Boiling a brick

[roydooms]

Is it ok to boil a brick to kill any bacteria? Will it explode or break? Thanks.

 

[HUKIT]

I wouldn't never boil a rock or a brick for fear of exploding. Any item like that just hit it with hot water and give it a good brush. If your really concerned you could always toss it in the dishwasher with no soap just water. I do that with driftwood to remove tannins. Or you could bake it at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 

[roydooms]

Hey. Thanks for the reply.

I boiled the brick thinking that it was baked in thousands(?) degrees to make and boiling it is not even close and can withstand the boiling temp. I raised the water temp slowly just to be safe. Boiled
It for 15 minutes with no breaking. I would still be nervous if ever I have to do it again. Thanks.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Hey. Thanks for the reply.

I boiled the brick thinking that it was baked in thousands(?) degrees to make and boiling it is not even close and can withstand the boiling temp. I raised the water temp slowly just to be safe. Boiled
It for 15 minutes with no breaking. I would still be nervous if ever I have to do it again. Thanks.

I've never boiled bricks, but I've done a few rocks. The thing you want to do first is make sure there are no fracture lines and when boiling, put the rock (brick) in before you heat the water. Same basic principle applies to baking them (lava mainly), put them in and then heat the oven and you should have no issues.

 

[roydooms]

I've never boiled bricks, but I've done a few rocks. The thing you want to do first is make sure there are no fracture lines and when boiling, put the rock (brick) in before you heat the water. Same basic principle applies to baking them (lava mainly), put them in and then heat the oven and you should have no issues.

What's going to happen of there are fracture lines and you still bake or boil the rock(brick)? I also thought about the principles of boiling eggs. You'd want to add the egg at the beginning so that both water and egg's temp will rise at the same time and the egg shell won't crack.

How high should I set the oven temp to bake rocks?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

What's going to happen of there are fracture lines and you still bake or boil the rock(brick)? I also thought about the principles of boiling eggs. You'd want to add the egg at the beginning so that both water and egg's temp will rise at the same time and the egg shell won't crack.

How high should I set the oven temp to bake rocks?

+1

HA! That's a great analogy, I'm gonna steal it .

I prefer not to boil them if they look like they might fracture, but it might be OK. I set my oven at 350 and bake my lava rocks for an hour. Thing with a porous rock like lava is that there's lots of little channels where garbage can hide and I want to make sure anything in there is dead before I put it in one of my tanks.

 

[roydooms]

+1

HA! That's a great analogy, I'm gonna steal it .

I prefer not to boil them if they look like they might fracture, but it might be OK. I set my oven at 350 and bake my lava rocks for an hour. Thing with a porous rock like lava is that there's lots of little channels where garbage can hide and I want to make sure anything in there is dead before I put it in one of my tanks.

Ok. I will give that a try. Thanks.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I've always kind of wondered why people do this. What bacteria is likely to be on there that isn't in your home? I have a brick wall right next to one of my tanks and I'm pretty sure the breathing, sneezing and among other things the cat litter which gets thrown into the air every time our cats go no1 or no2 is more of a problem... I've put rocks into my tanks without washing them and ones which I did wash I've done it in tap water and with a scrubbing brush...

 

[glassbird]

Baking lava rock is probably ok, because all the pores allow the moisture to escape as they heat. But some other rocks may have a fault (or crack) that has gathered some moisture over the years, and if that moisture can not escape easily, it IS possible for the rock to explode. I have a deep dent in the back wall of my oven. But don't tell my roommate...I am denying all knowledge...

 

[Mr. Limpet]

I've always kind of wondered why people do this. What bacteria is likely to be on there that isn't in your home? I have a brick wall right next to one of my tanks and I'm pretty sure the breathing, sneezing and among other things the cat litter which gets thrown into the air every time our cats go no1 or no2 is more of a problem... I've put rocks into my tanks without washing them and ones which I did wash I've done it in tap water and with a scrubbing brush...

Thing with collecting rock in the outdoors is you don't know where they've been, pesticides, pollutants, etc collect on the surface of a regular rock. I for one wouldn't want to put a free rock in my tank and kill my fish, so a 10 minute boil is worth it. As for lava rock, you're talking 10 times worse since there's all manner of junk that can collect in the pores, so baking and boiling is a must for me.

 

[Loach23]

You should never bake or boil any rock.. If their is water in the rock, as the rock heats up and the water turns to steam it creates a pressure and the rock can explode not very safe.

 

[roydooms]

But is it ok with a brick because it was baked for hours in high temp and is dry inside?

 

[Loach23]

Why take the chance. I would soak with bleach water then rinse really well.

 

[roydooms]

I boiled a brick a few days ago. I think I just got lucky. I kept my distance though

 

[Loach23]

I have heard some horrible stories of people breaking their stove, put hole in ceilings and walls.

 

[Demonknight]

Only once have I ever been able to "pop" a rock..and I bake/boil any and all rocks that go into my tanks. the ones in my 125g have gone through the bake/boil at least 6 times now (any major tear down gets it done).

 

[Loach23]

Your lucky! I wouldn't advise anyone to try it

 

[Demonknight]

*puns inside* I think it boils down to knowing/picking your rocks with care, by and large the rocks I tend to use are hard/dense rocks like slate, granite, marble and in a few cases, solid crystals...I'm not sure I would use anything along the lines of sandstone, limestone ect. although I am thinking about using the foam/concrete 3d DIY background , just haven't figured out how I'll clean it down the road.

 

[BillD]

I agree with Loach23. Why bother boiling or baking when you can use bleach.

 

[BillD]

Thing with collecting rock in the outdoors is you don't know where they've been, pesticides, pollutants, etc collect on the surface of a regular rock. I for one wouldn't want to put a free rock in my tank and kill my fish, so a 10 minute boil is worth it. As for lava rock, you're talking 10 times worse since there's all manner of junk that can collect in the pores, so baking and boiling is a must for me.

This would apply to all rocks, whether you collect them yourself or buy them. in my opinion bleach is easier and better as it will help rid the rock of anything left behind baking. It literally oxidizes organic materials.