has anyone used beach rocks with barnacles or limpets on them(dead of course). Should I just boil the rocks or remove the dead shells entirely. I was worried the dead shells would pollute the water with more ammonia from decay.
Using Beach rocks
- Thread starter cdawson
- Start date
the outer cup-like shells themselves should not be a problem. if the actual barnacles are still inside you may want to do something to remove them. this will probably be more difficult with barnacles like goose-necks that have a structure more like a bivalve. do you know what type of barnacles you have?
they're open with nothing left inside, I scraped most of them off of the rock however I'm not sure what type of rock it is. If I use a steel brush I can scrape dust off. Does that mean it's sandstone? Or could it mean it's got calcium content? I'm not worried about calcium just if it's got anything hazardous in it.
well i'm not too familiar with the geology of the pacific northwest. the barnacle shells will be harmless as long as they are empty.
to check for calcium content you can drip a couple of drops of vinegar on the rock - if it fizzes then it has calcium.
you could try soaking it in a bucket of water for a week or so. if you see the rock change in color (i.e. rust) or in shape and texture it might mean its breaking down. if it stays the same and the water remains fairly clear, most likely it won't cause a problem.
if you still have doubt, keeping a good supply of carbon and being ready for a few quick water changes is a good safety blanket.
another option would be to look up a local geology professor at a community college and ask him his opinion.
sorry i can't be of more help
to check for calcium content you can drip a couple of drops of vinegar on the rock - if it fizzes then it has calcium.
you could try soaking it in a bucket of water for a week or so. if you see the rock change in color (i.e. rust) or in shape and texture it might mean its breaking down. if it stays the same and the water remains fairly clear, most likely it won't cause a problem.
if you still have doubt, keeping a good supply of carbon and being ready for a few quick water changes is a good safety blanket.
another option would be to look up a local geology professor at a community college and ask him his opinion.
sorry i can't be of more help