The Puffer Forum

Ok, I need to build some rock ledges and caves. What I'd like to do is collect natural rock (mainly rose granite and field stone) from some of the wooded areas around here. I've never used "wild" rock before, anything I need to do to prepare it for the tank?

I was told once that you can do a type of test.... take vinegar and put some drops ontu the stone... if it bubbles up it could be too soft or acidic for a tank........ I dont know if its true or not, but thats what I heard....

No, it would be too hard, but that only happens with limestone. I don't know about preparing it, though.

I run boiling water over mine, scrub it with salt and a brush, then boil it for a little bit then put it in...

I put mine in the dishwaster and run it a few times. No soap of course.

Cool, the boiling method is goignt to be the way I have to go. My wife does the dishes (I do them also) and if I told her about putting rocks in the dishwasher I'd be homeless!

If you put vinegar on the rock or shell and it fizzes, it means that there is too much calcium present and that it will lower your ph. I've used it on flagstone, shells, rocks etc. its a good trick.

However, I think that this mainly applies to freshwater tanks, not sure about brackish or marine. I found a huge eroded conch shell that I wanted to put in my 55 gallon freshwater community but it took out too much ph so I had to seal it in order to use it.

I boiled it in a stockpot, I'm still afraid to cook food in it even after cleaning it with comet.

I'm pretty sure it makes water harder. Vinegar has a low ph, and that's why it reacts to limestone, which has a high ph. It's like baking soda. Baking soda has a very high ph, and no calcium. I may be wrong, tho...

LOL you're right it is raise the ph not lower. Well now I want to know why my ph is getting lower. I thought I missed part of the shell, now I'm really confused.