Rocks, Vinegar And The Bubble Effect

[Duzzy]

Hi there,

I have posted a similar post but I was wondering. When you pour vinegar over rocks are the bubbles noticeable? Would submersing the rock completely in vinegar make it easier to tell?

Regards Darren

 

[Colin_T]

yep if the rock is calcium based (like limestone) then you get some foaming or bubbles almost immediately. You don't have to submerse the entire rock in vinegar, just pour a bit on the rock and see what happens. Most calcium based rocks are cream or white.
having limestone in a tank isn't all that bad as it helps stabilise the PH. Too much will push the PH up but you can usually have a few small bits in the tank to help add variety and a PH buffer.

 

[Duzzy]

I couldn't see foaming or hear a sizzle....just worried about the hardness I need soft water...

 

[Colin_T]

limestone doesn't push the hardness up very fast.
If there was no fizzing or noise from the rock you tested, then it is probably fine and won't affect the water chemistry at all.

 

[Duzzy]

Hi colin,

I did not see any fizzing on the rocks I had but when I submerged the same rock i could see tiny bubbles fising to the surface.

Regards Darren

 

[Corleone]

Hi colin,

I did not see any fizzing on the rocks I had but when I submerged the same rock i could see tiny bubbles fising to the surface.

Regards Darren

Submerged in vinegar or water?

Either way, it was probably air bubbles - they'll get caught in tiny crevices or pores in the rock, and will escape for a while after you submerge them.

 

[Duzzy]

Hi Corleone,

thats why I left them over night just to see if they still fizzed in the morning

Regards Darren

 

[Bignose]

If the rock isn't very basic (i.e. lots of limestone/calcium), then the vinegar test isn't the easiest to see. Vinegar's acid is acetic acid, which is a very weak acid. That is, it doesn't disassociate very easily, so it won't react with bases very easily.

I suggest you use the bottles that come with a nitrate test. The first bottle is around 40% hydrochloric acid -- a very strong acid. HCl will definitely react with any basic minerals on the rock.

All that said, Colin's brought up some very good points. Even if it is basic, if it is only a little basic, it won't have that large of an effect. In fact, if your water is already basic and hard, you probably could put a lot of basic rocks in your tank with no effect. So, what are your current water stats? And in a related note, what fish are you planning on/are keeping? Many of the species in the hobby are very tolerant of a wide range of waters, and a little hardness and alkalinity isn't going to hurt very many of the commonly available fish.