Lava Rock And Driftwood

[gabbagabbahey38]

Hi everyone, I've come across a piece of driftwood and a piece of lava rock. I'm boiling the lava rock now and plan to put it in my tank after a few hours of boiling. Is this enough to just boil with water?

Also, I've been soaking and brushing my driftwood daily for about a week. Is it okay to brush it with a metal brush?

Should I soak either or both in water and test for pH changes?

Thanks!

 

[fluttermoth]

You really don't need to boil rocks; certainly not for hours! Take it out now; in some (rare, but it happens) bits of rock there are air pockets inside and if the air expands too much it can explode!

All you need to do (the wood too) is scrub in very, very hot, very salty water and then rinse clean and let them totally dry out

The lava rock will probably raise your pH and hardness slightly, while the bogwood will lower it (but i wouldn#t bet on them cancelling each other out, lol; the rocks effect will propbably be more than the bogwood can counteract.

What kind if fish will be in with it?

 

[gabbagabbahey38]

You really don't need to boil rocks; certainly not for hours! Take it out now; in some (rare, but it happens) bits of rock there are air pockets inside and if the air expands too much it can explode!

All you need to do (the wood too) is scrub in very, very hot, very salty water and then rinse clean and let them totally dry out

The lava rock will probably raise your pH and hardness slightly, while the bogwood will lower it (but i wouldn#t bet on them cancelling each other out, lol; the rocks effect will propbably be more than the bogwood can counteract.

What kind if fish will be in with it?

okay, I'll take it out. I've got about 7 tetras, 3 barbs, and a pleco. Should I be concerned that I scrubbed the driftwood with metal bristles? I know that fish are extremely sensitive to metals...

 

[fluttermoth]

lol; they're not that sensitve! As long as you rinse well you'll be fine

 

[gabbagabbahey38]

okay haha just want to make sure. My pH is running on the high 7's right now, maybe about 7.6-7.8, is that too high to be adding the lava rock?

 

[fluttermoth]

If it's proper lava rock it should be inert, and shouldn't effect your pH; I'd test it first though. I think with the fish you have, you don't want to be going any higher.

 

[gabbagabbahey38]

okay, I'll try to get that pH down before I add the rock then.

One last question, I can't really tell about the driftwood. Some of it looks pretty clean, and then there are parts that look black as if they've been burnt. Is this normal?

Here's a link of the picture of the wood, the black part, and the lava rock.

http/imgur.com/iasyF
http/imgur.com/iBqSR
http/imgur.com/xcEIe