Can I Put Stones From My Garden Into My Tank?

[Liz1993]

Ok ive found these beautiful stones from the garden that would look amazing in my tank, Ive steralised them in boiled water over and over again, they have never been sprayed with anything such as pesticide or paint.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Put them in vinegar, if they fuzz then no.

 

[Welshweeks]

Might be worth monitoring them in a bucket of water first to see if the alter the PH in your water (do a ph test before and after adding to bucket)?

 

[fluttermoth]

Most rocks, as long as they contain no metallic veins (and are pesticide/paint free as well, obviously!) are 'safe', in that they wont directly harm fish.

They can dissolve and cause changes in pH and hardness though. Vinegar is not really a strong enough acid for testing; you want something more like rust remover, but putting them in a bucket and testing the pH after a few days is the easiest way.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

My common sense doesn't allow me to use any rocks or stones from my garden..although there are many around here. The reason being is that i potentially live down wind of very heavy industry (steel making) and wouldn't trust anything that falls from the sky, which includes using rainwater in my tank. So as long as there's no open-cast Chinese copper mines around, then try as was advised above. Good luck.

Terry.