Will rocks raise my PH?

[mooseman]

I need to make some caves in my tank and would like to use real rocks to do so if possible. My water PH is already on the high side, do I need to be careful about what rocks I use? Will some raise the PH? If so, which rocks should I avoid, and which ones would you suggest?

Thanks!

[wetmanNY]

isn't easy. At least you should know it is the carbonate content of rock that you're avoiding. Not all limestone is pure white. Not all sandstone is completely free of lime.

Slate and shale are safe. Granite and other igneous rocks: "Lava Rock" is volcanic pumice-- safe. Petrified rock is safe.

Tufa is porous, so it can be confused with pumice, but it's all carbonates.Not good. But c heck how it's formed at Mono Lake: http://www.monolake.org/naturalhistory/tufa.htm

If you have a nitrate test kit, you may also already have a better test than vinegar for lime content in rocks. My Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Nitrate Test contains two bottles of prepared solutions. Solution #1, labelled "Caution: contains hydrochloric acid," comes in a handy squeeze dropper bottle. If a drop or two on a candidate rock fizzes, or even bubbles, that rock would raise the pH in the aquarium. --from www.skepticalaquarist.com:

[morleyz]

Yes...many rocks will raise your pH. An quick a fairly reliable test is to put a few drops of vinegar onto the rock. If it bubbles, the rock will raise your pH. A better test would be to use muriatic acid. There are also many good website about aquarium safe rocks, just do a search on Google.

[mooseman]

I have heard alot about Lace rock, has anyone had experience with this? Is it "safe"

[JamisonBWolsh]

Lace rock is Safe is is added to many cichlid tanks. I have some in a 20 gallon and it keeps my PH (with the help of coral gravel) at 7.8 while my 60 gallon stays at 6.5 (without lace rock). IN addition, this type rock is a really naturally looking rock. Very Nice! especially as it gets older, algae will grow on it making it look even better! :)

[mooseman]

Would drift wood help to counteract any affects rocks would have on the PH or not enough to worry about?

[wetmanNY]

Jamison should have added that "lace" rock is suitable only for hardwater cichlids, as it's mostly carbonate. What erodes it into weird shapes is acidic groundwater dissolving the carbonates.

Even vinegar will fizz on this stuff.

[JamisonBWolsh]

My water is 7.8 the last time I checked. Its mostly for my syd. petricolas, which LOVE hardwater... I never measure for hardness though...

MOst africcan cichlids love hard water. If you have south american cichlids..they like low ph and softwater

[Serrateeth_2002]

i don't know whether dead corals are considered rocks in an aquarium but coral increases kh too like many rocks.

[mooseman]

So in my simple mind I am thinking that I should play it safe and stick with Granite or the other "hard" rocks that will not cause me any trouble in PH, KH, Hard/Soft and any other acronym you can think of.......am I on the right track? If so I will go to the rock shop here by my work tomorrow and ask them for some scrap granite!

Thanks!

[Serrateeth_2002]

Don't,buy from aquariums is more safe because some rocks may have metal contents.

[mooseman]

Serrateeth,

I am not sure if I can decipher your last message. What am I not supposed to do?

[Serrateeth_2002]

You were saying about scrap granite and from a rock shop so i get a conclusion you were getting raw granite.

[JamisonBWolsh]

You can but from rock shops, construntion site, hardware stores, or in the wilderness.....Just make sure what type of rock it is!!!!

Alot od the LFS will sell lace rock and say it wont bother anything.. But it does. Nothings wrong with it if yuo have the right fish...