# Rock selection?



## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Hi again,

I'm interested in doing something similar to this with my upcoming fluval edge tank (though in reality it won't look anything like this):

Amazon.com: 18 Watt Ultrabrite Planted system for fluval edge: Pet Supplies

I need to find that perfect rock. Where is the best place to find a large selection of rocks, of the variety that won't muck up my water parameters?

Thanks!


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## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

great question, i am also hunting for rocks


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## illogic (Oct 20, 2013)

honestly just go to a river or something, i have a trail near where i live where i found some really good ones for mine


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

illogic - thanks for the tip, sounds easy enough.
Any rock is fine?

I'm afraid I know very little about rocks. Where is a geologist friend when you need one?


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

I buy my rocks from northwest landscape - any rock is *NOT* fine. Some rocks have heavy metals on them which leach into water and kill fish etc etc. Things to consider - does the rock look like it has any rust on it? If it does, I wouldn't use it personally. You can also pour vinegar on a rock. If it starts to bubble it will raise your tanks pH which some fish don't like.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Thanks for the advice, Steve.
Can the people at northwest landscape direct me to aquarium-safe rocks?


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

There was a lady who was there when I went there who knew about rocks for aquariums and ponds! Make sure you don't get feather rock since it floats =P


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Steve said:


> There was a lady who was there when I went there who knew about rocks for aquariums and ponds! Make sure you don't get feather rock since it floats =P


Floating Rock?! That's an amazing oxymoron!


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

It seriously floats though.. =P


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

Reckon said:


> Floating Rock?! That's an amazing oxymoron!


Well what about pumice stone? It floats no?


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## illogic (Oct 20, 2013)

most river rocks should be fine, i boiled mine in water twice to be sure though, you only really need to do the vinegar test if its a sea rock or something i think, i used some slate a while back from a beach and had no problems after boiling etc.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

No floating rocks! Got it. 

Thanks for chiming in, everyone!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

UnderseaGal said:


> illogic - thanks for the tip, sounds easy enough.
> Any rock is fine?
> 
> I'm afraid I know very little about rocks. Where is a geologist friend when you need one?


Hmmm....I heard a little birdie calling. 

Generally rocks in a landscaping place will be safe in terms of metals. The reason being that heavy metal leaching which will poison your fish will also poison the local watershed. What you have to be careful of are rocks such as limestone/marble, calcareous sandstone/siltstones which will dramatically increase your GH and/or KH over time. As long as you stay away from those you'll be ok. For instance, the "Mexican Bowl Rock" that Northwest Landscaping leaches carbonates slowly, which is great if you want a little bit of buffering for our very soft water, but isn't any good if you want to breed softwater species.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

illogic said:


> most river rocks should be fine, i boiled mine in water twice to be sure though, you only really need to do the vinegar test if its a sea rock or something i think, i used some slate a while back from a beach and had no problems after boiling etc.


Most smooth stones in the rivers have been washed for years and years and anything easily leachable by our local waters is long gone. Slate is usually tight and has a little carbonate so should be fine. Unless you are in Alberta, in which case you would have to worry about bitumin (petroleum) leaching out.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

2wheelsx2: thanks for hearing the call, and for responding with such detailed and useful advice! 
I definitely don't have any plans to breed anything so a little carbonate leaching would be fine, I think.

Thanks again! Happy to return the favor if you ever need neuroscience advice... haha


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

UnderseaGal said:


> 2wheelsx2: thanks for hearing the call, and for responding with such detailed and useful advice!
> I definitely don't have any plans to breed anything so a little carbonate leaching would be fine, I think.
> 
> Thanks again! Happy to return the favor if you ever need neuroscience advice... haha


I'll have to remember that. 

I live very close to Northwest Landscaping so have been there often. They don't have too many rocks which I would consider problematic. Plus the people there have seen so many aquarists and BCA people that they know how to answer when people ask for aquarium safe rocks. I would however, wash the rocks well because of pollution in the air from the heavy traffic in the area and do a light bleach or vinegar soak to kill off any mould spores or other wild flora/fauna you might not want in your tanks.


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

x2 on the scrub before hand


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Thanks for the tips, 2wheelsx2 and Vancitycam.

I hope I have some time to swing by Northwest landscaping this weekend!


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## Rockman (May 19, 2013)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Hmmm....I heard a little birdie calling.
> 
> Generally rocks in a landscaping place will be safe in terms of metals. The reason being that heavy metal leaching which will poison your fish will also poison the local watershed. What you have to be careful of are rocks such as limestone/marble, calcareous sandstone/siltstones which will dramatically increase your GH and/or KH over time. As long as you stay away from those you'll be ok. For instance, the "Mexican Bowl Rock" that Northwest Landscaping leaches carbonates slowly, which is great if you want a little bit of buffering for our very soft water, but isn't any good if you want to breed softwater species.


Damn... missed my cue. Nice to know I'm not the only rock nerd though.

But yeah... Wheels is right on the money. Most rocks are okay. Try to avoid the local sedimentary rocks (sandstone, siltstone, etc) though as they're mostly marine in origin and will leach carbonates (which isn't always a bad thing... depends on the fish you want to keep). Heavy metals aren't a concern unless you're collecting rocks from a copper mine.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Rockman - I should have thought of you - your name gives you away. 

Didn't find the perfect rock at my LFS today so I plan on heading to Northwest Landscaping tomorrow.

Had to change my plans around a bit since I got ADA soil and I don't want to set-up the tank without the rock, but I'm eager to get the cycling going. So my new plan is to fill it with water and my "cycling fish", try to get the cycle going, and when I find the right rock/plants, take out most of the water, rehome the fish for a bit, and go to town with the aquascaping.

What an adventure!
Thanks again everyone for the rock tips. I'm much better equipped to hit the landscaping place now.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

If you use new ADA don't use fish. The soil leaches ammonia for the first while and will cycle the tank for you. 

Rockman - I normally look for rocks with metals since that's what I do for a living. But the heavy metal I find is inert - gold.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

2wheelsx2 - at the store they told me I could put in a few fish so long as I'm not too keen to add more for a while and I keep an eye on my parameters.

Oh no! 
I hope my fish aren't doomed.

I could always put them in my 6 gal with the other inhabitants... But it would be a bit tight in there.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Sorry I didn't see this earlier as I was on the road.

What fish did you put in there? As I posted in your other thread (I got mixed up), they should be fine if you do daily water changes (large ones with dechlorinated, temperature matched water), and they are hardier fish. I mainly lost shrimp in my ADA cube, even after a month.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Thanks for the reply, 2wheelsx2.
I had gotten gold barbs for the tank, but in a last-minute decision I decided to put the gold barbs in the 6 g and to move the ember tetras to the ADA Edge instead. 
I love with those gold barbs so I didn't want to risk them. Also, I know my tetras are hardy as they made it through the cycling in my 6 gal with flying colors.

It's not ideal to have the barbs in such a small tank but it's temporary. And I'm keeping a close eye on the tetras - just did a big water change, another one in store for tomorrow. They look happy so far but from what I read it seems the ammonia release peak will come later.

Fingers crossed, and thanks for the feedback!


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