Rocks for the tank (UPDATE with pics)

[Kamdavid]

We recently took a bike ride , and found rocks that we wanted to place into the tank. Brought them home. Cleaned them. Then boiled them for about two hours. Do you think they are safe to use in the tank ?

 

[Colin_T]

pictures of the rocks?

 

[Kamdavid]

pictures of the rocks?

I’ll take some pictures of the rocks in the morning !

 

[Colin_T]

put some white vinegar on the rocks and see if they fizz. If they do, they are calcium based.

was there any dead grass where the rocks were found?
if yes, there might be herbicide contamination on the rocks.

 

[Kamdavid]

put some white vinegar on the rocks and see if they fizz. If they do, they are calcium based.

was there any dead grass where the rocks were found?
if yes, there might be herbicide contamination on the rocks.

The rocks were found in just a large dirt area. Large pile of rocks. I did boil them for. Couple hours. I’ll take pictures tomorrow of the rocks , since I’m in bed watching a show.

 

[Kamdavid]

These are the rocks we picked out , cleaned, and boiled for two hours . Can we use them in the tank ?

 

[Colin_T]

Most of them look like slate, which is fine for tanks, assuming it is free of herbicide and chemicals.

I'm not sure what the 2 white/ cream rocks are. Put some vinegar on them and see what happens. Maybe post some more pics of them showing the other side.

In future, you don't have to boil rocks for 2 hours to kill anything on them. Just wash them and put them in a bucket of water. Change the water every day for a couple of weeks. Then rinse them off and put in a pot of water and bring to the boil, then let them cool down. Then rinse off again and they should be fine to go in the tank.

However, any rock collected from the field could be contaminated with herbicide or other chemicals so it's a gamble using them.

 

[Kamdavid]

This is the other side of them.

What should I be looking for with the vinegar?

 

[Colin_T]

I think the white ones should be fine and are a slate mix with something else.

If you pour some white vinegar on a rock and it foams up and fizzles everywhere, the rock is calcium based and will raise the pH of the water. If it doesn't foam and fizzle, it will not raise the pH.

 

[Kamdavid]

If I put vinegar on them do I need to boil them again?

 

[Retired Viking]

wash off the vinegar and let it sit out in the sun. I use vinegar to help clean tanks.

 

[Kamdavid]

wash off the vinegar and let it sit out in the sun. I use vinegar to help clean tanks.

We have rain til Friday lol

 

[Retired Viking]

I thought it "Never rains in California" oh no! now I have that song stuck in my head

 

[Kamdavid]

I thought it "Never rains in California" oh no! now I have that song stuck in my head

We’ve had rain almost all March and so far 5 days in April !!!!

we need it ! Lol

thunderstorms they say tomorrow. Ha. Right.

but we have had earthquakes the last three days. 3.7. 4.9. 3.5. Shook the house. And was LOUD.

 

[JuiceBox52]

We’ve had rain almost all March and so far 5 days in April !!!!

we need it ! Lol

thunderstorms they say tomorrow. Ha. Right.

but we have had earthquakes the last three days. 3.7. 4.9. 3.5. Shook the house. And was LOUD.

Yeah I have a friend who lives near where the earthquakes were.


So odd that you guys have had rain.... I'm up in Seattle and have had barely any, which is super unusual I like it though. Reminds me of back in my hometown in NZ