rocks

[hartman57]

i wanted to find out if it is possible to put normal stream rocks into my tank. i have just found som ethat would go great with my cichlid tank and i wanted to know what to do. i wanted to build caves for my fish with these but i dont know what i should do. i had scrubbed them well and placed them in a tub to soak overnight with some aquarium salt mixed in. is that good enough or should i let them soak for longer!! what do you suggest? i thought that i would do this because it would be less expensive then buying them in a store.
thanks

 

[greenmaji]

I say rinse them off real good with some dechlorinated water and put them in.. JMO though.. Did you check to make sure they were not going to leach minerals?

 

[hartman57]

what do you mean leach minerals?

 

[greenmaji]

calcium carbonate usually it buffers the water up and raises the PH.. look around you should probably be able to find the test for it.. I cant think of it off the top of my head..

 

[An t-iasg]

Try a drop of acid on the rock. You can try vinegar, but it's usually to weak to show a fizz reaction. Try to get some muriatic acid at a hardware store. Be careful with it, and put a little bit on the rock. If it fizzes, that means the acid is reacting with some minerals in the rock and the rock is not inert. Therefore, if it fizzes, you shouldn't use the rock in your aquarium.

 

[greenmaji]

Try a drop of acid on the rock. You can try vinegar, but it's usually to weak to show a fizz reaction. Try to get some muriatic acid at a hardware store. Be careful with it, and put a little bit on the rock. If it fizzes, that means the acid is reacting with some minerals in the rock and the rock is not inert. Therefore, if it fizzes, you shouldn't use the rock in your aquarium.

I wanted to say acid but wasnt sure were to get something powerfull enough to show the fizzing well.. good show!!

 

[krap101]

wouldnt it be better if he rinsed th rock in chlorinated water then soaked it in dechlorinated water to kill the parasites etc?

 

[hartman57]

i rinsed it in tap water is that chlorinated enough. what will these minerals do to my tank will they probally kill the fish if they release minerals?

 

[krap101]

i doubt they will unless its rusty. these minerals will harden your water and raise your ph.

 

[jersysman]

If you are gonna keep african cichlids, that might be a good thing. I had heard also that you could clean them with bleach and just rinse and rinse and rinse somemore with dechlorinated water. Rinse until the bleach smell is gone and then rinse some more to be on the safe side.

 

[krap101]

i think vinegar gets rid of chlorine or bleach? but then you have vinegar

after your done rinsing with chlorine/bleach water just put a wadd of dechlorinator in there. then you rinse.. lol.