HELP just got rocks for my fish tank

[MineShaker]

I got some rocks for my 50G crayfish tank is there any way to prepare them to go into the tank I also heard some rocks change water conditions please help I don't know what to do


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[Telesman]

Rocks

Hi,
Looking at the photo,they look like Sandstone which should not alter your PH. It is worth checking though, and the way to do it is to add some weak acid and if there is any fizzing or bubbles this shows that the rock contains carbonate and will make the water more alkali,in other words raise the PH. The fizzing is caused by Carbon Dioxide being given off.
The acid used is better the stronger you can obtain,within reason! Usually white Vinegar will work but if you can get something stronger that would be better,your local fish shop may be able to test it for you.
Did you purchase the rocks from a fish shop,or collect them yourself?
I also would recommend scrubbing and boiling the rocks for a few minutes in boiling water to kill any nasties off,some people say you can place them in bleach but you need to make sure you get it all off after, and as Sandstone can be a bit porous it may soak inside it and then slowly come out into the aquarium water.You could also put the rocks in some water in a bucket, test the PH before putting the rocks in,then keep checking the PH over a week or two and see if it alters,but this will take time.
I don't know anything about keeping Crayfish but I hope this helps.

 

[Nils]

Hi,
Looking at the photo,they look like Sandstone which should not alter your PH. It is worth checking though, and the way to do it is to add some weak acid and if there is any fizzing or bubbles this shows that the rock contains carbonate and will make the water more alkali,in other words raise the PH. The fizzing is caused by Carbon Dioxide being given off.
The acid used is better the stronger you can obtain,within reason! Usually white Vinegar will work but if you can get something stronger that would be better,your local fish shop may be able to test it for you.
Did you purchase the rocks from a fish shop,or collect them yourself?
I also would recommend scrubbing and boiling the rocks for a few minutes in boiling water to kill any nasties off,some people say you can place them in bleach but you need to make sure you get it all off after, and as Sandstone can be a bit porous it may soak inside it and then slowly come out into the aquarium water.You could also put the rocks in some water in a bucket, test the PH before putting the rocks in,then keep checking the PH over a week or two and see if it alters,but this will take time.
I don't know anything about keeping Crayfish but I hope this helps.

+1 exactly what I was gonna say. I would just test with vinegar and see if they bubble. Try and make lots of caves out of those for the crayfish. You got some nice pieces there.

 

[thing fish]

it usually isnt advised to boil rocks, as the temperature change can cause them to crack and may even send bits flying. maybe that is not true with sandstone. i dont know. the problem with sandstone is that it could be made up of who knows what, possibly safe, possibly unsafe metals/minerals/etc. if you bought it at a fish store, i would think it is safe. if you found it on your own, good idea to do the vinegar test, and possibly leave it in a bucket of water and see how it affects the water chemistry over a week or two, and also give it a good scrub and rinse, no detergent.

as for testing the rock with stronger acids, you could try using the api nitrate bottle, as it contains hydrochloric acid as well as other acids.

 

[MineShaker]

So what rocks should I use


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[Telesman]

I still think that if you put the sandstone in a bucket and leave it a while,and the PH stays stable and no bits come off it should be fine. The main worry maybe if there is any obvious metals showing in it,especially if gold coloured, as maybe Pyrite and cannot be put in the tank. As it happens I have just got some sandstone myself from my garden and have poured boiling water on it and left it covered with boiling water and had no problems.It is now left in a bucket of water and I am going to check the PH over the next few days.
All the best.

 

[MineShaker]

Thanks


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[buffalochip]

that looks like pretty fine grained sandstone which reduces the odds that it contains pyrite. Pyrite is fairly heavy and usually drops out with larger grains and you would be more likely to find it in coarse grained sedimentary rocks

 

[MineShaker]

So should I use the rocks


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[buffalochip]

I would do the acid test and if no results use them