Are these rocks safe?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Lotocus

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
101
Location
Ohio
Are these rocks safe for my tank? I got them from a river in Alaska - granite, I think but I'm no rock expert. They were far enough upstream to not have gotten regular exposure to saltwater, and I've cleaned them in bleach water and dumped boiling water over them. What do you think?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 

Attachments

  • ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1410221259.857802.jpg
    ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1410221259.857802.jpg
    257.5 KB · Views: 104
The bleach makes me more nervous than where the rocks came from. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination so I'm very interested in what the experts do have to say about "wild" rocks/gravel.
 
I don't bleach my rocks.
The only ones that concern me are the ones that look like they have white stuff on them. I cant tell from the pic, but if those are metallic in real life they could be damaging. The others look ok.
 
I don't see anything metallic looking. Would that white be veins of quarts? Maybe I should see if any of my friends have secret rock hobbies.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Those are likely going to contain lots of iron, silica, mica and Ca/K feldspar. The upper right one looks metamorphic. Don't think I would want them in a tank, but it's up to you.
 
I would use any of them in my fish tanks, but the option which possibly a rock has any Copper or metal veins, I wouldn't use in a shrimp tank.

Also the bleach needs to be neutralized, maybe soaked out, you can use water and Prime, but I couldn't be sure what ratio. Just alot :/
 
Thanks, I guess I'll get the rocks looked at by someone local who knows more about what kinds of rocks and veins they are.

As far as the bleach goes, it was about 1/20 solution and they have been soaked in treated water for a day after.

Kind of off topic but I was told a 1/10 bleach/water solution was ok to clean plastic plants and other decor.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Bleach is 100% safe for cleaning aquarium decor. It breaks down very quickly when exposed to the atmosphere and light.

The rocks should be safe to use assuming you change water regularly. Some will leech calcium which can raise ph but even that shouldnt be a big deal.

Metal can leech out of rocks, but again that will have a minimal impact on the aquarium.
 
They look ok. My guess would be mainly igneous rocks with quartz veining. A little bit more mafic than granite.

There is a little one up the top that looks a little odd, will have to pull up on the desktop. If you can't or barely can scratch the veins it's probably quartz. Can't see any copper. They look pretty solid, I would put them in a bucket and if no air comes out should be ok.

Edit - scratch the veins with steel I mean. The little brown'ish one in the top right that is more angular looks a bit differant. Would probably skip that one if it is more weathered.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone. I'll give them a try. If my fish start acting weird I'll take them out.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Back
Top Bottom