Preparing Lava Rock for my tank?

I want to put like 2 pieces of lava rock in my 20 gallon and tie some plants to it like java moss and wisteria , I saw some lava rock at petco in the acuatics section ( not the ones they keep in their tanks) by the decorations they had red and black Rock , can I trust these rocks to be good ? And how would I prep them to put in my tank

 

I use lava rock in my filter as the bio media. I boiled mine first just to be safe but I also got mine from my grandparents yard because apparently they threw it in their yard awhile back lol

I'm sure it'll be fine, I would recommend boiling it first though

 

I use lava rock in my filter as the bio media. I boiled mine first just to be safe but I also got mine from my grandparents yard because apparently they threw it in their yard awhile back lol

I'm sure it'll be fine, I would recommend boiling it first though

For how long do I boil it for ? Can I put the rocks in a bucket and pour in boiling water and let them sit ?

 

I boiled mine for about 10 minutes but that is probably a bit excessive so only 1 minute or 2 should be fine.

And dumping boiling water into a bucket should be fine, you might want to do a few rounds of this though. Its really just to make sure there isn't any bacteria in its pores. It'll also help clean it up a bit

 

Be careful boiling rocks, they can explode. Soaking in hot water is fine.

 

Yeah that's true ^I forgot about that^ typically you have to watch out for that when setting up a fire ring with rocks found in streams/rivers. Lava rock should be fine because its so porous and if bought in store then it should dried out. Also lava rock is used in grilling but those may be prepared differently.

 

Yeah that's true ^I forgot about that^ typically you have to watch out for that when setting up a fire ring with rocks found in streams/rivers. Lava rock should be fine because its so porous and if bought in store then it should dried out. Also lava rock is used in grilling but those may be prepared differently.

Yeh I read about the exploding rocks in a other forum so that's why I want to do it with a bucket, so just pore in boiling water and leave it for 10 minutes right ?

 

Yeah that'll do

 

Yeah that'll do

Thanks for the info I have one more question lol I plan on attaching plants to the rocks but itll take time for them to get to me I was thinking java moss and some anubias, can I put the rocks in today and once I get the plants take the rocks put and tie them down and put it back in my tank or do I have to wait till I get my plants to throw it in with my rock

 

Either way you prefer. You can put the rocks in now and pull them out later or you can wait until you get the plants on them to put them in

 

Either way you prefer. You can put the rocks in now and pull them out later or you can wait until you get the plants on them to put them in

Alright thanks for your info I appreciate it ,