aaron

hi guys.

I have had my tank for awhile now and it looks horrible. I made so many mistakes that i wish i could go back and fix. So im going for a new look. I have a small creek near my home and i think i want to replicate that. I want it to be uniform and not messy like my current tank set up. I just threw decor and rocks in it the first time around and now i want to do it right. So right now i have anacharis and java fern( I have 1.6wpg so im limited) what do you guys think about these plants and rocks( could i take rocks from my creek?) being the whole decor of the tank? Im open to ideas. I have tiger barbs and corry cats so i think they will go good with the reddish brown color of the rocks. I want some driftwood ,but im scared to mess with it. Let me know your opinions.

TedsTank

rocks from your creek are fine but yuo must sterilize them....boil or 10% bleach solution soak and rinse. Don't be afraid to do driftwood. It is fun, beautiful and natural...it sounds scarey after all the different techniques we use....but if you find some natural drift wood in the creek and it already sinks....just sterilize it as best you can....if it sinks it is most likely already cured and just needs a good cleaning. Your plants will be fine.

or:

Buy some tank ready driftwood from LFS....and I have seen some nice natural looking artificial driftwood

aaron

Hmm you think the wood from my creek would really be ok? I am a bit paronoid over my fish. I was wondering if the creek is even a good idea to collect stuff from. Is there anything in natural water like creeks and rivers thats hazardous to fish? I thought about how "natural" the tannins in the wood would make the tank water look.

JennDFK

Just make sure and boil the wood and it should be fine... That said I had a lot of trouble finding suitable wood in our local river and I ended up buying some. We have so much cedar and soft woods in my area and apparently they not good for tanks. What you need is a good hardwood. I was afraid that I might get the wrong type of wood. The driftwood I found at the pet store has been a beautiful addition to the tank and given the water a nice light tea color that really brings out the green colors in the plants.

aaron

What if i dont like the tannins? will weekly water changes take them out eventually?(if i removed the driftwood) So for the rocks mix bleach and water in a bucket and let them sit overnight and i should be ok? I am going to stack the rocks almost to the top of my tank and let java moss grow down them. Think that would be a good center piece?

namehater

i would scrub the rocks with a brush. when i collecting 'wild' rocks even after boiling the heck out of them there was still an algae like film on them that. once i scrubbed them they came out looking beautiful!

aaron

oh great idea. Can i get away without boiling them? My mom is a neat freak and i know she would have a cow if i put rocks in our cooking stuff. Are wild fish a no no? There is a really cool little cat fish in our creeks that stays really small.

namehater

i wouldnt risk catching wild fish unless you know EXACTLY what the species is. just because you never see them get big doesnt mean that they dont. it may also be against the law to keep that fish in captivity, there are laws protecting some fish.

if you could catch one and snap a nice clear photo of it, maybe somebody could help you identify it and you could just go from there once you know what it is.

you can definitely 'get away' with not boiling the rocks, but its a gamble. you never know what type of parasite or bacteria might be lingering in the rock. i would suggest you make a trip up to a dollar store or something and see what they have for cheap pots. maybe even check out a thrift store or garage sales.

CHoffman

I would say that not boiling the rocks is more then a gamble...It really isn't an option IMO...I would like Namehater said go to the dollar store. Also do a bleach solution and rinse them....You'll have to rinse them super well and then boil them. You really do not want wants in those rocks in your tank.

aaron

thanks guys. will boiling water and pouring it over the rocks multiple times be alright? some of the rocks are rather large and would take a huge pot. They are in a bleach solution right now. This forum is so great. im addicted to it. Thanks again for clearing everything up for me!

namehater

if your finding rocks to big for a pot to boil them in id be scared that they are too heavy to use in a tank lol.

personally i would feel safe pouring the boiling water over them, especially since you are giving them a bleach bath.

enthusiast

You dont have to put the rocks inyour moms good cooking pans and ruin them, & i strongly wouldnt recommend using any bleach in anything your going to put in your fishtank for any reason whatsoever. IMO its too bigga risk for something that there are other alternatives to.

If you want to disinfect your rocks for use in your tank go to the wal mart & buy a 5 gal bucket for $3. Put your rocks in the bucket and boil the water in your mom's nice pans, and dump the boiling water in the 5 gal bucket with your rocks. I let them soak in the bucket until the waters cool enough to get them back out, (2-3 hrs?) then i scrub them really good with a little brush (that you could also get at wal mart for about $1.50), put them back in the bucket after you've scrubbed & rinsed them, and pour boiling water on them again. The boiling water will kill ANYTHING, its a complete and safe way to disinfect anything you want to use in your tank without the worry of if theres any traces of bleach on anything.

As far as the driftwood. The tannins released could release for weeks or months. I always soak my driftwood for atleast a month. If your buying it at the store the situation is very similar for the rocks, put in your 5 gal bucket, boiling water, scrub, boiling water only after pouring the 2nd round of boiling water on it after the scrub you should just let it set and soak, for as long as it takes to release all the tannins. The water will continue to turn the amber-yellowish color, just keep dumping the water out and replacing it until this discoloration is gone, then the wood would be fine

the tannins are harmless to the fish, most aquarists just dont like the color it gives their tank water. The boiling would kill anything on the driftwood. I wouldnt recommend using driftwood from your local creek as its almost too much work than what it would be to just buy your own and be rest assured its much safer to use.

Lucy

I have to respectfully disagree. If done correctly bleach is great for sterilizing.
(19 parts water to 1 part bleach. Rinse until you can no longer smell bleach. Soak whatever you're bleaching in water OD'd with dechlorinator for a while, even over night.
Rinse again and you will be good to go.)

Angela_96

I have used bleached rocks in all of my tanks. I soaked them in bleach for a long time then boiled all of them. That was over a year ago, and no ill effects on my fish. I did put them in the tanks before cycling them, and overdosing with de-cholrinator.

BTW I collected all of my rocks from local streams, lakes, and rivers and they were just fine.