These ROcks Safe?

[AruaNOob]

Hey, just joined the forums

I have some questions regarding some rocks I'm planning to add to my tank.
It just finish cycling yesterday after 5 weeks.

These rocks are "River Rocks" according to my neighbor that gave em to me.

Are they safe to add to my aquarium?
Here are the pics. I have tons of them.





http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/irvin112/103_0355.jpg
http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/irvin112/103_0356.jpg

 

[butterfly_koi]

Not fully for sure but they almost look like limestone but I could be wrong, I'm not the greatest at identifying rocks. The best way to tell is pour some vinegar over the rock and wait five minutes, if the rock starts to bubble with the vinegar don't use it.

 

[mohican]

They look like slate, shale, sandstone at worst. They will work. Soak or clean then good before u put in tank.

 

[jcolon]

Hey, just joined the forums

I have some questions regarding some rocks I'm planning to add to my tank.
It just finish cycling yesterday after 5 weeks.

These rocks are "River Rocks" according to my neighbor that gave em to me.

Are they safe to add to my aquarium?
Here are the pics. I have tons of them.





http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/irvin112/103_0355.jpg
http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/irvin112/103_0356.jpg

I'd say it's either shale or slate by the relatively flat shape ... Slate's aquarium safe ... I'm not a big fan of shale ... some shale becomes weak when it gets wet and breaks up. If these pieces have been submerged in rivers before and hasn't broken up then I'd say your good.

To be certain, break a small piece off and drop some vinegar along an newly exposed edge ... if you see bubbling (I doubt it in this case), then it's a carbonate which could increase your pH ..ex. Limestone or Dolostone.

 

[butterfly_koi]

I'd say it's either shale or slate by the relatively flat shape ... Slate's aquarium safe ... I'm not a big fan of shale ... some shale becomes weak when it gets wet and breaks up. If these pieces have been submerged in rivers before and hasn't broken up then I'd say your good.

To be certain, break a small piece off and drop some vinegar along an newly exposed edge ... if you see bubbling (I doubt it in this case), then it's a carbonate which could increase your pH ..ex. Limestone or Dolostone.

I respectfully disagree about the slate or shale, both of those rocks are a darker grey or even black.

 

[FishontheRock]

They look like siltstones or mudstones. Soak them sometimes fissile mudstones are poorly consolidated and can breakdown into ver small clay particles clouding aquarium water. Also, test with vinegar or another acid. They could be micritic limestones (consolidated calcitic mud).

Id pointers for clastic sedimentary rocks

Grain size 1/16mm to 2mm sandstone
Sandstone feels well sandy
Too small to see to 1/16 mm silt stone
Siltstones have some grittiness to them but you can rarely make out individual grains
All grains too small to see mudstone
Wont feel gritty if it's black and breaks in thin sheets very easily it's shale.

Slate is a metamorphosed shale and is less fragile and harder to break apart.

 

[jcolon]

I respectfully disagree about the slate or shale, both of those rocks are a darker grey or even black.

Yes and no ... Yes they can be the colors you mentioned. No because they can also be lighter grays, greenish, reddish etc .. Depending on

1.the chemical compisition of the clay minerals plus any other impurities / particles in the muddy mixture that eventually compacts into shale. Slate is the metamorphic form of shale.

2. Its environment of formation .. In oxygen poor reducing environments you can have black shale.

 

[butterfly_koi]

Yes but isn't colored slate found in different regions?
Red = Spain
Green = Cumbria & Wales
Purple = Cumbria & Wales
Dark purple to black = commonly mined in Monson Maine & Granville New York

 

[jcolon]

Yes but isn't colored slate found in different regions?
Red = Spain
Green = Cumbria & Wales
Purple = Cumbria & Wales
Dark purple to black = commonly mined in Monson Maine & Granville New York

Nice!, It shows your doing some research, wish some of my previous students did that. The link below gives ... What I think ... Is some good info on slate. Red slate can also be found in NY ... I like the look of red slate! I still say it's either shale or slate based on the relatively flat shape ... However what we Don't know where the OP is... That would help narrow down the bed-rock structure. This is all assuming that those rock weren't just dumped there by someone, or deposited by glaciers.

http://www.slateroofers.com/tech4.htm

 

[BBradbury]

Safe Rocks

Hey, just joined the forums

I have some questions regarding some rocks I'm planning to add to my tank.
It just finish cycling yesterday after 5 weeks.

These rocks are "River Rocks" according to my neighbor that gave em to me.

Are they safe to add to my aquarium?
Here are the pics. I have tons of them.





http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/irvin112/103_0355.jpg
http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/irvin112/103_0356.jpg

Hello A...

Just put a few drops of vinegar on the rocks. If there's a reaction, don't put them in your aquarium.

Pretty simple.

B