Ammolite

[lclinton]

I have a wicked peice of ammolite and i want to put a finish on it, something like pine resin, what i am wondering is would it leak in to the water and posion the fish? Someone said maybe try urathaine but i only have 1 tank and to kill all my fish of isnt worth it, any ideas?

 

[Jakezori]

although I am not familiar with that piece I do know that you should not coat anything you put in your tank with any chemicals as some fish (algae eaters, pleco's etc.) might suck on it and die =(. If its small enough put it in a pot and boil it for about 30 seconds (if you can without hurting the piece). However, please wait before you do anything as some more experienced members might have better ideas =).

 

[fightingfeeders]

What is ammolite exactly?

 

[lclinton]

its a gem, something like a squid from a million yrs ago, after they died and came compressed in the soil, it forms a gem, google it or check it out on you tube
its native to my part of the world, least the quality level anyways

 

[OldMan47]

I did as you suggested last night Iclinton. It seems from what I have been reading, that the semiprecious stone is very thin and is usually found deposited on another rock that acts as a substrate. In that situation, it seems to me, the real concern would not be the squid but the rock it was on. You would need to test that to determine if it was safe to use. One of the "typical" rocks that is found attached to it is limestone. That would be a very bad choice of things to put into most tanks. On the other hand a shale is another common substrate and that would probably be fine in the tank.
My own perspective on applying a sealant is more about the worry of what happens if the sealant has any flaws or leaches chemicals through it. If the rock itself is not safe naked, I would not use it no matter how good the coating.

 

[lclinton]

Yeah good call, i do have some in my tank and have had different peices through out the yrs it doesent seem to harm anything but the water is so hard here and leaves a calcium build up on the gem itself this is why i wanted to protect it but your probably right, i'll just leave it alone, doesent hurt to ask though right? thanks for research and opinion

I did as you suggested last night Iclinton. It seems from what I have been reading, that the semiprecious stone is very thin and is usually found deposited on another rock that acts as a substrate. In that situation, it seems to me, the real concern would not be the squid but the rock it was on. You would need to test that to determine if it was safe to use. One of the "typical" rocks that is found attached to it is limestone. That would be a very bad choice of things to put into most tanks. On the other hand a shale is another common substrate and that would probably be fine in the tank.
My own perspective on applying a sealant is more about the worry of what happens if the sealant has any flaws or leaches chemicals through it. If the rock itself is not safe naked, I would not use it no matter how good the coating.