Picked up some new small rocks today

[ccg]

Hello everyone,

Today I was at a dollar store and I came across a few bags of "river rocks" for $1 each. The bags have about 3-4 dozen stones in each bag, so I picked up a few of them.

The rocks appear to be polished and kind of shiney. I boiled them for about an hour and a half and let them cool. I am now noticing there is some sort of film on top of the water. Not exactly sure what it is, I am assuming it has come off the rocks or something?

Does this mean they are not safe to use?

EDIT: I also put them in vinigar before hand to see if they would fizz or whatever and they did not.

 

[ccg]

I have been boiling them all day, and they do not appear nearly as shiney as when I had bought them, so they must have been coated with something?

Not to sure myself, but the more I boil them/change the water the less film I get on top.

 

[Blue Lobster]

Throw them in the Microwave for 30 seconds. That will kill any bacteria on them.

 

[ccg]

I am not to worried about any bacteria on them as they have been boiling for a very long tiem. I am worried that they have may have been coated with something in order to make them look nicer. The reason I think this is because after I boil them and let the water cool, it appears that there is some sort of film on top of the water, possible from the rocks or wahtever is on them.

Not to sure waht to do with them.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi ccg

I know just the kind of rock you mean. It looks like it's wet, even when it's not.

Unfortunately it is tumbled rock with some kind of coating put on to give it that lovely appearance. I thought about using it myself until I read that one of the other members had a package of it that was specifically labeled, "not for use in an aquarium."

In this case, it's probably best not to take a chance.

 

[SirMinion]

Throw them in the Microwave for 30 seconds. That will kill any bacteria on them.

NO! NEVER MICROWAVE ROCKS OF ANY KIND!

Microwaving rocks can cause the rock to explode, destroying the mirowave oven, and showering hot rock spinters over anyone near.
please, for your own safety don't risk it.

 

[jflowers]

YEP! The air bubbles that will exist in all rocks will expand very rapidly and can cause the rocks to at best crack, at worst destroy your microwave, take out all the windows in your house and seriously injure anyone close by. Not a good idea.

Jon

 

[ccg]

Thanks guys but I have this thing called common sense and I new enough not to be putting rocks into my microwave

Thanks for the warning though.

 

[ccg]

Well the rocks have been boiling for a food 4-5 hours now, and every hour I replace the water with fresh stuff. There is no longer a film or white stuff appearing on top of the water.

They no longer look "wet" or shiney, although I am still worred about placing them in my tank. They look like normal smooth rocks now, not to sure what to do though. Likely shouldn't use them, but I am considering it.

 

[colegamby]

id say they would be alright after boiling for this long

 

[OrkyBetta]

If you havent done anything yet, I would suggest soaking them in some treated water, maybe add a little extra conditioner, since there are no fish to harm in the bowl you will treat them in, and the extra might take care of anything left behind on them.

 

[Inchworm]

It's not just bacteria to consider when adding rocks or other decorations to a tank, there's the possibility of chemical contamination too.

If there is any possibility of the coating remaining in some small amount, it could leech out and into the water poisoning the fish or causing long term damage to their internal organs.

The same thing could happen here with pretty rocks you might see at the side of a road or in any industrial area. While boiling them might kill the bacteria, there could still be industrial pollution in the crevices.

IMHO, it's not worth it to take a chance on anything you are not sure of.

 

[ccg]

I have decided not to use them because I don't want to risk it.

Thanks for everyones input.