Beach Rocks for CA/SA cichlid tank???

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Ak-Kronic

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 30, 2005
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Alaska
so my GF and my sis went to the beach the other day and of coarse they come home w/ a truck load of rocks of all kinds and some drift wood......it all looks cool but i know better than to just dump a bunch of alien objects into my ecosystem. since it came from the beach i can assume it will be saturated w/ salt/sand mabe mico bacteria or even worse........anyway so how do i go about even finding out what i can and can not put in the tank.......i know you should boil anything you plan to put in there but i also know that some rocks no matter how long you boil them are still no go to add to freshwater systems.....cuz i guess they leach minerals/metals into water or actually slowly dissolve!!!! so what are the kinds of rocks that are an ABSOLUTE NO NO to add??? i'm nmo geologist but i'm geussing no sand/lime stone......and i do know that when cleaned properly that slate is ok to add.......any more you guys know of??? and how about some experiences w/ foreign objects. i will take a pic of the rock when it cools down mabe some of you rock hounds can ID it haha

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My understanding is rocks with metals are not recomended.

I've used many types of colored quatz,lacerock(utah), and misc. finds on the beach where i'm at.

I always soak my "questionable" rocks/wood in a bucket with "cold bleach water"......(warm water evaporates the bleach faster, and im using it as a bath solution)

After a few days; rinse/wash with water until bleach smell is either completely gone or greatly reduced.(air/sun dry)

With some monitoring after placing in aquarium this tecnique has worked well for me.
 
That is the kind of totally random picture you find on a google search.

Other than that I agree with Aqua Doctor. I just let mine soak for a while and go from there. I've had regular round river/landscape rock and slate in mine. Never had a problem with either. My round rock looks like yours.
 
I used the same method as Aqua Doctor when I set up my african tank and it worked well. I boiled the rocks after I bleached them though. Either way, I'm sure its fine. I think that sometimes the best looking tank decorations come from nature and not the LFS.
 
I have some gneiss in my tank, its the metamorphic form of granite, looks real nice with ecogravel. Slate works too, granite, shale, sandstone has worked for me. Just be sure you wash and boil anything before you put it in the tank. Never did limestone, but if the rock dissolves a good idea would be to leave it out. The above that I listed have been fine. Flint has worked too, the rock arrowheads are made from, it looks nice. My personal favorite has to be gneiss and black sand or gravel.
 
rules i was told to follow:
pour some vinegar on it, if it fizzes then its not the right rock for you unless its an african tank,
if it has rust coloured patches on it then it likely has metal in it then a no for this too,
if you can break pieces off with your fingers and it crumbles then its a no no.

you also need to worry about chemicals as most rock is porous so the chemicals cant be washed of. it will need to be soaked in warm water for a few days to make sure.
then the biological hazards, bake it in the oven at a high heat for an hour or so so it heats right through to kill anything.
 
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