new rocks

[newfishies]

i just bought some nice, flat, polished river rocks for my tank. should i boil them or something before putting them in?

 

[FishDan]

Did you buy them from a LFS? If so they are likely "ready to use". Just rinse them off to clean off any dust and dirt that may have settled on them. If you actually picked them up from a river, yes, boiling them is the way to go. This will kill off any "nasties" that may have hitchhiked when you picked up the rocks.

\Dan

 

[newfishies]

i actually found them in the craft section of a walmart

 

[FishDan]

Then I would do the same thing as LFS. Just give them a good rinse and they should be fine. I have similar river rocks that I bought a bag of from a craft store and they have caused no problems at all.

\Dan

 

[newfishies]

thanks dan!!

 

[Aquascaper]

Wait up! For the sake of boiling some water you are prepared to risk your fish

Even if they came from an LFS I would still boil them, seeing as they are from the craft section of a shop I would definitely boil them.

All rocks, wood, etc. should be sterilised IMO before being added to a tank as a safeguard to your fishes health.

 

[gale]

Wait up! For the sake of boiling some water you are prepared to risk your fish

Even if they came from an LFS I would still boil them, seeing as they are from the craft section of a shop I would definitely boil them.

All rocks, wood, etc. should be sterilised IMO before being added to a tank as a safeguard to your fishes health.

Does that mean the driftwood I just got from big al's should be sterilized? Should I actually put it in a pot and boil it (not sure if I have a pot big enough) or is it ok to boil a kettle of water and pour it over in a bucket? It's the kind with the metal plate on the bottom.

 

[yungnhopless562]

I heard that u could put driftwood in the oven to sterilize it ? not sure though, someone back me up please heh

 

[FishDan]

The point of boiling is to kill/remove "nasties" that, primarily, come from nature. You don't want aquatic "nasties" hitching a ride with those great rocks you found down by the river. The likelyhood of any "nasties" that are going to harm or effen remotely affect your fish is so small as to almost be nil. The chance that someone is walking around "infecting" WalMarts river rocks with aquatic bacteria or parasites is pretty far fetched. Yes, it is possible that fish might "catch" something from non-aquatic germs etc, but seriously, that is so unlikely. I know people who have kept fish since before I was born (thats over 30 years) who regularly shop in LFS's and craft stores/section and not once has one of them had a problem. Neither have I. I rinse everything I buy from a relatively clean, indoor store. The types of things that will harm my fish/aquatic life don't thrive in WalMarts craft section. If I find some rocks by the river, or at an outdoor gravel yeard I will boil them. If you are paranoid then boil everything that goes in your tank, that's fine and won't hurt anything. I just do not think it is needed most of the time.

\Dan

 

[a1wonder]

HOLD UP!
I hope for your sake you didn't open the package yet! I'm a michaels (you know the craft store) employee and we sell the same rocks that walmart does and they are NOT aquarium safe. They are by the same supplier and have identical packageing but on the michaels label it read “Rocks contain lacquer and are not safe for aquarium for terrarium use" walmarts label does not have the same warning on it currently this label appeared in our stores about a month ago. And they were currently in my tank (which are all currently fished out from now on). What I did notice when I pulled them out that half the gloss was gone meaning the chemicals were in my water. This product is Identical! I think we just got the new labels sooner.

 

[Bryan]

WHOA
I thought the finish was coming off my rocks, shoot, I gotta get them out of there as soon as possible, maybe it's allready to late, and that might explain my problems!!!!!!

 

[Discomafia]

Wow. Good thing you work at Michael's and spotted this thread in the nick of time a1wonder. I don't care where/how I get my aquarium decorations. Anything that's going into my tank will either be boiled for 20 mins or in a 400 degree oven for a while.

Except my driftwood, which I just washed a few times. Didn't even leak tannins into the water, as it was a pre-treated driftwood but I just washed it all the same. What I mean by wash is scrub with water for a while, no soap/detergent involved, although I now know that a weak bleach soultion could have done the job faster.

 

[a1wonder]

If anyone is interested I have about 5 bags of white and black polished stones....