Rock Question... From the yard...

[FlaEagleFan]

I was at my moms house and noticed that in the empty field next to her, they are digging to start construction on a new house.. Well they dug up all kinds of large rocks and some smaller ones.. I found a rock that weighs about 15-20lbs that is AWESOME looking.. lots of caves and holes and a really good overall shape to it...


My questions...

1. How would i go about finding out if i can put this in my tank without it turning the water whitish from calcium or whatever else might be in it??

2. Whats the best way to prepare this rock for a tank? Its very very dirty..

3. Has anyone else taken rocks from out n about and put them into their tanks as base rock?

[J_T]

This rock would contain god only knows how many chemicals that us neglectful humans use. Since it is in the ground, you might find fertalizer, and who knows what else.

I would leave the rock right where it is, or maybe in a garden? Some frog might like that cave later.

If I have learned one important thing in this hobby, it would be never get cheap. The saying that "you get what you pay for" I think came directly from the mouth of a saltwater aquarium owner.

[know-it-all]

1. have no idea
2. let it soak in FW for a long time, but may not be worth the hassle
3. only in a FW system

[JY13131]

Agree

[FlaEagleFan]

Ok.. back to the earth this rock goes..

too bad.. its a really cool looking rock...

[Doug1]

Originally Posted by FlaEagleFan

Ok.. back to the earth this rock goes..

too bad.. its a really cool looking rock...

It may look cool but who knows what is present in the rock, the chemical contamination is a big possibility , as well as who knows what bugs and stuff may be present, anthing live that dies when you stick it in SW will create waste to be dealt with. Leaving it out is probably the wisest choice

[FlaEagleFan]

Looks like the neighbor is going to boil the rock and then put it into his FW tank... This should be interesting.

[leveldrummer]

ive done it alot with freshwater, but i didnt have the same investment as i do with a reef. there are also lots of strange minerals that you have to think about, lots of rock contain different metals, it would suck to get a super cool rock, only to find out it has a large amount of copper in it or something. and you can never stock your tank again.