Rocks???
- Thread starter Sal329
- Start date
Rocks are minerals.... Some are safe and some arn't. Heavy metals (Zinc , Cadmium and chemicals like arsenic etc) ,abound in the world. If you go to your aquarist then the rocks will be safe... (And if not you can take action against them), If he / She is charging "BIG BUCKS" then change your aquarist.
But I would much prefer to help the lad make a living than flush my fishy friends down the piscitorial burial shute that we have in our bathroom.....
But I would much prefer to help the lad make a living than flush my fishy friends down the piscitorial burial shute that we have in our bathroom.....
Some rocks at the LSF will change your water chemistry.
I would say that anything that's dusty or soft is a bad choice. Green color often indicates copper, which may be safe for fish, but might kill plants or shrimp in the long term.
This might help you a little: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aquascaping/rocks.shtml
I would say that anything that's dusty or soft is a bad choice. Green color often indicates copper, which may be safe for fish, but might kill plants or shrimp in the long term.
This might help you a little: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aquascaping/rocks.shtml
Here's my minor in Geology (B.S. Geography, 2002) advice. If you don't know much about rocks, you may want to stick to your fish supply store. If you don't know the difference between sandstone (ok) and limestone (bad) - don't risk it.
Generally, the easiest to identify, and safest for aquarium rocks are slates. Slate is easy to tell because it's typically dark in color (gray, to blue-gray, to black) and is many flat layers atop eachother. Slate is a metamophic rock derived from shale, which come from clay (clay--> shale--> slate--> schist--> gneiss). Shale is ok too, but tends to be flakey, and breaks too easily in some instances.
The viniger test is also not fail-safe. For a true test of calcium, you need something stronger, like HCl (Hydrochloric Acid).
If any of you have pictues of rocks in question, post them up and I'll try to help you out.
Edit: forgot this part:
Volcanic/Plutonic rocks are also a good choice. Basalt (dark-grey to black, produced by lava flows) is a good choice. Plutonic rocks such as granite, diorite and gabbro also are safe choices. Volcanic glasses (not to be confused with rocks) of obsidian and pumice/scoria are also safe (as I believe the article mentioned). Just beware of the pumice/scoria (or any rock) that has the vescules through it -aka a bunch of holes- as it is a place that can hold contaminates.
Generally, the easiest to identify, and safest for aquarium rocks are slates. Slate is easy to tell because it's typically dark in color (gray, to blue-gray, to black) and is many flat layers atop eachother. Slate is a metamophic rock derived from shale, which come from clay (clay--> shale--> slate--> schist--> gneiss). Shale is ok too, but tends to be flakey, and breaks too easily in some instances.
The viniger test is also not fail-safe. For a true test of calcium, you need something stronger, like HCl (Hydrochloric Acid).
If any of you have pictues of rocks in question, post them up and I'll try to help you out.
Edit: forgot this part:
Volcanic/Plutonic rocks are also a good choice. Basalt (dark-grey to black, produced by lava flows) is a good choice. Plutonic rocks such as granite, diorite and gabbro also are safe choices. Volcanic glasses (not to be confused with rocks) of obsidian and pumice/scoria are also safe (as I believe the article mentioned). Just beware of the pumice/scoria (or any rock) that has the vescules through it -aka a bunch of holes- as it is a place that can hold contaminates.
Last edited:
What other concerns would there be besides Ph??
I too turned down the 1.99/lb rock at the lfs... and went to a place down the street that mines rock and sells it by the truck load for landscaping.
12 cents/lb... much better price and very nice looking rocks.
From my understanding some rocks will increase Ph... as long as you keep tabs on that you should be ok. My north texas water Ph is off the carts anyway... so I honestly dont worry much about it. I have yet to run into issues...
But please share more info!! Because I was wanting to do a big scape project in my 37 gallon..... that would use about 70lbs of this rock..
Ive had 13lbs of it in my 16 gallon for a week now. No signs of trouble.
I believe its called Oklahoma Limestone. The lfs sells limestone, and says it will just raise ph a point or so....
I too turned down the 1.99/lb rock at the lfs... and went to a place down the street that mines rock and sells it by the truck load for landscaping.
12 cents/lb... much better price and very nice looking rocks.
From my understanding some rocks will increase Ph... as long as you keep tabs on that you should be ok. My north texas water Ph is off the carts anyway... so I honestly dont worry much about it. I have yet to run into issues...
But please share more info!! Because I was wanting to do a big scape project in my 37 gallon..... that would use about 70lbs of this rock..
Ive had 13lbs of it in my 16 gallon for a week now. No signs of trouble.
I believe its called Oklahoma Limestone. The lfs sells limestone, and says it will just raise ph a point or so....
froggyfox never posted on this thread lol i think you mean lotus 
exevious- limestone is made of calcium (correct me if i'm wrong) which can alter your water paramaters a lot so i would test kH and pH once in a while to watch out on that but if its not altering your 16 gallon then it should be fine but keep watching it cause it might affect it later on. If its not affecting anything then most likely it isn't limestone cause limestone changes the water a lot...
exevious- limestone is made of calcium (correct me if i'm wrong) which can alter your water paramaters a lot so i would test kH and pH once in a while to watch out on that but if its not altering your 16 gallon then it should be fine but keep watching it cause it might affect it later on. If its not affecting anything then most likely it isn't limestone cause limestone changes the water a lot...
Limestone is Calcium-Carbonate (CaCO3). However, not all limestone is equal. Some depending on what other minerals were around when the rock formed (it's a precipitate) it can contain other minerals too.
Typically, to release the calcium, the water would have to be acidic. The more acidic your water is, the more rapidly the limestone can break down and dissolve out minerals into the water.
To say limestone is 'safe' or 'unsafe' is too much of a generality. There are a lot of other factors that play into that. (i.e. specific composition of the rock, the characteristics of your water, the type of fish that will be in the tank). It's not like you're pouring bleach into the tank by adding limestone though. After all, it's all over your native lakes and streambeds - which have plenty of fish in them.
To be on the safe side though, there are better choices than a precipitate rock to use in your aquarium (for example sandstones, shales/slates, granite).
Read about limestone here: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565838/Limestone_(mineral).html
Typically, to release the calcium, the water would have to be acidic. The more acidic your water is, the more rapidly the limestone can break down and dissolve out minerals into the water.
To say limestone is 'safe' or 'unsafe' is too much of a generality. There are a lot of other factors that play into that. (i.e. specific composition of the rock, the characteristics of your water, the type of fish that will be in the tank). It's not like you're pouring bleach into the tank by adding limestone though. After all, it's all over your native lakes and streambeds - which have plenty of fish in them.
To be on the safe side though, there are better choices than a precipitate rock to use in your aquarium (for example sandstones, shales/slates, granite).
Read about limestone here: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565838/Limestone_(mineral).html
