Will Flat Landscaping Rocks Work?

[outdoorzgirl]

I was just wondering how safe would it be, if I were to buy slate rocks or some of the other flat pretty rocks that are used for landscaping at a place like Lowes Hardware. It would save alot of money. What are the pro's and con's. I would think I would have to boil the rock really well. Would that get rid of the contaminates? Would it eventuallly leach into my water affecting my water quality? Any anyone tried this method? Any info would be greatly apprecaiated! I would like nice caves and hidy nooks for my fish, but I don't want to spend a fortune!

 

[cichlidmaster]

Hi outdoorzgirl,

The best place to get rocks and slate for your tank is at a landscape supply place. They should just about be ready to open for the season.

You can get more than enough rocks and such from them for the same cost of a few rocks at your LFS.

As for Lowes and places like them....yes it is safe to get them there as well, but you will still pay more than you would at a landscaping place.

The best way to be sure if it's safe is to place a few drops of vinegar on the rock. If it fizzes DON'T put it in your tank.

Most slate is safe for aquarium use (I say most decause there may be some artificial stuff out there I am not aware of)

HTH

CM

 

[semper fi]

the one provblem with the flat rock that i found is that depending on the fish, they tend to knock it over o each other. especially if you have tank busters. best to silicone the rocks together so someone does not get squished

maggie

 

[outdoorzgirl]

Thanks Guys. You both have been so much help since I have come to this board! I am learning alot. I guess when you keep fish, the learning never stops. I just want their home to be close to it would be in the wild. Maybe I should look at some members pics to get an idea. Right now I am just thinking stacking rocks to make caves. And yes the silicone is a very good idea!!

 

[semper fi]

depends on what kind of fish you are planning on keeing. the smaller fish will like the larger rocks where they can get in the crevices. the larger slate is so you can build lean to's for the larger fish like the tank busters. the type of fish that you keep will depend on the environment. with the africans, it depends on if you have the mbunas, utakas, sheldwellers. etc... as to what type of environment you provide.

maggie

 

[gadazobe]

When I started my cichlid tank I used new terracotta flower pots as a base on which to build. They make great caves - I embedded nearly half of them in the substrate, covered some of the entrance with stones so that they weren't too open and built on top with rocks.

 

[semper fi]

i just did a tank for my inlaws about a year ago. they wanted one after seeing mine and of course had to go bigger. since they have no clue what they are doing it is now my tank away from home. she has all of this antique carnival glass and the tank was put in the spot where her china cabinet was. she was going to pack away the carnival glass. i put it into the tank and it makes a rather striking display of the glass and the fish.

maggie

 

[Amadaca]

Hi outdoorzgirl,

The best place to get rocks and slate for your tank is at a landscape supply place. They should just about be ready to open for the season.

You can get more than enough rocks and such from them for the same cost of a few rocks at your LFS.

As for Lowes and places like them....yes it is safe to get them there as well, but you will still pay more than you would at a landscaping place.

The best way to be sure if it's safe is to place a few drops of vinegar on the rock. If it fizzes DON'T put it in your tank.

Most slate is safe for aquarium use (I say most decause there may be some artificial stuff out there I am not aware of)

HTH

CM

Well, I dont know if thats entirely accurate. Most all rocks will have some small amounts of calcium deposits. I wouldnt be too alarmed if a rock fizzed slightly, but vigorous reactors should be avoided, of course.

The vinegar test is a great method tho. Soak rocks that pass that test in water outdoors for about a week to leech anything else out.

 

[wetwetwet]

I guess when you keep fish, the learning never stops.

Never a truer word said - for me anyway


btw outdoorzgirl most igneous and metmorphic rocks should be fine for aquarium use and the vinegar test is ideal for stuff collected yourself but as you say a good boil and scrub first

 

[outdoorzgirl]

Thank you guys for all your help. I ended up going to Lowes because the landscaping company didn't have anything in yet. I live in a small town. I ended up buying rocks from Lowes. I bought 5 bags of river rock. Looks like smaller slabs of slate, but alittle darker in color. I got 30 dollars in all my rock, so I guess I did come out cheaper than I would have in the Petstore. I will keep you guys updated with pictures when I get things going. None of the rocks fizzed and they were all cleaned throughly for any critters .

 

[juanveldez]

I just thought that since I am a landscaper that I would pipe in..... Make SURE that you call the landscapers first and get prices because some are expensive, also many of the rocks that you would want to find you could just go out for a weekend to any park or road side and find. due to the fact that many places don't keep small rocks only big ones. and if they do have small ones they you may beable to get a freebie or get away with getting them for a reduced price cause there is no use for them.