped air pockets.

So as to comply with certain copyright laws most of the following information can be found at either List of rocks or list of minerals certain Photos can be found Here. all others are freely available on the internet.
See copyright rules Here

UPDATE 1-Aug-07
It has recently come to light that a lot of the wording I used for this article was originally stolen from here. This was not known to me at the time.
I have spoken to the original author and he is amicable to this topic staying on this site.
My thanks go to Andy Gordon for his understanding in this mater and my apologies to him for my reaction
to his repost of his topic on another forum.

also added in this update are pictures for ironstone, jade/jadeite and amythist

Hi, thanks i am looking answers for these rocks can you please tell me what rocks are these

 

[aliasger789]

Are these safe for saltwater aquariums

 

[Cellopoet]

I know this is a really old post, but I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify this rock and whether or not it is safe in a tropical freshwater community planted aquarium. I found it in my yard in So. Cal. It is dense and heavy so I believe it is some type of igneous rock, but I am by no means an expert. I did the vinegar test and there was no fizzing, but I wanted to be sure there is no risk of iron or copper. Although, I'm a little confused as to whether iron is good or bad for a planted aquarium. I had trouble attaching the photos, so here are links to three pictures:
pic01- https://www.dropbox.com/s/y2co9rcu52ee2zq/IMG_20181219_151020.jpg?dl=0
Pic02: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mvw64dw6qrucnbp/IMG_20181219_151047.jpg?dl=0
Pic03: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1iv2son0pibqbfh/IMG_20181219_151117.jpg?dl=0