Stones In Tanks

[RossyBoy]

I've noticed a lot guys flaunting there new tanks, with a fair amount of stacked slate/rocks in there?

In my local pet store they do sell these but at quite a cost!

Can i use standard rock from the wild and/ or slate from a builders merchant? Is the best thing to, soak these in boiling water or do they need to be somehow sterliised?

Finally... how do i fix the slates up so they dont collapse onto my fish!?

 

[rich311k]

A garden center is a good place to buy slate. To keep the piles stable, stack carefully and use aquarium silicone were needed to keep the piles stable. A good boil is a good idea to kill any hitchhikers.

 

[RossyBoy]

A garden center is a good place to buy slate. To keep the piles stable, stack carefully and use aquarium silicone were needed to keep the piles stable. A good boil is a good idea to kill any hitchhikers.

Haha. Unfortunately i live in the city centre, with no transport So no chance of getting to a garden centre!

 

[Radioheadx14]

i got mine from a landscaping place. make you clean the hell out of it

 

[DanD]

I actually recycled some from an old slate walk we had outside - took the ones out that were broken around the edges - all the better appearance in the tank, IMHO. I dressed up the squared edges with a hammer and stacked about 5-6 small slabs together in descending size to keep them stable.

But, oh, yes - Radiohead has it right - clean the hell out of them.

 

[Sidi]

Rock collected in the woods is fine as well, just make sure to clean it very well. For rock (nothing porous, like pumice/lava rock) I think you'd be ok just letting it soak in the hottest water you can get from the tap with plenty of soap, then scrubbing well once you can tolerate the temperature. Or you could do a soak with diluted bleach (I'd go 5%, although some would recommend higher), then a couple rinse soaks, and a final soak in water with dechlorinator. Boiling is always good, and that's how I deal with driftwood.

What you need to do is convince a friend to go camping with you. Then happen to mention how great the rock would look in your fish tank once you're out there.

 

[Polads]

I got slate tiles from home depot and just broke them up with a hammer and used aquarium silicon to stick em together.

 

[RossyBoy]

yer, my local DIY store in town sells slates and various rocks.

This 'dechlorination product', could you name any and if so will my local petstore sell this?

 

[rich311k]

Your local pet shop will have dechlor, probably stress coat and another brand or two. Just ask, I would avoid the stress coat, I don't like the idea of putting aloe in the tank.

 

[verucaproduce]

I think you'd be ok just letting it soak in the hottest water you can get from the tap with plenty of soap,

I would skip the soap. You never know if you get it all of by rinsing. Just using the bleach solution and then the declor would be much safer.

 

[Sidi]

verucaproduce I wouldn't use soap with anything porous, but I think with fairly standard rocks you could rinse it out easily. But I'd use plenty of rinsing, after the surfactant effect stopped, to be sure. I've scrubbed things like lichen off with it, but you have to be careful to rinse.

 

[verucaproduce]

I don't use soap on anything in my tank, or the tank itself. I think it is better to stay away from it all together. But if you choose to do that it is fine. I just think it is better to be safe (and not suggest it) than sorry.

 

[Sidi]

No, I entirely understand not using soap, and steering people away from it might be a good move. I used virtually none with the last batch of rocks I collected (really, the little was because there was some residue in the scrub pad I used), and I think you really need to be careful about the type you use and to rinse very excessively. Bleach you can get rid of with dechlor, but soap you have to just overwhelm.

I certainly wouldn't get it anywhere near an established tank for the same reason I don't use ammonia-based glass cleaner on my tanks (vinegar works just as well, anyway).

 

[7Enigma]

I don't use bleach or soap for any cleaning of things in the tank. Hydrogen peroxide is just as effective, and washes right off without the chance of residue that could harm the filter/fish.

As for rocks, any rock can be used regardless of where you find it, BUT, you need to take precautions when treating it prior to putting into your tank. Lake/river rocks can have water in them. They turn into grenades when boiled and so I heartily recommend against the boiling of them, unless you make a firepit in your yard, place the rocks in a pot of water and stay away from the area until the fire is out. It takes a long time to heat a rock up to the core and anytime before that point happens you have a possible bomb waiting to go off. This is NO JOKE.

Along with the possible explosion hazard is the effects certain "soft" rocks can have in a tank. You can do an acid test to see if it will possibly cause problems. This is important for hybrid rocks that contain many different mineral deposits.

So bottom line, an overnight dip in a bucket with NEW hydrogen peroxide is just as good as a bleach treatment or boiling (IMO) and will leave no traces of chemicals after you're done.

HTH