Live Rock?

[fatheadminnow]

If I were to get "live" rock, what would I have to do to make it safe for my aquarium?

Would boiling it be the only thing I would have to do with it?

Also, will "live" rock raise the pH, or is that only with certain types of rock?

When I add the wood I got for my tank, the pH is going to drop, and with the Cichlids I have, they need the high pH, so I want to find a way to raise the pH without going out and spending a lot of money on rocks...But I will if that is the case.

Thanks guys!
-FHM

Sorry for the double thread...stupid computer...lol.

Hopefully one will be deleted?

 

[Truck]

live rock is for salt water tanks only

 

[doresy]

As suggested above so wrong section.

Boil anything that is 'live' makes it dead so pointless getting it in the first place, save your money and get 'dead' rock

A dose of boiling water to any kind of decoration (using common sense of course) will sort out most dangers

I use large barnacle shells to raise my PH as I only have artificial rocks in my Cichlid tank due to weight issues. They are only £3 a cluster in my LFS, I get some each time I go in so the PH raise is only ever very slight at any one time. I also have a bag of coral gravel in the stage one part of my filter.....it all helps.

 

[oscars r ace]

as said above live rock is only for marine tanks, either washing it in boiling water or ro water will kill it, it should only be washed in salt water, if you need to raise your ph why not use ph up and test with ph test kit?

 

[Truck]

PH up is not a good solution to raising your PH however coral sand is adding some of this in a filter sock will bring your PH up

 

[WoodenChair]

I said the same thing in his other live rock thread and since no one is on that one anymore, ill say it again here.

Please. Do not boil your rocks, i would hate to see you be the 1 in 100 people that get dead from it.

"what is that chair talking about this time?!?" you may ask.


Well what happens is (especially in the winter months) water, trapped inside the stones that you collect outside, begins to expand when being boiled, and if that high pressure steam cannot escape, then... well.

--If you light a fire cracker in the palm of your hand, chances are, when it explodes, it will sting, at best
--Close your hand around that same fire cracker... The missus will be opening your ketchup from now on.


Google it, you wont have a hard time finding a list of casualties and police reports on related incidents.

"That is preposterous senior chair"

No... It is not.


If you HAVE to boil your rocks, bake them first at around 125F for an hour or so first, so that water will slowly (and hopefully) evaporate out, and at WORST, your oven will take the shrapnel, not your face.


The extent of my rock cleaning is an old brush, hot tap, and vinegar test on rocks that look "sketchy"


Just a heads up. (I don't want to see anyone get hurt)


-ChairmanWood


EDIT: Pouring boiling water OVER rocks and letting it drain away... Is okay, but within caution, small rocks can still react quickly while being poured on.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Guys please check my other thread with the same title farther up in this section, as I double posted this thread on accident.

-FHM

 

[Inchworm]

Hi fatheadminnow

If I had seen this thread earlier, I would have deleted it, Now, since there are already a number of posts on it, I'll just close it to keep more members from adding to it and direct them to the more active one of the two.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=277833