ROCKS FOR AQUARIUM

I FOUND SOME PRETTY NEAT ROCKS I'D LIKE TO PUT IN MY TANK. WHAT SHOULD I DO, TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE SAFE TO PUT IN. BOIL THEM? BAKE IN AN OVEN? SOAK IN A SOLUTION OR WHAT?
THANKS..

do not boil of bake them as they might expolde if there is an air pocket kind of like popcorn lol.

im in the same boat i went collecting a bunch of limestone and other rocks and i soaked them in really hot water and rinsed them well. Is that good enough?

Soak them in,a bucket of regular tap water for a day or so they rinse and do the same but with tap water and water conditioner you can also soak them first wit a lil gulp of bleach but be sure you then soak them in tap water then,water conditioner make sure you dont smell a hint of bleach before thin king your done

hey keelo...limestone will couse your ph to jump up...AND limstone is the main reason we have calceum in our water. after awhile it will build up on every thing in your aquarium. so limestone wouldnt be a good rock to put in your tank. atleast to me....

Limestone is great if you require a ph 7.5 or higher, african cichlids love it. As far as cleaning, rinse with hose, soak in bucket with tap water and 1/2 cup bleach for 1 hour, rinse with hose and let set in sun for 2-3 days. This will kill any unwanted bacteria and the sun will remove bleach. Do the sniff test to be sure bleach is gone and your ready to go. lol

I'd be mindful using bleach on any porous type rocks. If it gets soaked inside it could be held in there even when the outside is dry and it no longer smells of bleach. Then you put it in the tank get it wet again and it slowly seeps out much the way tannin from driftwood does. As other suggested a long soak in freshwater should help eliminate this threat but it is still possible.

I know some recommend not boiling rock because of the exploding air pocket reason but what "I" would do is get water boiling and dip the rock inside for no more then 30 seconds. Do this until you feel everything on the surface is dead. It will keep the rock from overheating and not allow time for some air pocket trapped deep within to super heat and explode. It would at the very least sterilize the surface and any immediate pores.

Why can't you just boil some water and put them in the pot for 15 minutes or so (stone soup).... Then cool them and rinse well with non chlorinated water. That is what I do when I have something I am afraid to bleach.

Julie

they go BOMB!!!

Or maybe pour boiling water on the rocks in a bucket, let the batch cool naturally? You wouldn't be adding heat to keep it boiling, and as solid as the rocks are, depending on how big they are, they'd cool down the boiling water considerably.

Personally I'd do the bleach soak and air out for a long period of days, and for porous rocks like lava rock I'd go farther and resoak in fresh clean water for a few more days, periodically changing the water.

Limestone would be great for a cichlid tank, to buffer a higher pH. Definitely a no-no if you're intending a soft acidic tank.

I didn't know rocks would explode if baked or boiled lol
Pour viniger on the rock and if it bubbles it will increase the ph of your water that can either be a good thing or not depending on what you are keeping.

I boil and put rocks in for about 20-30 seconds. I have done this with TONS and I mean TONS of rock. Never had one explode. Just don't do it long. My brother (bigfish) has done the same thing with TONS of rock...never had a problem.

They can go boom if you boil to long.

Like are we talking boom, or pop/pinck/pow? it sounds like it's enough to make a small explosion in a pot.