Adding stones/rocks to tank environment

[stoopid]

I was in the Green Mountains (Vermont) this weekend, and stopped by some nice, cold water streams and pulled a lot of stone/rock for my tank. It's mostly quartz, and anything I found that was "sandy"/not-smooth to the touch I did NOT add as I knew it might leech into the water.

Question: Will adding smoother stone/quartz to my tank have any negative effects?

My normal PH was around 7.2-7.4 I'll check it again this evening to see if anything's changed.

My fish love their new "aquascape".

 

[stoopid]

Oh, just FYI -- I heavily bleached the rocks, scrubbed them with an old toothbrush, rinsed and boiled for 30 minutes. No dirt remained in the pot after boiling, and only the 'softer' rocks (which I didn't use) had an remaining bleach odor.

 

[beviking]

Smooth rocks - no, as long as there isn't something in them that can leach out. (You're probably o.k., unless the fish can't itch themselves. Even fish need a back scratch once in a while. j/k)
Quartz - no.

 

[stoopid]

Thanks

(there's some coral in there already for scratching, but they really like the gravel bed for that the most)

 

[Slappy*McFish]

lol...If the fish are scratching, then you have more to worry about than rocks.

 

[stoopid]

Originally posted by Slappy*McFish
lol...If the fish are scratching, then you have more to worry about than rocks.

True, fortunately not often anymore... there's zero ich in my tank(s) now... took me a while, so I'm thoroughly trained in the proper removal and preventive maintenance for ich.

I do have a few cichlids, so they like to flash from time to time (kinda cool to watch them strut around the tank).

 

[stoopid]

Just checking back in (kinda rare that we get followup)...

The rock looks great (still haven't had time to take new photos, coming soon) and it hasn't affect my PH at all... and the fish seem happy as hell too!

 

[kveeti]

Would like to see pics. What colour quartz is it? Quartz is my favourite rock, can't find much of it here, just small pieces, mostly white, but it tumbles beautifully (lapidary).

Just FYI as far as hardness goes - with diamond being a 10 and talc a 1, quartz is a 7.

 

[stoopid]

Okay, here's a close-up...

[Note that it's not all quartz, and the best piece is hidden behind the plastic pillars to the right]


and be sure to check out my new pics of both my tanks and fish:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=115427#post115427

 

[kveeti]

Those are indeed beautiful rocks. Although I appreciate driftwood in other people's aquariums, I'm a rock person myself. I collect rocks and stones, they are everywhere in the garden and in the house, not only in the aquariums.