Rocks in my tank - where to get them

I picked up two packs of slate tile from Home Depot for $20 total. Check out the picture of my 65G in the link in my sig. I smashed them up with a hammer, and use silicone and Marineland epoxy to glue the pieces into caves.
 
Clurin said:
I picked up two packs of slate tile from Home Depot for $20 total. Check out the picture of my 65G in the link in my sig. I smashed them up with a hammer, and use silicone and Marineland epoxy to glue the pieces into caves.
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I dont see in your pics of caves, or even slate rocks. How many rocks did u get for $20?
 
Oops, you're right. You have to know to look for it. It's all kinda covered by driftwood and java moss. Sorry bout that.

Each pack was five 1 square foot, about 1/3" - 1/2" thick, tiles. So, 10 square feet of tile total. I still have some extra after aquascaping the 65g (36"x18" footprint). I'll try and dig up a different photo to show you the rockwork.
 
yes, Hydrochloric acid
Quoting from Skeptical Aquarist:

Here's a better idea: 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.

Edit..... Me - my AP test kit doesn't say it on the bottle, but it does on the paper insert in the Caution box.

Found on page all about rocks:
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aquascaping/rocks.shtml
 
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kveeti said:
yes, Hydrochloric acid . . . .
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YOU ROCK!!

Oops, pardon the pun :)
Perfect, I already have it. :dance2:

Thank you SO much!
Doncha just love the Sceptical Aquarist site?

Roan
 
I got mine from a garden store. They gave me a few pounds of slate for free, it was sitting outside on display on a palot. I started picking up small shards to take home and an employee told I could take a few pieces for free. He said they mostly sell it in bulk so a few pounds wouldnt hurt anything.
 
in my tank i made caves and crannies with slate, granite and limestone.

if i remember right, slate, shale and the others you mentioned are mainly silicon in content, therefor inert for aquarium purposes.

oh, i just noticed the SA part. i'm assuming you don't want limestone as it will fail the acid test horribly. the acid test (and if this is an unneeded comment, forgive me) is testing for the presence of basic material, cheifly calcium carbonate, which will slowly drive up the KH and pH towards around 7.8. in my tank, this is fine, even prefered.

granite is usually inert, as its mainly silicon in the form of quartzes plus all the other trace minerals contributing to the colors.

check out your local quarries for cheap rock. they deal in tons, so if you ask nicely, you can usually scrounge around for free. thats where i found my limestone in all shapes and sizes. depending on the local geology, i bet you can avoid paying for slate too, if theres a quarry near a riverbed.

happy hunting.
 
I'd be very cautious getting rocks in Texas. Considering it was under a shallow sea once, a lot of the stones we have are limestone, which you don't want in your tank.
 
Hrafnkel said:
I'd be very cautious getting rocks in Texas. Considering it was under a shallow sea once, a lot of the stones we have are limestone, which you don't want in your tank.
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good point, but so was most, if not all, of north america. i'm in iowa and can find fossilized shells in my back yard.
 
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