Outside Objects In Tank

G

Gold

AC Members
Oct 9, 2005
56
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Essex, UK
www.operationmafia.co.uk
I need a answer pretty quick!

I have some old shells and rocks i collected from a beach many years ago.
They have sat out on my patio for many years.

Am i okay to use these....providing i soak them in boiling hot water for 24 hours?

Or will they simply just still be to dirty?
Or is there anyway i can clean them so they are safe for my freshwater aquarium.

Thanks.
 
Gold said:
I need a answer pretty quick!


Thanks.
Click to expand...

Because??

Be careful how many shells you add. depending on your kh and pH you might be in for quite the rise in values.

Make sure the rocks are inert by doing the vinegar test or the more accurate test of hydrochloric acid. If the rocks bubble leave them out of the tank. To test scratch the rock and then put a couple of drops on them.

If all is good then boil them for a few - 5 minutes let them cool and drop them.
 
Clean it up as best ya can and give it a shot.
People will read things on the internet and think it the gospel truth.
Then they will pass it on as truth even though they have never tried it.
I have a ten gallon in my office. My father made it. My father has been dead for over 38 years. Yet that aquarium is still going strong.
The fish, the decorations have come and gone.
The crap my sisters and I as kids would put in there would make most folks today gasp.
The fish all survived.
Are ya ready for this, wink, wink.
In my 55 gal I have SEWER PIPE. GASP. OMG.
Thats right folks. Sewer pipe. Clay tile sewer pipe, made of the same stuff as clay pots. Makes a great cave.
Clean it and give it a shot, iffin ya want to.
Subic
 
I have decided to give the shells a miss, they are in a poor state.

But i would love to still add the rocks.
I added vinegar to some of the rocks IceH2O, no reaction or anything what so ever.

I am going to continue changing the boiling water every few hours. They will be added to the tank this time tomorrow.


lol thanks for the heads up advice Subic76. I myself have added all sorts into fish tanks and ponds when i was little. But that was with the notoriously hardy goldfish.
In this current tank will be a colony of ghost shrimp.

I think i will try it :)
 
I have all kinds of rocks and shells in my tank. As long as you're not adding crazy minerals that are soluble you'll be fine.

I would actually recommend adding seashells of some type, they will help your shrimp get enough calcium to help with molting and shell growth as long as your water isn't super hard to begin with it is beneficial.
 
Oh i forget to mention and ask, the rocks have like a red/brown stain underneither.

I'll try scrubbing it of tomorrow...but will it be dangerous or risky?
I imagine it is just water staines or something like that...
 
I did this exact same thing not even a month ago. All I did was scrub the rocks really well then boil them for about 10 minutes. Everything went fine and dandy.
 
Gold said:
Oh i forget to mention and ask, the rocks have like a red/brown stain underneither.

I'll try scrubbing it of tomorrow...but will it be dangerous or risky?
I imagine it is just water staines or something like that...
Click to expand...

Are you sure that the red/brown stain isn't rust? I would think that maybe your rocks have some sort of metal of some sort, but I could be wrong. Just the first thing that popped into my head. Maybe someone else who knows more about it will chime in. Good luck!!! :)
 
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