I found some very interesting looking rocks today and i'm afraid they might be poisonous to my fish. I'm beginning to soak them for a while, does anyone have experience with introducing foreign rocks into an aquarium?
Found rocks containing poisonous chemicals
- Thread starter LiveCulture
- Start date
Geology
The area is underlaid by serpentinite, a rock that contains very little quartz and aluminum-bearing minerals and consists mainly of serpentine. Weathered serpentinite is dissolved rock, transformed into thin, sand- and clay-poor soil which is easily eroded. This creates a land surface over serpentinites which is stony, unfertile and sparsely vegetated and is the reason that the term "serpentine barren" is used to describe these areas. A typical serpentine barren contains bear oak, Virginia pine, Eastern redcedar, grasses and some unique and rare wildflowers.[1]
Serpentine is valued as a decorative building stone, road material, and for this area in Maryland, a historic source of chromium ore. During the 1800s Soldiers Delight and the Bare Hills district of Baltimore City were the largest producers of chrome in the world. In Maryland, chromite, a significant accessory mineral in the serpentine, was mined until 1860. Several old mines and quarries are still visible in these serpentine barrens.[1]
The area is underlaid by serpentinite, a rock that contains very little quartz and aluminum-bearing minerals and consists mainly of serpentine. Weathered serpentinite is dissolved rock, transformed into thin, sand- and clay-poor soil which is easily eroded. This creates a land surface over serpentinites which is stony, unfertile and sparsely vegetated and is the reason that the term "serpentine barren" is used to describe these areas. A typical serpentine barren contains bear oak, Virginia pine, Eastern redcedar, grasses and some unique and rare wildflowers.[1]
Serpentine is valued as a decorative building stone, road material, and for this area in Maryland, a historic source of chromium ore. During the 1800s Soldiers Delight and the Bare Hills district of Baltimore City were the largest producers of chrome in the world. In Maryland, chromite, a significant accessory mineral in the serpentine, was mined until 1860. Several old mines and quarries are still visible in these serpentine barrens.[1]
If you think there is even a remote possibility they are contaminated with poisonous chemicals, why are you considering putting them in your tank? Toss them in the trash. You don't want to kill off you stock and contaminate your tank, decor, filter etc... in the process. Play it safe.
i think my plan is to test the rocks with goldfish for a couple of weeks...by the way how long do you think small goldfish will live with out filtration
Please post the pics. Don't use the goldfish and subject them to tests. If you suspect heavy metals, then don't use the rocks at all. Play it safe and buy rocks from your store. You can use pond snails instead for tests. These are sensitive to heavy metals and may indicate whether the rocks are dangerous or not.LiveCulture;2681011; said:
ill post pics tomorrow when the rocks are done soaking, they look like a sort of lava rock (metamorphic)
i just wanted to see if anyone had experience with rocks killing their fish because their is also a possibility that they are completly harmless