please help

[jm8mr]

Hello my name is john and i need some advice, i am about to set up an african cichlid tank, i found some nice rocks in my yard but not sure how to properly clean them. One person told me to boil them but i heard stories of rocks exploding, another person told me to bake in the oven at 450 degrees,, can you please assist, on how to do this properly. Thanx

 

[Bwiz123]

I just scrub my rocks in hot hot water, or try bleach dilute, or vinegar, I don't like baking because its a rock ... Lol just have to kill parasites if any

 

[Ian086]

Hi John and welcome to AA. If you don't want to boil them. You could put the in a contain and add boiled water to it. You'd have to do this a few times. I would then remove them, let them cool and then soak over night in a water/bleach solution. Then scrub them with a good scrubbing brush, like the hard bristle ones. Before any of that though, I would test them with vinegar. If it sizzles(tiny bubbles) then they are not suitable to add....

 

[jm8mr]

thx

Thank you everyone,,will post pics once up and running

 

[Fishanatic]

If it's a solid rock with no holes in it, theoretically, it will not explode. So you can boil it. What type of rock is this?

 

[jm8mr]

I am not exactly sure, but almost positive it is not pourous,, that rock has been in my yard for over 40 yrs has algae growing all over the top of it and. Is pretty heavy, 1 piece i think is about 20 lbs.. It looks like a boulder of slate.

 

[jm8mr]

Just realized i do not have a pot big enough to boil even if i wanted to. This rock is to big for my biggest pot

 

[Fishanatic]

I am not exactly sure, but almost positive it is not pourous,, that rock has been in my yard for over 40 yrs has algae growing all over the top of it and. Is pretty heavy, 1 piece i think is about 20 lbs.. It looks like a boulder of slate.

I don't even think that can be fit in a normal boiling tank xD

 

[Ian086]

This one's all yours Jake!!!!!!