Is it okay to add outdoor rocks to a tank?

Hey all!

So I have this ungodly awful tank setup right now.



And it's torture to look at every day. lol
I want something easy on the eyes and more natural, but I've recently run into financial struggles and I spent the last free money I had on a bottle of Seachem prime and some silk plants (that I haven't added yet, as you can tell).

So now. I walk past these beautiful smooth rocks outside my apartment every day and was wondering -- can I safely put them into my tank? It would be free and I think much much easier to look at. But I remember reading somewhere that rocks can leech minerals into your water, but I don't know how bad of a problem that actually is. Any information on this would be awesome!

I have a 5 gallon tank that is just very recently cycled and I will soon be adding a betta.

Another question -- since my tank is very new, I'm assuming I shouldn't move the substrate for a while until my bacteria is more stable. So if it is safe to add rocks to my aquarium, should I just add them over my current (terribly bright) substrate for a month or so before removing the original gravel?

Thanks in advance!!

 

There's always a small risk, but generally you can add rocks if you test them with vinegar. If they bubble, it's no good. Another thing is that you could add a few to a bucket of water and test the parameters before and after.

Not much BB is in the substrate so it shouldn't disturb your cycle.

What about replacing the gravel with black or white sand? It's very cheap, I think $5 for 5 pounds at Petco, and one bag should cover your needs

EDIT: also if you decide to use the rocks, make sure to clean them very well with hot water.

 

I didn't realize how cheap it was! I should be able to afford a bag of it soon. White sand would probably be great. Perhaps I could even still add a few rocks just for decoration then.

I will grab a few of them from outside and see what happens with some vinegar! Do you know what exactly the bubbles indicate that would be bad for my tank? I think apple cider vinegar is all I have at the house currently but I'll get some the next time I'm at the grocery store.

 

If it bubbles with vinegar, it will raise pH and water hardness, which isn't always a bad thing depending on what fish you're keeping. However, bettas prefer softer and more acidic water, although they can adapt to different conditions.

Some say the vinegar test is inaccurate, so I would still leave a few rocks in a bucket for a week and see how it goes. Do you have the API Master Test Kit?

 

You can also use muriatic acid to do the bubble test. Some think it's more accurate than vinegar. I've gotten it at the hardware store.

 

I have the time to do the week long test of having them in the water, so I will try that. I do have the API master test kit, so I'll measure the pH of the water beforehand and then a week after and see what it says.
If it turns out it does raise the pH, couldn't I just add a buffer or something to the water to keep it on the more acidic side?

 

I did some research on adjusting your tanks pH and, from what I've been reading, adjusting your pH can do a lot of harm if not done very slowly. So I think I answered that question for myself lol

So. I just tested my tap water for pH and it turned a dark blue. I then tested my tap for high range and it looks to me to be between 8.0 and 8.2. That seems VERY high, right? So I'm guessing I won't be adding any rocks to my aquarium anytime soon. I'm not even sure if having fish in that high pH is okay. I'll have to try and figure that one out.

Will white sand increase my pH anymore? What things could I put in my tank that won't risk raising it anymore than it already is?

 

Thanks for the Q&A here, had the same questions myself and now understand what to do. I have some unusual rocks collected from various places that I want to test and now I know how.

Muriatic acid on hand as it does a great job of cleaning calcium deposits off of seashells which I collect as well!

 

I use smooth river rocks that test no bubbles in my nursery tank. it adds a natural element and has the added benefit of giving fry a place to hide for a couple days after birth. there's pics of my nursery/grow out in my albums on here

 

Most hardware stores or garden centers also sell large (40 lb.) bags of pond pebbles and pea gravel. Usually at just under 4 bucks per bag. They usually also carry small bags of decorative pebbles and rocks, but at a much higher price. I use all of these and free shale from my property in my little ponds, with no issues. Just rinse like crazy, the bags of gravel are dusty as heck. Vinegar fizzing is an indicator of live bacteria, fyi.

 

Thank you so much!

 

Hey guys, so I did a week test to see if the rocks would raise the pH. Do you think it would be okay to add them, seeing as how the test for the rocks (left) and the test for my tap water (right) are the same? Or is it too risky, seeing as how high my pH is already?

 

that's a really odd color for pH :/

 

Right?? That's what I'm trying to figure out, too. I was trying to see if maybe it was between 8.2 and 8.4 or something.. Idk. I'm not doing it wrong though. I add 5ml, add 5 drops of the high range pH, cap and invert a few times, then wait and read it.

 

try the regular ph test

 

Vinegar fizzing is an indicator of live bacteria, fyi.

No it's not, the fizzing is just carbon dioxide being released from the reaction between acetic acid and carbonates.
https://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/multimedia/chapter6/lesson2

I think you're thinking of hydrogen peroxide which does fizz on contact with living cells

Oh, and a pH of 8.x isn't too high even for Bettas. Just be sure to acclimate them slowly to your water.

 

Thank you guys so much for pointing that out! I don't know how I got that mixed up. The first time I tested I swore that mine was so dark blue I had to do the high range, but now that I'm looking at it my tap is just around the 7.8 mark for pH.
You can see that in just a week those outdoor rocks made a visible difference in pH. Do you think that it would be okay to add them considering Bettas would be okay with a little higher pH if acclimated correctly? Or would the rocks progressively cause the pH to become higher and higher over time?

I'm just trying to find a way to make my tank look more interesting but I'm thinking that I might just have to stick with gravel and lots of silk plants lol

 

I did a mix of black stones, bright blue gravel and white sand in my nursery tank. looks really neat...

 

See, I really love the look of that! I want that, I'm just worried that having stones in there for a couple of months would lead to pH fluctuations, which I heard was dangerous for fish..

 

You can't go by the test colour difference to ascertain the change in pH. Since the dark blue is not on the chart you have to go to the high range test. It may have only changed by a tiny amount but since that's higher than what the regular pH can read you see a nonsense result.

Also, the pH can't keep rising indefinitely. It will top out on its own and the change will happen slowly enough that it won't hurt your fish

 

well- I do weekly water maintenance and I have not noticed any change at all in my water parameters after adding in the rocks. I got them at the dollar tree and cleaned them real well with hot water, then cooled them to room temp before putting them in. I have had them in there for 3+ months now with no change in pH or anything

 

Oh yes, should have qualified my comment with an "IF the rocks affect your pH"

 

Thank you both so much! I'm sorry, I probably seem like an idiot. There's a lot to learn with fish keeping!

That all makes a lot of sense now. And I should have figured that the change in pH would eventually cap out. Thanks so much! I can't wait to try and figure out how to arrange things in my tank. I'm ready for a change.

You guys are very much appreciated!

 

no problem. ive had fish for 2 decades and there is still stuff to learn.

though I have officially ventured into saltwater and ponds (cuz, of COURSE I have to take my obsession out of the house too!) now LOL

 

I can definitely see how fish keeping can start taking over your life. I feel like if my fiancée wasn't here to give me a reality check, I would have a house filled to the brI'm with animals and (now) fish! Lol