Aquarium rock question

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pH is hard to tell today
2" from a white card it's 7.4
Placed on a white card the rose tones are visible and it looks more like 8.0

I think yesterday I held it away from the card. I'll test again tomorrow.
 
Lots of luck - I hold the colour card upside down and can never tell the colours.

I ended up getting a digital ph meter which is good but realised yesterday that the ph reading was out and had to re-calibrate it. It was meant to replace the liquid test (API master kit) but I had to use the liquid test to check it needed calibrating... Kind of full circle :)
 
That's funny. I have trouble with reading the colors, too.

I wrote Dr John Wakabayashi at Fresno State. He is a geologist and aquarist. I found his name from this link:
http://www.aquaden.com/phpBB2/articles2.php?type=rocksinaquarium
I located him here:
http://directory.csufresno.edu/detailsFacultyStaff.asp?ID=1991

I'm posting this info b/c then we will all have his info for future reference. In the email I mentioned the forum. I asked about Pagoda rock in general and I sent pictures and asked about my rock specifically and asked about the bubbling in H2O2.
 
Yes, sounds great - really keen to see what he says.

You could also try scratching it with a steel blade and see if it does mark the rock or not. If it just scratches off, could be igneous or metamorphic; if you can get a furrow, could be sedimentary.
 
Had a hard time reading pH b/c it's night. It might be elevated or it might be my lighting. I'll check tomorrow early.
 
We got an answer from Dr. John Wakabayashi. :

Hi Elizabeth,

Wow, it's been a long time since I was involved with aquaria, sadly. If you can get a hold of some HCl you should test the rock. I'm not sure if many carbonates will actually fizz with vinegar seeing as vinegar is such a weak acid. If you know someone who has a swimming pool, the acid known as "muriatic" acid is in fact something like 3 M HCl, otherwise there are probably some lab supply places you can get it at. You should bear in mind that "safe" with regard to an aquarium based on whether it's a carbonate or not (the acid test) only applies to whether or not you have a soft water aquarium and want to have neutral or low pH water, because carbonates will tend to buffer water to higher pH (ie OK for African rift lake cichlids but not for SAcichlids).

Cheers,

John
 
Interesting news - I guess the h2o2 is a bit of an unknown? I'll have to look into pool acid - that's a handy idea.
 
So hydrogen peroxide is a very very weak acid. I think what you are seeing here is that
Hydrogen peroxide exhibits oxidizing and reducing properties, depending on pH.
In acidic solutions, H2O2 is one of the most powerful oxidizers known. Most organic matter will bubble with hydrogen peroxide (try putting a diluted solution in your mouth and swish it around it's safe I promise- bubbles!) Also it will bubble on cuts and such. The bubbles are an indication that the hydrogen peroxide is being decomposed into water and oxygen. This can be caused by an enzyme (it's why skin and blood make it bubble) it also oxidizes iron which could also be why your rock is bubbling. Did that make sense?
 
Red is often an indication of iron in a rock, so that would be my guess as to the bubbling. You can always return the rock and get a refund if it worries you too much!
 
I like pagoda rock and I like a good mystery. I'll keep testing and researching until I find a solution. It's fun to problem solve and I appreciate your input.

And, yes, I have a science background:
2H2O2 -> 2H2O + O2
(The mouth or cut is the catalyst)

Relative to Iron in acidic solutions:
2 Fe2+(aq) + H2O2 + 2 H+(aq) →
2 Fe3+(aq) + 2 H2O(l)

pH 8.0 at 6:30pm
( Forgot to mention rock is in a 3 quart pitcher, so although the rock is completely submerged, the greatest volume in the pitcher is the rock. Thus, any shift will show up fast. )
 
Yes, got it.
Rock water KH 7
( rock water went blue to yellow)
Tap water KH 7
(The tap water went green at 6, yellow at 7)
 
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