Rock identification - Is it safe for my tank?

[FishyNovice]

Hey guys I picked up this stone today at my LFS. I wanted a nice flat rock to offer to my texas cichlids for spawning. But once I got it home and rinsed it off, I noticed it looked... rusty. Does anyone know what type of stone this is and is it safe to put in the tank? I have a feeling it's not but wanted to see what ya'll thought. Thanks in advance!!!




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[NigelK8485]

Looks like sandstone.

Here's one thread about it, basically saying it can really knock your pH out of whack and sandstone can leech out minerals and impurities really easily because it disintegrates in water quickly. http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/aquarium-aquascaping/121282-why-cant-sandstone-used-aquarium.html



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[FishyNovice]

Looks like sandstone.

Here's one thread about it, basically saying it can really knock your pH out of whack and sandstone can leech out minerals and impurities really easily because it disintegrates in water quickly. http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/aquarium-aquascaping/121282-why-cant-sandstone-used-aquarium.html



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Thanks Nigel once again!!!
Guess I'll see if the LFS will take it back....


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[Mebbid]

The main reason to not use sandstone is that it will change the pH of your water which can cause some minor concerns. Other than that, it's really quite safe to use.

If it were me, I would give it a try and check out how the pH levels change over the course of a week or two. Anything else leeching from the rock should be a super slow process and should be more than taken care of with regular water changes.

 

[mrvincent]

I heard the bottle #1 of API nitrate test kit contains hydrochloric acid, this is an strong enough acid to detect carbonates from a rock... If it fizzles, means there's carbonates in the rocks and it may raise the KH, so raise the PH a bit.

As the PH should raise slowly, this should'nt be a concern, depends on the flukes while doing water changes.