# Rock ?



## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Ok so to make a long story short, a few years ago I found a bunch of test cores from s mining operation. There is granite quarts gold and some foolsgold and probably a bunch of other minerals in them. They are broken and look awesome. Im wondering if they would be ok to put in my cichlid tank. I'll post some pics.

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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

Without the pics I do not know. I will check back in a bit for pics.


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Cores








Some others I wouldnt mind putting in.








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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Last but not least a couple of seashell fossils I found on top of a mountain 









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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

probably going to need some close ups of the rocks individually. I tried to enlarge your pix. Not sure if will help


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Ya I just took yhe pics with my phone so they arent great. My cat chewed the charger for my camera.

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## lauraf (May 4, 2010)

Try dropping some vinegar on them. If the rocks fizz, they aren't inert and aren't a good idea for your tank.


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## IceBlue (Mar 17, 2011)

lauraf said:


> Try dropping some vinegar on them. If the rocks fizz, they aren't inert and aren't a good idea for your tank.


I've heard that too, though I'm a little leary/wouldn't use, rock from mine sites, may contain heavy metals, ergo mine, and not sure if the vinegar will work on heavy metals.


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## Fishman21 (Apr 26, 2010)

Granite is crystalline volcanic rock - quite inert and therefore will not dissolve or leach chemicals when put in water. Kind of like putting glass pieces into the tank - totally safe.

Rock types that fizz typically calcium or magnesium and will slowly leach chemicals into the water and ultimately affect your water chemistry.

Blurry pebbles:- difficult to judge - the more shiny ones might be a quartz or other crystalline type which I would take a chance with. 

The lighter, more jagged pieces and the fossil rock is dodgy - not sure I would use them


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

The 2 fossils are the two pieces on the bottom. The two pieces on the top, right one is this heavy jagged purple in color metal. the left one is a crystal I found on the side of a logging road up north. Looks like a rock, break it open... orange and purple crystals inside. 
























and the others


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

The fossil is actually my favorite I have like a 40lb block of it I can break up at my parents house. I was hoping it would be fine.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

Anything pyrite, fools gold, or micha (sp?) should be avoided. Vinegar may not be strong enough to test for acid breakdown. There's a household product that works better for that test, but I forget what it is. I think the forum member 2wheels2x is a geologist who's answered these kinds of questions very thoroughly in the past.


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

I would put them in a bucket using some of your tank water that you know is of good parameter and check it in 1 week to see if the quality has changed any. You could also pick up a few feeder guppies and put in with it and see what happens. Not that any fish should be killed by poisonous rocks. Let us know what happens.


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

sunshine_1965 said:


> I would put them in a bucket using some of your tank water that you know is of good parameter and check it in 1 week to see if the quality has changed any. You could also pick up a few feeder guppies and put in with it and see what happens. Not that any fish should be killed by poisonous rocks. Let us know what happens.


Thats a good idea. I think I'll do the bucket for a week and if the parameters are still good I'll try the guppies for a week. The problem that poses though is what if only one of the pieces is leeching? maybe I will do a bunch of small buckets with one piece in each...


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