Can You I.d This Rock, Is It Safe For Aquarium

[jamesmacc]

hi everyone. i have loads of this rock and wondered if its safe for use in my tank. im sure i have seen rocks on here with very similar coloursm its very dark grey/black with white swirls throgh it. i poured some vinigar on it and it did not fizz. here is picture of it, its lovely rock and i have a few tonne of it so would be handy if i could use it

 

[fluttermoth]

Vinegar isn't really a strong enough acid for testing rocks IME; rust remover is best.

I'd try filling two identical containers with water; put your rock in one and then test both for pH (and hardness if you can) after a few days and see if the readings differ.

 

[jamesmacc]

cheers for that mate, have put it in water and will test it with liquid api test kit, its out of date but should be ok? i only bought it a few weeks ago and the ph bottle is past its shelf life

 

[jamesmacc]

well both the buckets of water have been sitting for 3 days. tested the ph and both are exactly the same

 

[fluttermoth]

That's a good sign, though I'd do a hardness test before I used it, but I keep mostly softwater fish; yours might not mind so much.

 

[jamesmacc]

its going to be a cichlid tank and my water is very hard so i dont think it will affect it much. i will put it in the tank and leave it for a week or so and then do ph and hardness test. i dont have a liquid test for hardness, only the strips. you think its worth buying the liquid one?

 

[OldMan47]

The hardness test is really not necessary. If you were dissolving the rock in the water, you would see it in the pH reading.

 

[jamesmacc]

thanks for the advise guys. this forum is so dam usefull, dont know what i'd do without it