Cleaning a rock to put in tank?

[lyquidphyre]

So I bought this really neat rock on ebay, and since it was in the neighborhood I was able to pick it up instead of paying for shipping and all that nonsense.

The listing is closed, but you can look up the item number-
120021534688

I plopped it in my tank.. and then 30min later I realized what I did!! I didn't do anything to sterilize the rock- what if it had chemicals on it or something.

Anyways, what is the best way to clean this rock up to put in my tank? Right now its "bathing" in some boiling water. I just don't want to kill off my entire tank because of this rock!

Thanks in advance!

 

[JDogg]

do you know what kind of rack that is?

to me it looks like sandstone from the pic, i would make sure to test it with some acid (vinegar) if it bubbles do not use...

"type of rock found in the ocean" what does that mean? (is it coral???)

 

[Fruitbat]

Actually....of the rocks pictured in the eBay posting, the largest one is what is commonly called 'Texas Holey Rock' which is a form of limestone that is reasonably easy to find in the Central Texas region. It is often used by afficionados of African Rift Lake cichlids because it has a tendency to raise the pH of the water (make it more alkaline) just like all forms of limestone (calcium carbonate). It is difficult to tell from the picture what the other, smaller pieces are but just on the basis of color and texture I'd venture to say that they're also river-worn limestone.

liquidphyre...did you get these from a local North Texas dealer? If so...they probably got the smaller rocks from a local stream or river bed. The Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton areas all sit on top of a thick layer of 'Austin Chalk' which is limestone. This sits on top of a gray 'Eagle Ford Shale' layer. You can see both of the layers exposed in some road cuts, especially as you head out toward Grand Prairie (the dividing line between the two layers is a great place to find Cretaceous shark tooth fossils, by the way).

As for safety in your aquarium, since the water around the D/FW area is fairly hard and alkaline anyway (pH of about 7.8 out of the tap) the rocks probably won't do any real harm unless you're keeping fish that require acidic conditions (pH below 7.0). A good rinsing is really all it takes. The only real issue with local rocks is that some of them contain streaks of iron pyrite (usually evidenced by a rusty appearance) that can cause some problems in the aquarium. Otherwise you should be OK.

Liquidphyre...since we're so close (I'm in the Garland, TX area), if you want to PM me I'll be happy to give you my phone number and you can call me when you have questions like this one. I'll do my best to help you.

-Joe