Thursday, July 30, 2009

I found these rocks in the woods, are they safe to put in a freshwater fish tank?

i found these great smooth stones on a trail in the woods, they were obviously placed there by some one for some reason. anyway i think its granite cuz theyr gray and white and they're made of these tiny sparky crystals. the other type i got from a huge stone fence, its a slab of grey rock that's common here in MA. i don't know what it is thoagh, but it also has sparkly speks. its the type people use to decorate theyre front lawn. anyway, are these types aquarium safe? thanks.
Answers:
I have collected a number of rocks over the years for my aquariums. Most of them were smooth and found near streams. They were great and produced no problems.

One time, I collected about 5 rocks (they were rough and found at a park)all about tennis ball size and put them straight into my aquarium. the next day all of the fish were dead.

These days when I get rocks or driftwood, I throw it in the pool for a couple of days to leach any toxins out.
They should be ok. might kill any fish in there though.
if you boil them first
Boil them first to get out any impurities.
The safest approach is to NOT put them in your tank.

If you are bound and determined to do so, wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse them well, then boil them (rolling boil) for at least 30 minutes.
yea you should be fine as long as you boil them first..i have put rocks i found outside in my tanks along the years and ive never had any problems with it and my fish like it because its more natural
umm i wouldn't pu them in there. they could have some nasty stuff that would idssolve into your water.. or it could have limestone or something to change your water quality. If you still want to i would suggest rinsing it in hot soapy water then rinse the soap off. make sure nothing comes off easily when you wash it or your fish may nibble on it and eat it.
yes. but heres wat u n33d 2 do
clean um and then boil them in a pot for a while 2 get all the germys off
I think it should be fine. Just wash them very well. I would check my ph often after doing this for at least 6 months, once a week. Some types of rocks, like lava rock and coral (which is not a rock but most people use it as such) can effect your ph levels in your tank. I am not sure if these common grey rocks will have an impact or not. So, keep a close eye on your water quality. If it changes the ph it takes a long time to do this. So, I recommend as a rule to test for at least 6 months or more.

Good Luck and Take Care
run them in the dishwasher and they should be fine
If the rocks don't have any metallic looking flakes they should be fine.Put them in water and leave them outside in the sun til they start to grow green algea on them.Bring them inside and wash the algea off but don't use soap.Hot water and a stiff brush will work wonders.Good luck..
for best result boil any rock you want to put in your tank for 10 min to kill any diseases or parasites the rock may have on or in it. then let the rocks air dry before you put them in the tank, other wise the fish might get sick or a parasite

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