Rock hunting..

[Guest]

well today we went to visit my grandma and go rock hunting. Most of the rocks were gone since they had paved her road a few years ago.. however she had a ton in her yard that she was using for landscaping and such. I didn't want to take all her landscaping but she had a pile of extra's so i picked out my favorites!!! I only got one decent big one though becuase most of the big ones are bordering her flower beds. Most of the rocks i picked out are mostly flint and little limestone so it shouldn't be too bad... and i tested it all with vinegar and none of it bubbled!!! Surprisingly. I boiled all of them in huge stock pots on my stove and then i soaked them in bleach water.. then i boiled them again and rinsed them in dechlor. I also scrubbed scrubbed scrubbed all the dirt off!!! Anyway i got some pics and it looks soo awesome!! I think my cichlids like it! oh and by the way, it is cloudy becuase i JUST got finished with it.

 

[Zagz]

Looking good! I'm jealous cause we can't find any rocks like that here. Not to mention that right now they are under the snow.

 

[Guest]

yeah but don't you guys have like rivers and stuff up there??? I don't know much about canada but when i went camping in the great smoky mt. national forest there were tons of creeks and rivers with georgous rocks. Next time i travel up there i will be hauling some rocks back home!!! LOL.

 

[Zagz]

We have them but no where near where I am. I am in the middle of the great flat plains.

 

[Guest]

awe sorry Zagz.. sounds like you need to go on a vacation somewhere!!! I just couldn't bear to pay the LFS prices for rocks.

 

[Zagz]

Vacation? What is that? ROFL, no one wants to watch my house with 6 cats and now 7 tanks. LOL, the price I pay for my babies.

 

[Guest]

awe... sorry to hear that.. luckily we got to go on vacation this year and our roomate matt took care of everything for us.

 

[crazycat]

hey an,

you might want to keep an eye on your kh and ph as limestone can act as a buffer and (i believe) raise the kh.

someone correct me if i'm wrong...

 

[Guest]

yes your are correct crazycat.. but i know a lot of people use crushed coral in their cichlid tanks, and since i don't have that i figured a little bit of limestone won't hurt. The rocks I picked out are mostly flint as the limestone one's were pretty dusty and fall apart easily. The pieces i got are mostly smooth and less porous than the pure limestone pieces. I of course still plan to keep an eye on the pH but i actually need it to go up a bit because its been right at 7.2 recently and i wouldn't mind if it slowly goes up to 8. I also do a 50% weekly water change so hopefully it will stabilize.

 

[nitrous]

looks nice i like how u covered the pots with them and seems like the chiclids like swiming around em

 

[Toirtis]

Looks great. 'Rocks from grandma' makes me long for my friend's grandmother's driveway....the day she got a new load of gravel and we discovered it to be about 30% small fossils.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Most stone yards around here will let you grab slate and stuff (scrap).. or for a few $$ you can pick which ones you want (any rock).. they also sell a heavy sand (Concrete sand) @ 4$/80lbs..

 

[DeFeKt]

limestone is good for africans it does raise the ph and kh, which is what they prefer.
Good score on the rocks, they look great !
Our garden currently lacks a few of those feature rocks as they have somehow made their way into the display tank.....

Matt.

 

[DeFeKt]

also the vinegar test just means there is carbonates, i think, can't remember the particular details right now? which is good isn't it?

 

[Toirtis]

also the vinegar test just means there is carbonates, i think, can't remember the particular details right now? which is good isn't it?

Yes, which suggests that any reactive stones will slowly degrade and increase the hardness of your water. Personally, I always use muriatic acid whenever in doubt of a particular rock....I find it a bit more reliable, but not so safe for most hobbyists.

 

[Guest]

yeah they really seem to be enjoying them. WHen i look at it though it still looks empty though, i feel like i tstill needs some more rocks.. lol.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yup, looks good Ashley.

 

[Guest]

took the pH today and it was 7.4. I will continue testing it daily.

 

[DeFeKt]

This article may be useful to someone..

http://perth-cichlid-forums.ipbhost.com/Rock-Type-And-Suitability-For-Aquariums-t249.html

Matt.

 

[Guest]

Looks great. 'Rocks from grandma' makes me long for my friend's grandmother's driveway....the day she got a new load of gravel and we discovered it to be about 30% small fossils.

totally missed your comment.. lol. My grandma's road used to be all limestone and flint and stuff. My cousins and I used to find fossils and stuff all the time. And we built a "rock fort" out of tons of the rocks. Well when they gravel/paved the road they took all the rocks but my grandma got a ton of them. She was very willing to share.. although there were a couple really awesome ones that she wouldn't part with and i know i could've talked her out of them ,but i wouldn't feel right if i did. It does bring back memories every time i look at the tank.