# help:river rocks



## cichlidrookie (Jun 28, 2011)

Im going down to the river today and was wondering if im able to use the rocks from the river to decorate my 55 gal. Aquarium. I've heard that if you boil them you'll be able to use them.. .any advice thanks for looking...happy fish keeping


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Well worn river rocks should be fine. Any rocks that have blue or green in them should be avoided as they may contain heavy metals like copper. Water with a low ph can easily leach out these metals. Mineral shops often have polished agate or petrified wood that look very good under water. Both are quite safe in an aquarium.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

you can use river rocks, stay away from the green/blue and rust red ones. They contain minerals, also depending on what style tank you have some rocks raise the PH while others are inert. the simplest test is the vinegar test, take an eyedropper bottle and fill with vinegar, this will give you a weak test to determine which are safe, if they bubble toss em back.

Never boil or bake rocks, fissures insure a hand grenade situation. Its one you dont EVER want to be in, rocks hurt when they explode.

you can use Ph DOWN to also test the rocks, its a bit harsher then vinegar.

I collect slate from a river near me and never had any issues.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Never heard of them exploding.


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## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

Ya I've herd that can happen, basically all I do is test to see if its limestone or has any limestone minerals with a weak acid that I get from Rock Collection Dealership stores, If it bubbles its a no go, I always have a field guide handy to see if I can Id them which happens most of the time so I know if they have any type of metals or Sulfuric chemicals that can leech into the water, If all goes well I just clean them with a brush and water then set them in the sun to kill of any nastiness in the rock that way I don't run the risk of expulsions.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello cich...

I have several 55 G tanks and am on a very tight budget, so all I have to decorate my tanks are the rocks and pieces of driftwood I pick up along the rivers in N Colorado. The pieces I pick up are much nicer and more natural than the stuff the LFS sells. 

You can really get creative and with the hot and dry weather here this time of year, I don't have to worry about bugs or bacteria on the wood. I just bring the pieces home and rinse them off with a pressure attachment on the garden hose and let them dry out in the sun for a couple of hours. Then into the tank. Have been doing it this way for years.

The money I've saved lets me get another 55 G!

B


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## cichlidrookie (Jun 28, 2011)

Yesterday I was able to get rocks from the river and had tons of fun doing it..went diving to look for the best ones I could find..i boiled them and none exploded..thank god ima try drops of ph down to see if the rock bubbles..thank you guys for all the help..ill post some pictures of how the tank comes out.. PS so far it was alot cheaper and more natural I would think


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## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

ics:


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## cichlidrookie (Jun 28, 2011)

Here it is..its not the best but I tried


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