Are these rocks safe ?

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patrickriley2010

Aquarium Advice Addict
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They are kind of fossil like which worries me? I was down by the river around my parents "the little miami river in southern ohio" and I picked up these rocks. Almost every rock in that ever contains a fossil.



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What does it look like when they sizzle? Because i pulled rocks from an ocean and put vinegar on them and did not see any fizzing. But when I put boiling water on them I saw one rock had air pockets coming out of it(like and air pocket)
 
They look like sandstone. That's all I have in my freshwater and it doesn't bother the fish. Just make sure u boil them.
 
What does it look like when they sizzle? Because i pulled rocks from an ocean and put vinegar on them and did not see any fizzing. But when I put boiling water on them I saw one rock had air pockets coming out of it(like and air pocket)

It would look like what vinegar and a little baking soda looks like.
 
I use a brush ment for pot scrubbing. I soak mine for about a week, scrub then boil.

Seems like so much work I don't really like these rocks but all the steams and rivers by me have jagged fossil stones apparently ohio is big on that I'd assume because of the glacier pushing rocks down ? Idk though some pretty cool little coral fossils you can find out here
 
That would cool to find. I've only found one fossil, a little leaf. I showed it to my brother and he threw it into the woods. And it's like a lot of work, but it can save a lot if money
 
You really shouldn't boil rocks, it can be really dangerous.

Washing them in hot water is better, I use a new toothbrush (soaked in Prime) to get in all the nooks and crannies :)
 
Let me clear something up about the vinegar test,
Certain rocks can contain CaCO3 which can cause the Ph in the water to rise, CaCO3 is an alkali compound which acts as a neutralizer to the acid (vinegar), when an acid is poured on the rock the calcium carbonate neutralizes the acid therefore making it bubble. This means that just because a rock bubbles when vinegar is poured on it doesn't mean that it is unsafe, it just means that there are traces of calcium in the stone. Most rocks that contain traces of Calcium contain just a small amount and isn't often a large amount to even notice, so I wouldn't worry about it changing water levels drastically.

Please do not boil rocks, certain rocks can have small air pockets in the stone which when heated can cause it to expand and explode. Just pour boiling water over the rocks and soak them instead so there isn't a constant heat on the stones but a steady cool down instead.
 
Let me clear something up about the vinegar test,
Certain rocks can contain CaCO3 which can cause the Ph in the water to rise, CaCO3 is an alkali compound which acts as a neutralizer to the acid (vinegar), when an acid is poured on the rock the calcium carbonate neutralizes the acid therefore making it bubble. This means that just because a rock bubbles when vinegar is poured on it doesn't mean that it is unsafe, it just means that there are traces of calcium in the stone. Most rocks that contain traces of Calcium contain just a small amount and isn't often a large amount to even notice, so I wouldn't worry about it changing water levels drastically.

Please do not boil rocks, certain rocks can have small air pockets in the stone which when heated can cause it to expand and explode. Just pour boiling water over the rocks and soak them instead so there isn't a constant heat on the stones but a steady cool down instead.

By boil I meant a Home Depot bucket and large pot of boiling water and poor it on them.

But I'm worried about like carbon dioxide or monoxide or oils seeping into the water because they are fossils
 
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