bad rocks??

[kmlong]

Ok, I had posted a little bit ago and was asking about rocks for my tank. someone had mentioned that shale would be ok so i found some nice brown jagged chunks that look great with my black gravel and washed them really good and stuck them in my tank. I did not test them because i just assumed they were alright to use. I'm thinking now maybe i should have tested them and may still pull one out and test it. Ever since i put the two rocks in the water just has this slight cloudy look to it. It's not so crystal clear anymore, but it is pretty clear. And it seems like if i disturb the rocks this cloud comes off them. Water parameters are fine. Ph was just a tad high around 7.6 but i checked it with strips which i don't trust for crap anymore since i started using liquid. I have to get a ph liquid test kit to be sure. Where can i get this muriatic acid? I don't want to have to drive all over the place to find some. Can i use anything else besides vinegar? Also, will baking soda raise or lower Ph?

 

[TankGirl]

I thought in the rock post that someone mentioned shale would be soft and tend to fall apart? Was that your post? I get confused

Get yourself some liquid reagent test kits and see what your pH is doing. It may not buffer your water but if it clouds the water that's no good either. Muriatic acid is sometimes used to clean pools, so check pool supply stores.

 

[kmlong]

no, that wasn't my post. maybe it isn't shale but it looks layered and it is reddish brown in color. I pulled them out of a creek bed near my house. If i get the acid what am i doing and what am i looking for. I'm also wondering if the cloudy water isn't due to a filtering problem now that i've got more fish. the starte kit came with the terrible topfin HOB filter that said it was good for 20gal tanks, yeah right!! So i added the mini biowheel in addition and that did it. But i've put a couple more fish in there now and the very nice guy at petsmart said that i may have to add another mini biowheel or get one big biowheel sufficient enough for my tank. I might just get another mini and run two mini's so the one does not go to waste. I've got no other room for anymore tanks! Anyways, I vacuumed today, did water change, put some new carbon in the topfin cartridge(I will say that's the one nice thing about that filter is the reclosable cartridges versus the sealed penguin cartridge) and rinsed both cartridges in old water, scraped the sides of my tank with my hand little magnet, and cleaned the algae off my plants. I came home tonight and the water is still slightly cloudy though i think at certain angles with the hood light and the glass it creates a cloudy look. I unhooked my airstone and pump cause i don't really think it doing anything that the splashing water from my biowheel can't handle. If i'm wrong about that please chime in here!! I'll get the ph test kit over the weekend. What do i do about that if it is off? I never really had a ph problem so i've never bothered. If someone can give me an address to send them a pic of these rocks maybe they can determine what kind they are. I don't know how to post pics on here.

 

[Melody]

Im no expert here but maybe this is "new Tank syndrome"? this IS a new tank right??
I also think that shale is a pores(sp sorry) stone and since you got them out of a river bed, maybe they had mud still in them that will take time to get it all out. Just a thought. I used rocks out of my creek in my back yard and before I put them in the tank, I boiled them for 1 hour. THat may not work with shale, Im pretty sure its more or less a sand stone and would probably break. but hey...no money lost as long as the rocks were free... Good luck!
~Melody

 

[QTOFFER]

I think shale is an intermediate during the transformation of clay-rich sediment to slate. It looks like slate, but it's softer and crumbles more easily. I have a piece in my tank and whenever I touch it small pieces flake away from the edges.

You could try scrubbing the rocks - with a brush - in hot water to remove the surface clay and mud that is probably still on it. I had to scrub my shale three times in 5 gal buckets of hot water before it stopped turning the water reddish brown. And my piece was store bought - probably pre-rinsed too! Since then, no problems in the tank except for the flaking.

 

[kmlong]

yeah, i scrubbed them furiously for about an hour till they showed no signs of mud. they've been in the tank for about a month now. The tank is 5 months old now so i don't know if it is new tank syndrome. How long can tank syndrome go on for?