Boiling Rocks

[PlatinumAngel]

umm how important is it to boil rocks? What if I umm, forgot to boil them and in my excitement put them in the tank?

 

[Keithoms]

Hahaha, you sir are screwed!

Nah jk i dont know, But i presume rocks arnt going to do anything bad. Depends where you got them.

 

[PlatinumAngel]

got them at a local beach. Was pretty clean, no garbage or syringes on the shore


and btw, I'm a ma'am

 

[Ace Of Spades]

got them at a local beach. Was pretty clean, no garbage or syringes on the shore


and btw, I'm a ma'am

You could exspect a sudden PH rise that could potentially kill your fish depending on what rock it is, they could also leach things into your water. Especially comming from a beach.

But this is on the extreme, just watch your PH and Hardiness levels and youll be fine IMO

 

[PlatinumAngel]

Well they're in my tank thats cycling atm, and only at the first week of fishless cycling. Do you think they'll be ok by the time the cyclings finished?

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Well they're in my tank thats cycling atm, and only at the first week of fishless cycling. Do you think they'll be ok by the time the cyclings finished?

That I cannot be sure of, Just monitor the PH as I said and all will be fine and dandy

 

[PlatinumAngel]

Will do thanks.

 

[Soaup]

What kind of filter do you have?

 

[three-fingers]

If you could take a picture of the rocks, we could be able to give you a general indication of if they are going to effect the water parameters.

 

[Mr Bliss]

Boiling just helps get out organic compounds and soluble materials such as pollutants that might be in the stone, and kills any parasites etc (only relevant if the rock comes from a freshwater pond or such). I don't think I've ever boiled a rock in the 15+ years I've kept aquaria and the rocks I've collected have spent years in succesful tanks. But then, almost all rock around here is a very safe (and very pretty) kind of granite.

If it's still possible without ruining your decor, you could just take the rocks out, dry them with a towel (no need to get them dry dry, just not dripping wet) and pour a little bit of vinegar on them. If you see it foaming or bubbling, the stone may slowly dissolve in your tank and raise your pH (and release potentially harmful compounds inside the rock I guess); if this happens, it's better to leave the rock out unless you have a specific reason to raise your pH. If the vinegar doesn't result in a reaction, just put the rocks back in. That's my opinion anyway.

 

[PlatinumAngel]

ooh I did the vinigar test already. Neither of these two bubbled. (Although I had two others who only faintly bubbled and was curious about those two, they are not in the tank)

I can take a pic this weekend and post it.
Filter is a tetra something...

 

[Loony Fish]

how do you boil rocks without scratching the pan?

 

[Ian H]

i wouldnt advise boiling rocks!! theres been a few cases where they have exploded!

 

[raptorrex]

i would not boil them at all, though i would clean them with boiling water before putting them in. unless the rocks are porous, there will be nothing to kill inside them, so all the contaminants are on the surface. porous rocks are a different kettle of fish. but i would have thought soaking them, as opposed to plain boiling would be the course. and yes rocks do explode, on occasion, when heated/boiled. and they make quite a mess!

 

[PlatinumAngel]

YIKES!!!
I wondered about the scratching myself!
Maybe I'll just clean any new ones with boiling water...

sorry didn't get a chance to get a pic.