# preparing rocks



## piranha 13 (Feb 16, 2003)

how do you prepare rocks for a tank? I used to boil them for 10 mins so that the heat would kill anything on the rocks. then i would scrub hem down.


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## SnowCichlid. (Jan 10, 2003)

sometimes boiling can cause the rock to explode or break...
... letting soak in hot water will also do.
...first test to see if teh rock would affect teh pH. do this by adding vinigar on the rock. If it fizzes tehn forget it.
after the rocks has been soaked and and scrubbed clean then it should be ready for the tank.
Keep a close eye on the water conditions and the fishes health for a little while. If nothing changes then you are set. Be ready to do ample water changes if not


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## piranha 13 (Feb 16, 2003)

ok that shouldn't be too hard


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Note that certain types of rock will alter your water perimeters!
For example, chalky rocks, like coral and limestone cause the tank water turn hard (higher pH), which can be bad for S. American freshwater fish (piranha's included!), because the water in their natural habitat is soft and acidic.


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

prior to boiling you should check for a few things, the pH as stated above, and whether it will effect your general water hardness in your tank, you would be suprised at how much a rock could change that. You can test that by placing the rock in a bucket for a few days and monitoring the hardness, or read up on what rocks will leach minerals into water, mostly rocks that are comprised of many minerals are the bad ones, I just cant remember the scientific name for them right now


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

> ...first test to see if teh rock would affect teh pH. do this by adding vinigar on the rock. If it fizzes tehn forget it.
> 
> Whoa!!! I never knew about testing rocks using Vinigar.


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Yeah good call, I have never tested them with vinegar before....cool idea.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

the best idea is not to use rocks you find, but to buy them from your local fish shop.


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

RhomZilla said:


> > ...first test to see if teh rock would affect teh pH. do this by adding vinigar on the rock. If it fizzes tehn forget it.
> >
> > Whoa!!! I never knew about testing rocks using Vinigar.
> 
> ...


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## bobme (Feb 17, 2003)

Innes said:


> the best idea is not to use rocks you find, but to buy them from your local fish shop.


 Same for wood, i belive.


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