Personally Sourced Rocks For Fish Tanks

[deftuch]

hi ive just bought another 180 litre juwel tank and i was thinking of going down to a local construction site where there is tonnes of rocks all different shapes and sizes. i just want to make sure ( providing i have cleaned them right ) that this sorta practice is safe for fish and if there are any rocks that could harm them. for example. flint and limestones ect.

 

[basboi85]

I've got slate and not sure what the others are in my tank but they are from the beach and I gave mine a good old scrub and left them in boiling water to kill any germs

 

[fluttermoth]

As long as they don't have any metallic veins in them, they will be 'safe', but limestone and some other rocks will dissolve and raise your pH and hardness.

 

[elmo666]

A quick test to see if rocks are safe is too check for calcium (limestone) by putting on a few drops of vinegar. Any fizzing or bubbling means that they are unsuitable for aquarium use.

 

[Lufbramatt]

Depends what sort of fish you keep. For rift valley and some central American cichlids limestone is ideal as its what their natural habitat is made of.

 

[minnnt]

All my rocks are 'personally sourced'