What Rocks?

[surfnaxix]

Hi all.

I need to know what type of rocks are fine to put in an aquarium without messing things up or causing the fish to get ill etc.

I have a four foot aquarium with a variety of african chiclids.

I need alot more rocks in it to fill it out but don't want to pay up to $40 for a rock at the pet store.

Next door to me is a construction site and I was able to fetch a whole heap of huge rocks that had been dug up fromn the ground.

I have washed them all thouraghly and they are really great - some are clay based and some are sandstone. Others are more of a slate.

Please help me out with this one if you can

 

[Aprilia997]

Any rocks that are soft will likely cause problems. Try placing the rocks into a container of water that is clear so that you can see if they change the clarity of the water. Granite and Basalt are two types of rock that do not change the water to any extent and do not desolve in water.

 

[Boids-n-more]

Sand stone is ok to use it doesn't mess with the water. Throw some vinager on your rocks and see if it sizzles or foams . If it does don't use it it will not be a good thing. I have some black slate with fossils in it that i use with some lace rock and petrified wood. I have seen numorous tanks with river rock in it so you might be able to find some of that around a river or something.

 

[adambrum]

The vinagar test is for calcium which for a cichlid tank is a bonus so if it fizzs its a good thing.

Try using limestone perfect for cichlid tanks as it will buffer your ph, I brought 100kg for £8.00 from a local garden centre here is a pic of my tank.

 

[hellkef]

nice tank adam

 

[dthoffsett]

Check out the link about rocks in my signature. It should give you some ideas.