Rocks From Estuary/beach?

[catterbury]

Hey all, i am desperate to change the rock colouration and formation in my african cichlid tank after seeing some pictures on this forum, but when i saw the prices you had to pay for these rocks i though ' oh dear '. I went for a walk to a 'sea wall' near where i live and saw some nice rocks so took them home and have searched this forum to see what type they are and if they are safe to use but cannot find a match. I know everyone says they 'should' be ok after being powerwashed but i just want extra re-assurance as last thing i want it my fish dying. This sea wall i had them from isnt exaclt a beach, no one actually goes there and is more of an estuary, or opening of a river, but not exactly clean water. Could i really use these? Can't afford like £12 a rock in my local shop, and cannot find decent size cobbles in any B&Q around me.
Here is a picture of the rocks i picked up, have not washed them yet, but they are of nice size and natural shapes.

 

[dthoffsett]

Well, all I can say is w/a good washing they "should" be fine. If you click on the link in my signature there is a very informative article that should allay your fears.

 

[catterbury]

that is a great article.. but which of the stones listed are the ones i have? Could the be some sort of slate? Would it be better collecting from a stream/river? I just dont want to get caught as i heard it is illegal now?

 

[Spinal]

Quick addition to the article... it helps if you shove the rocks in a pressure cooker with some water and give them a quick boil to make sure that you don't have any hitchhikers...

Spinal

 

[raptorrex]

Quick addition to the article... it helps if you shove the rocks in a pressure cooker with some water and give them a quick boil to make sure that you don't have any hitchhikers...

Spinal

lol good idea, but take care which rocks you boil. slate for instance can explode. water gets into fisures in the rock causing it to pop. lol quite a lot of outside fires when i was a kid ended in a shower of hot sharp slate.

 

[catterbury]

Dont tell the taliban that!

 

[raptorrex]

Dont tell the taliban that!

OMG never thought of that! Do you think they keep fish?

 

[joloco]

i would say definatly definatly definately boil them, you can't guarantee whats in the water from the area you picked them up from. i did mine for five minutes - much too long but i wanted to be sure they were safe.

if you do think they might be slate i'd go with the pressure cooker or a tightly fitting lid!

 

[catterbury]

Just wanted to follow up on this topic i started. Have finally set up the tank with the new rocks from the beach, after two nights of boiling.. ( need a bigger pan if im doing it again ). Been 3 days now and fish seem to be ok. Also powerwashed the rocks before boiling to get rid of any debris. Fingers crossed, but so far so good. Thanks all!