Tank Decor

T

Torpedo2021

AC Members
Nov 12, 2004
14
0
0
Anybody know of any good places to get nice natural rocks?

Have any rocks or any other decor in your tank come from a local stream, river, ect. ?

Suggestions greatly appreciated
 
I have some VERY rounded rocks I got from our front yard that were used for edging. I just rinsed them in hot water. There are some pics of them in my PhotoBucket page, they are tan and VERY round, average about 8" long and 3" thick.
 
ahh only if i have gotten my tanks before summer.. every time i travel upstate NY there are tons and tons of those flat slate rocks.. some guy on ebay is actually selling them $20-30 for a nice size box..

for one of my tanks i went to a local bay and picked up a few nice sized round rocks.. took them home boiled them for a few hours to kill off anything and everything thats on them. then checked and made sure that the rocks are actually good for the tank (those that break apart easily or give off some sand particles when scratched are bad).. will take a picture later to show the set up..
 
I could not stomach BUYING rocks. I keep my eyes open when traveling about and have picked up all my rocks that way. I give 'em good scrubbings and soakings, usually 3, and then a quick bleach bath and long dechlor soak before placing in any tank.
Many people have picked up rock and rock pieces from local garden centers.

Whatever you do don't boil the rocks as they could shatter. I know it's a slim possibility but why risk harm to yourself or anyone else around?

Good luck and good hunting.

Q
 
Que said:
I could not stomach BUYING rocks. I keep my eyes open when traveling about and have picked up all my rocks that way. I give 'em good scrubbings and soakings, usually 3, and then a quick bleach bath and long dechlor soak before placing in any tank.
Many people have picked up rock and rock pieces from local garden centers.

Whatever you do don't boil the rocks as they could shatter. I know it's a slim possibility but why risk harm to yourself or anyone else around?

Good luck and good hunting.

Q
Click to expand...

Boiled rocks here and no problem :P
just need to make sure not to over boil
 
It is true that you are running the risk of exploding the rocks when you overheat them, this includes boiling or baking. Just because 10 people have had no problems doesn't mean the 11th won't lose an eye. This is why I simply scrub with hot water.
 
With rocks you want to make sure they are not going to leech nutrients out into the water over time. Boiling will clean them up, but to test if rocks are going to leech minerals into your tank, a few drops of white vinegar on them should tell you. If you get no reaction, you should be fine.

I live in an area, where the rocks are quite chalky and do leech nutrients into the water, so I bought a bag of "Mexican Beach Stones" from Home Depot. I think that's what they were called. They are gray, round in shape, and smooth.
 
Vinegar is testing for different chemicals that will harden the water, not a problem in many tanks. So these are not necessarily 'no-use' rocks. There are some metals that could cause problems, but these are not going to be boiled out or easily tested for. I have had rocks in my tanks and one in one of the tanks at work that has metal deposits in the rock and all the fish are fine (discus, angels, etc.).

I am not fond of paying for rocks, but if the right rock is sitting in the LFS it is worth having it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom