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Freshwater Substrates - Gravel, Sand for discussing freshwater aquarium substrates such as gravel, sand, etc.

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Old May 11th, 2009  
Fish Bum
 
Can I used these rocks? (pics)

Hi, new to the forums, wanted to start by saying hi..."Hi" hehe. Anyway I have been reading a lot of very helpful info from this site and have a question of my own...

I've been reading some types of rocks, specifically those containing calcium, can be bad for your tank assuming you DONT want to change the pH of your aquarium. I washed all my rocks in the bath tub with a heavy duty wire brush. Upon doing so, once my tasks were complete I noticed a ring of black around my tub which was not there before. This is my first concern. Secondly before I even began the washing process I threw a few UNWASHED pieces into a see-thru glass container and added vinegar to see if they bubbled...they fizzed sporadically at first but then stopped. Once I went through the process of washing my rocks I then poured vinegar on one to see if it too would fizz...I didn't see any fizzing. Here are some pics of the rocks beginning with the black ring they left in my tub. Please if anyone can tell me if these are safe and will NOT change my pH I would be so grateful! Thanks guys and gals!

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RabbitsAreSlow is offline  
Old May 11th, 2009  
Fish Keeper
 
First question: Where did you find them? I see quartz but not sure what the blackness is. I would need to know where you got it from.
MizRamzi is offline  
Old May 11th, 2009  
Fish Master
 
Hi,
Welcome to Fishlore!!....Is there sparkles in your rock??
CHoffman is offline  
Old May 11th, 2009  
Fish Keeper
 
I think you probably have a metamorphic rock. From what I can see in the pics (thanks sssooo much for including those, makes this much easier) the white is likely veins/striations of quartz...buuuttt, to be sure, take a steel knife and try to scrape off a bit of the white stuff, see if you can make a powder. If you can't, they are quartz. If you can, put some vinegar on the powder to see if it fizzes (VERY important to powder it first!)

If the powder fizzes - the light bands are calcite or dolomite. These are calcium minerals and will potentially raise the pH in your tank. However, the amount of these minerals in the rock is extremely small, and if you're doing regular water changes it likely isn't going to affect much as you'll be removing it as fast as it appears. Unless you've got extremely delicate fish I wouldn't worry.

If the powder doesn't fizz - likely clays. Inert! aquascape away!

I think the black stuff is either chert or metamorphic minerals like biotite and possibly amphibole. Also inert.

Rocks get transported far and wide and are often found very far away from where they were formed, so where you found it is SOMETIMES a good indicator of what it may be, but not always.

The ring in your sink? dirt.
prairielilly is offline  
Old May 11th, 2009  
Fish Bum
 
I got the rocks from a local landscape depot here in Florida. There ARE sparkles in the rock. I will try to make a powder out of the white stuff and hope to all that is holy that is does NOT fizz. Right now I have all the rocks resting, submerged in dechlorinated water. Is it necessary to boil/heat the rocks to kill the bacteria? What is the safest way as I've read boiling can cause them to remodel your kitchen and the oven seems unsafe to me. Pouring water over them seems alright but that's assuming you get the boiling water in all the nooks and crannies...thanks again for the quick responses everyone I appreciate this sooooo much!
RabbitsAreSlow is offline  
Old May 12th, 2009  
Fish Keeper
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabbitsAreSlow View Post
Is it necessary to boil/heat the rocks to kill the bacteria? What is the safest way as I've read boiling can cause them to remodel your kitchen and the oven seems unsafe to me.
The sparkles are likely quartz. If they're purple, blue or gold-coloured, post that, those aren't safe.

If a rock was straight limestone, I'd be sort of concerned about its effect on the pH. The amount of (possible) calcite in these rocks is like one white petal in two dozen red roses (not great with metaphors at 10 pm) so its effect on your tank's pH is going to be really small.

Since they're from a landscape place, boiling would be a grand idea as it will clean and sterilize them. Baking will only cook the dirt, it won't remove it. Not sure about the 'remodeling kitchen' but I can assure you no boiling is going to change the rocks...if it did, they wouldn't be rocks. I promise you they will NOT explode. Boiling water gets up to 100 degrees C - to melt rocks, you'd have to multiply that by a thousand, and then some more, and some more...no stove can go that high, you need a volcano for that.
prairielilly is offline  
Old May 21st, 2009  
Fish Keeper
 
i use something similar.
Bad Wolf is offline  
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