I collected rocks from a freshwater river. They are round and not porous. I boiled them and they have been soaking in a 10:1 bleach solution for 24 hours, should I clean them further, if so how???
Are river rocks ok for s.a. cichlid tank?
- Thread starter Bijon
- Start date
Watch out for the "earth movers" sometimes they will dig under rocks then the rock slips down and could break the bottom panel. I like to place my rocks directly on the glass then fill in sand/gravel around the rocks. Some people even put the "egg crate" light diffusers down first then the big rocks then the sand.
Capsaicin;4156942; said:
Capsaicin:
Do you know of a link or seversl links where this could be checked out? Additionally, If a person doesn't know the composition of the rocks in question, how does a person know what subject to look under for on the other links? All Bijon knows is they are river rocks, round and not porus. I curious about this myself, as I will be using large river rocks in my 1,440 gal tank when it's done. Any plausible information on kinks would be helpful. Thanks, man!
Bijon;4156897; said:
I have to agree with LUPIN. What you've done is good for now, just make sure they are rinsed really good. Don't want to have any chlorine spikes in your tank.
In the past when I have done what you are doing with collecting river rock for tanks, I have just boiled them (3 to 4 rocks at a time depending on size) in a 40 quart stock pot with 1/4 cup of aquarium salt. Once the water came to a boil, I'd let them boil for 30 minutes and then remove them from the boiling water. I used hot pads on my hands to handle them once they're out of the water and let them air cool and dry in a clean undisturbed area. Then the following day and they are cool to the touch, I would rinse them with cool tap water to remove surface salts on the rock and then, I'd put them in my tank.
About every 6 to 8 months or so, depending on the algea build up on them if any, I'd pull them back out of my tank, scrub the rocks with a scrub brush and water from a hose, then re-boil them as mentioned in the paragraph above.
A word of caution: WHEN YOU REMOVE THE ROCKS FROM YOUR BOILING POT, DO NOT PLACE THEM UNDER COLD WATER AFTER IMMEDIATE REMOVAL FROM THE HOT BOILING WATER. IT COULD OR MAY CAUSE THE ROCK(S) TO EXPLODE OR CRACK AND FALL APART.
I did do this and hot rock does burn real bad. Just be aware of this safety tip.
I hope this has answered your question or at least gives you some idea as to what works for other hobbyists. Happy rock hounding and good luck with your rocks.
My personal favorite: http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/rockkey/index.html
Another link: http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blrockident_tables.htm
Another link: http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blrockident_tables.htm
Capsaicin;4156942; said:
The most common source of little shiny speckles in soil and rock is mica. Mica is chemically stable and thus will not alter water chemistry. Feel free to do a search on "mica" for more detail.
David K. Bradley;4158301; said:
That's usually a pretty safe bet. lol
Keep in mind that chlorine is the primary active ingredient in bleach, so a dechlorinator is also a de-bleach-enator...