Can i take rocks fron outside and put them in my tank?

[jhawk__]

I have some nice small rocks I found outside that would work perfectly in my tank, if I rinse them off, could I add them into my tank?

 

[Joshfishguy]

Yes wash them off good I did it works great no soap or detergents just hot water and clean it off. I did it looks very natural

 

[Joshfishguy]

See looks good right

 

[jhawk__]

Yeah that looks really good!! Ill try it! Ill post pics later !

 

[Wolfsblood]

That is what I did in two of my tanks. I would suggest boiling them for about 15 minutes.

 

[jhawk__]

Alright ill boil them ! How Long should I wait to put them in once I boil them?

 

[Wolfsblood]

I let mine sit for a few hours to cool down then rinsed them again in tap water. I had these in a tank before for over a year with no issues. I would actually suggest that before you do anything fill a container with some vinegar. Put the rocks in the container and watch for any fizzing. If you don't see any they should be safe and you can start the cleaning process.

 

[Scottyhorse]

That is what I did in two of my tanks. I would suggest boiling them for about 15 minutes.

Your shell dweller tank looks really nice with the shells in there now!!

 

[jhawk__]

I let mine sit for a few hours to cool down then rinsed them again in tap water. I had these in a tank before for over a year with no issues. I would actually suggest that before you do anything fill a container with some vinegar. Put the rocks in the container and watch for any fizzing. If you don't see any they should be safe and you can start the cleaning process.

Alright thanks! Ill do that!

 

[Mogurako]

That is what I did in two of my tanks. I would suggest boiling them for about 15 minutes.

There is no need to boil them just scrub and rinse them with hot tap water. Boiling or baking rocks to sterilize them can be very dangerous.

 

[REDCHEVYBLAZER]

I did it. Haven't seen any issues. Just make sure to clean it off. I threw it at the ground then rinsed it off with filtered water.

 

[Sambo7475]

There is no need to boil them just scrub and rinse them with hot tap water. Boiling or baking rocks to sterilize them can be very dangerous.

+1 to this.
If the rocks are not uniform in structure, i.e. pockets in the rock itself, or varied striae of sediment if it's a sedimentary rock, the rock can explode when heated because of the trapped gas, or the rock itself expanding at an uneven rate.
Check it with the vinegar, if it fizzes, it means there is some sort of basic chemical (think mixing vinegar with baking soda), and will affect your tank's pH.
If there is no fizzing, wash really well with hot water, allow to cool, rinse again, and it should be fine for your tank!

 

[Wolfsblood]

Oh wow haha. I had no idea. Guess I got lucky and didn't blow my kitchen apart.

 

[jcolon]

There's not much danger in boiling rocks if your careful and look out for weak rocks that are prone to have large fractures. As was mentioned boiling is not absolutely necessary, but it's how I prefer to sterilize them.

For future reference, rocks like Slate, Granites and Quartz stones are what I use in my tanks. What I do is I bring the rocks up to a boil and then let them cool back down to room temp before I remove them.

 

[jhawk__]

What's the worst that can happen if I put a rock that fizzes into my tank?

 

[jlk]

What's the worst that can happen if I put a rock that fizzes into my tank?

It will affect your ph by increasing it.

 

[jhawk__]

Can high PH be deadly to fish?

 

[jlk]

Any ph extreme can have consequences for fish health. Will a higher ph affect your fish? I would say it likely depends on the species but most fish are pretty adaptable. Where you may run into an issue is with water changes if your tap and tank vary greatly. Nonreactive rocks just offer stability because they won't affect your ph.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Actually, depending on the species of fish rocks that raise Ph can be beneficial. I know they are useful to have with high ph loving fish such as African cichlids.

 

[jhawk__]

Ok so I think I'll add the rocks tomorrow, all I did was test them In vinegar and put them in super hot water for 5-10 minutes then scrubbed them with a paper towel and I repeated this process twice. Do you think it's safe to put them in the tank now?