Treating rocks for aquarium use?

[RnLGG]

Well, I forgot to ask this a day or two ago, but here's my question:
Is there anything fancy I have to do to the rocks I have to make them aquarium safe? I got them in one of those places with huge quantities of rocks that come straight from the quarry. I've scrubbed the rocks a few times, and they look perfectly clean. I also tried the vinegar test (is it just putting the vinegar on the rock..?)
Thanks in advance!

 

[jsoong]

You should make sure the rock won't alter your water parameter .... If you already have hard water in your tank, rocks will prob not cause problems. A soft water tank, however, can have the pH messed up with rock.

If the rock bubbles with vinegar, it will definitely mess with the water parameter. You might want to do the acid test with something stronger ... something like muriatic acid (HCl) or the original CLR cleaner. Alternatively, you can soak the rocks in tank water for a few weeks & make sure the pH & KH remains stable.

Generally, scrubbing with hot water is all that is needed to disinfect & clean the rocks. Some like to bleach to be safe. <Soak in 1:10 bleach, then rinse LOTS, finally, soak in water with 4x dose of dechlorinator.>