tb19

How to I clean rocks from my backyard so i can put them in my tank?

Goldfishcare

What I did was I got a bucket filled it with water then heated the water and added "tap water conditioner" and scrubed the rocks then left them in the water for 24H and the took them out and left them to dry.

genie

You need to boil them and then cool them slowly. I think you also need to do some kind of test with vinigar-- if it fizzes the rock is no good. I am not sure about how to do that, so maybe someone else can help you there.

Luniyn

It would depend on the rock you are talking about. If you have river rocks that have been put there (sometimes used by landscapers to make a gravel path or driveway) then a little scrubbing and soaking in boiling hot water should do the trick. However, if they are another type of rock then you have to know what type of rock it is. Otherwise you could be adding a rock that will change your water. Some rocks will leach into the water, which will change the Ph of the water to either acidic or basic depending on the type of rock. Do a little research to find out what type of rock it is, or post a picture and we can help find it (clean off the dirt so we can see the rock and only the rock) before you add it to the tank so you know what you are in for.

Neville

hi, don't put rocks with sharp and rough ends that will hurt your fish, u have to boil the rock properly for a few hours and soke it in the water with water conditioner for at least 1 day. be careful, some rocks may affect your water pH and water hardness.

COBettaCouple

Be careful adding things from the yard to a tank, it's generally discouraged as you can really affect your tank. Like previous posts said, boil them, leave them in conditioned water for at least a day and find out what they are. Test the water in the container you put the rocks in to see if it goes thru any pH changes. I'm not sure how to test with vinegar either, but I seem to remember that too. These rocks aren't colored/dyed are they?

tb19

no i dont think so ....i'll post up pics of the rocks soon

tb19

ok here it is... I checked it with vinegar and it didnt fizz. so thats good. I washed it in hot water and brushed it with a tooth brush to scrape off the dirt. then i let it sit in the bucket of hot water for a while and cooled it off with cold water.

Neville

looks good. it is ok i hope.

Luniyn

Yeah that stone will be fine. It looks to be a piece of granite. Those shiny spots are either mica or quartizite which are indicitive of granite stone. That shouldn't cause you any problems in your water as granite is a very hard stone.

Butterfly

Nice rocks
For the future- Rocks should be scrubbed to get dirt, leaves etc off, Then tested with a couple of drops of vinegar. If they fizz it means they will over time affect your ph because they are very slowly disolving. After the test they should be boiled for about ten minutes to kill any germs or other nasties that may be on your rocks. Let them cool in the water bringing them out in the cool air or putting them into cold water can cause them to explode and injure you. Hope that helps
Carol

tb19

Yeah that helped! I'll go out and look for more rocks and try out your advice

vin

I found 2 river stones...Brought them home, washed them with hot water and a scrub brush.....let them dry and added them to the tank....no problems....

MagpieTear

Going to try the vinegar test on some of my smaller field stones I've accumulated from my yard. I would like to make a cave for Mr. Jones to hang out in, and don't want to buy another ceramic looking object. Then the challenge will be boiling them out without SWMBO seeing me do so with her pasta pot. Or she'll hit me with the pot and the rocks...

sirdarksol

Or you could go to a thrift shop and find a cheap pot. I've seen stuff for a dollar or even less. You don't need anything fancy, just as long as the only hole in it is the one at the top.

crabbyabby

don't boil your rocks unless you really want to. you should first wash them with mild soap (I recommend dawn) that is what they use for oceanic animals. Rinse the rocks thouroghly then bake in your oven at 400 for onr hour. let cool and they should be ready to drop in your tank. always do your research to make sure that type of rock will not leach any hazards first. Or the lazy mans way go to kavatica.com and buy something safe. my fish especially my albino shark loves my rocks. I went with a sandstone. good luck.