Can I use Sand, Gravel, Rocks etc from my Stream?

[trailite]

Hi
We have a crystal clear stream that runs past my farmhouse which actually provides our drinking water and water for the aquarium for that matter.
Can I use Rocks, gravel, sand etc from it for the aquarium ?
If so what do I have to do to it in order to make sure it is ok?
Any tests that I should do , do I have to boil it?
Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Fishyfanatic]

If you do decide to use them, clean them VERY VERY VERY well. I'd use hot water and bleach. Then soak in heavily dechlorinated water for a day or two. To test if it will mess with your pH, try dropping some ammonia on the rock. If it bubbles, I wouldn't use it. Also, if it has a shiny exterior, I would be hesitant and wouldn't use them, but I am overly cautious when it comes to my fish.

[trailite]

Thanks for that info.
Perhapse I should add that this is a stream in the hills of cumbria that has had no chance to get polluted by any chemicals or pollutants. It infact only comes out of the side of the hill about 50 yards from my house. I don`t know if this makes any difference to the answer already given.

[Fishyfanatic]

No, it doesn't matter where it is coming from. There is still organisms living on the rocks that you need to get rid of with the hot water and bleach. They will be contaminated by that bacteria and normal wildlife. In addition, you want to perform the vinegar test ot ensure that the rocks won't increase the hardness or pH of your water.

[trailite]

It sounds to me that I should stop trying to be such a tight *** and just buy the stuff.
Great advice though, thanks for spending the time to help me out.

[jsoong]

Nah, collecting stuff for your tank is part of the fun. Much better if it is natural & free.

Since the aquarium water comes from the stream, it is pretty unlikely that anything in the stream would seriously change the water chemistry (It would have done that while in the stream & would end up in the tank already!) If youwant to be doubly sure, you can soak the material in a bucket of water & test for changes.

A good cleaning & sterilizing (with hot water, bleach, or other method) should be all you need to get rid of any possible unwanted bacteria/bugs. As long as there is no chance of contamination with chemicals upstream, you should be pretty safe.

[trailite]

Thanks for the info.
Could anyone give me a quick idiots guide for using hot water and bleach ( how much bleach etc).

[jsoong]

I treated my collected driftwood by boiling in a pot of water for 1/2 hr. That is mostly to get water into the wood so it will sink. For porous stuff like wood, you want the heat to get into all the crevices, and it takes a bit of time. <To really sterilize things, you'd need a pressure cooker for maybe 10 min or so, but 1/2 - 1 hr in boiling water should be pretty good.> For solid surfaces, you only need to have to surfaces hot (there shouldn't be anything nasty growing inside solid material), so you can reduce the time of contact. 5 - 10 minutes in boiling water should suffice.

I bleach solid surfaces because it is less work. <You might not want to bleach porous stuff like wood as it would be difficult to be sure of getting out all the bleach after.> A 1:10 dilution of household chlorine bleach should do the trick. I wash & soak in bleach for 5 min or so, then rinse, rinse, & rinse some more. <I use the garden hose on the lawn & go to town.> After you rinse enough that no smell of chlorine remains, soak in water with a double or triple dose of dechlorinator. The material should be safe to use at this point. However, I go the extra step of air drying & sun baking for a few days just to be sure all traces of bleach is gone.

If you are wary of using chlorine bleach, you can use oxygen bleach (ie H2O2). Peroxide gets expensive so I use that for small stuff. I use a 50:50 mix (you can also do full strength). Soak for a few min or until all foaming or bubbling stops, then rinse. Since H2O2 breaks down into water in light, all you have to do is let the stuff sit out in the sun for a day or so & it will be safe to use.

[kimo]

Keep an eye out for any blue or green streaked rocks. They could contain copper bearing minerals that could leach.

[trailite]

Thanks guys. Your help is much appreciated