Acceptable types of rock?

[buzzard99]

Hi everyone.  I am a newbie here and am thankful for this forum.  We're learning a lot!

We have one small tank up and running with Fairy Cichlids.  They're doing fine.  They've been in their new home for a little over a month and seem to be well adjusted and the tank is very stable with our current maintenance schedule.

We're going to be setting up a few other tanks and I was wondering about what type of rock is acceptable.  I've come across some stone at various landscape type places that is really attractive.  I've gone ahead and boiled them and scrubbed them, but realize that they may just be BAD for a cichlid tank.

Unfortunately, I'm not a geologist and can only describe most of these rocks as being either slate or some sort of field stone.  Due to the long, flat nature, I guess they're some sort of sedimentary rock.

Is it too risky to risky to try these in a tank?  I was planning on setting up the tank, doing some tests, then adding the rocks to see what happens to pH and such.

Any advice?

Thanks very much!

Buzz

[Miles44]

I was planning on setting up the tank, doing some tests, then adding the rocks to see what happens to pH and such.

That's going to be the safest way going about it IMO.  Though I have to admit.  With the rocks I use I tend to just rinse them, scrub them, and throw them in the tank.  Well not throw.  Though I do stay away from rocks that might have been sitting in water.  But I am a lot more careful with wood.

[Dach]

Though I do stay away from rocks that might have been sitting in water.

What's wrong with rocks sitting in water? Just curious..

[Miles44]

What's wrong with rocks sitting in water? Just curious..

I feel it might have some type of unwanted bacteria inside it. 

[Dach]

I feel it might have some type of unwanted bacteria inside it. 

Ah . I just boil the rocks or put them in the oven for a bit to kill the bacteria. Or they could be soaked in bleach for a bit and then rinsed and dechlorinated.

[shaun]

Most rocks are inert, but like some of the other suggestions say, scrubbing is usually enough, but bleaching or even boiling can be done on a personal preference basis.  Texas holey rock is a great rock for hard water tanks as it slowly releases calcium that will buffer the water.  It is actually dissolving very slowly.  Most other rocks will maintain their integrity for the lifetime they are in your tank.  Sandstone will eventually crumble, but otherwise we are keeping them in a tank for a blink of the geological timescale, so there is nothing to worry about. 

[fish head]

"a blink of the geological timescale"

now I feel even smaller than a shellie!

a mere blink!

I've used a lot of rocks out of the ground...cleaned them off and let them dry.  I baked a few way back when... bleach soaked some that I found in water (then dechlor soak)... but like others have indicated, not much needs to be done and things are almost always not a problem.  In fact, I can't recall any problems.

Because its not a closed system due to partial water changes, nothing bad should get to a level where it would hurt the fish.

It takes a lot of rinsing, but you can get GIANT bags of really big lava rock from landscapers for a few bucks.  A big drill bit and/or a dremel and holes can be added easily.  They make nice caves and great bacteria hotels.  Whenever I start up a new tank, I move some lava rock from other tanks to help seed the bacteria bed.

[buzzard99]

Thank you all for your responses. 

I didn't think there would be problems, assuming a few precautions were taken (boiling, cooking, bleaching) but I wanted to be sure.  Now I know.

Thanks again,

Buzz

[Brolie]

if you want to go fake rocks here is what i used


i believe they are called lok rock they work kinda like legos in that they lock in a number of ways and are interchangeable where you can buy multiple packs and work them together.
 the only downside other than them being fake is they can have rough corners you can sand the edges if you want to smooth them out or leave them be (ive never seen fish hurt themselves on mine).
also there is no worry about collapse since they are tightly locked in place.

but then again nothing beats natural rock in terms of beauty.

[shaun]

I think they are a great idea.  They are light, stable, and once a little algae forms, no one will notice the difference.  As for injury, one of my cyps lost an eye, but I don't know if it was sharp rock, or a botched hit from the hecqui.