Stones And Rocks From The Beach. Wash And Throw In?

[greengoddess]

Hi,

I'm just about to set up my first serious freshwater aquarium. I want to put in some rocks and stones from the beach. Can I just wash them and put them straight in there? Or do I need to treat them somehow? I will be doing a fishless cycle.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Pour boiling water over them. Do NOT boil them, though! Just POUR boiling water over them

Then, perform the vinegar test. Put a couple drops of vinegar on the rocks, if it fizzes, then the rocks are no good. If the vinegar does not fizz, then they are good!

-FHM

 

[greengoddess]

Pour boiling water over them. Do NOT boil them, though! Just POUR boiling water over them

Then, perform the vinegar test. Put a couple drops of vinegar on the rocks, if it fizzes, then the rocks are no good. If the vinegar does not fizz, then they are good!

-FHM

Wow! Good job I asked! OK, I will definitely do that. Many thanks (again) for your help.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Your welcome!

Let us know what the outcome is!

-FHM

 

[Sandzee23]

Pour boiling water over them. Do NOT boil them, though! Just POUR boiling water over them

Then, perform the vinegar test. Put a couple drops of vinegar on the rocks, if it fizzes, then the rocks are no good. If the vinegar does not fizz, then they are good!

-FHM

do you put the vinegar in still with the boiling water or do you throw away the water and then put vinegar on?

 

[jim_smits]

Pour boiling water over them. Do NOT boil them, though! Just POUR boiling water over them

Then, perform the vinegar test. Put a couple drops of vinegar on the rocks, if it fizzes, then the rocks are no good. If the vinegar does not fizz, then they are good!

-FHM

do you put the vinegar in still with the boiling water or do you throw away the water and then put vinegar on?

I would say that you put the vinegar on after throwing away the water. The vinegar will be to test the composition of the rock. If it fizzes then there will be minerals that will leach into the tank and affect the pH and hardness of the water.

 

[Sandzee23]

Pour boiling water over them. Do NOT boil them, though! Just POUR boiling water over them

Then, perform the vinegar test. Put a couple drops of vinegar on the rocks, if it fizzes, then the rocks are no good. If the vinegar does not fizz, then they are good!

-FHM

do you put the vinegar in still with the boiling water or do you throw away the water and then put vinegar on?

I would say that you put the vinegar on after throwing away the water. The vinegar will be to test the composition of the rock. If it fizzes then there will be minerals that will leach into the tank and affect the pH and hardness of the water.

ok, is it obvious fizzing or do you have to look closely?

 

[waterdrop]

Its probably a good idea to let the drops sit there on the rock a while and observe whether you see even a small amount of fizzing. If it does then you probably don't want these things raising your KH/GH/pH. Any time you bring anything that's been near salt water you also want to be very careful that you aren't going to inadvertently introduce embedded salt into the tank. Study the rock (or other object) carefully and think about whether it might be porous enough to harbor salt. You might consult a local geology professor or rockhound if in doubt.

~~waterdrop~~