The Puffer Forum

Hi all,
I've been reading about DIY caves made out of PVC pipe & terra cotta pots for a little while, and it seems pretty easy and cheap. I can't find any caves I like at petsmart or petco, theyre all much too small for my F8, Lola (or if theyre not now, they will be when she's full grown). I decided to go with the terra cotta pot, but while I was at home depot my fiance & i saw some neat flat rocks that are used for making walkways that we thought about using. It looks good, but I'm not sure if it's safe? I don't know if it makes a difference, but it was called "mediterranean walnut paver." I think that's just the color though. Does anyone know if it's safe to use, or have any suggestions?
Thanks!

There was a thread really recently about how to test rocks, but I cant find it lol.

Most rocks are perfectly safe, if it has a rust color I would steer away from it cause of the metals in the rock that cause that color.

Others will chime in and give you better answers

Thanks
I think it's slate, thought i'm not 100%... I'm reading on some other fish sites that slate is great to use though, so I'm hoping it is.

Fiance poses a pretty good question--
What if we coat it with the aquarium sealant? It's clear. Would that make it safe?

IME it goes on clear but turns white once dry, just look at the corners of your tank

I'm boiling it right now, and even though most of it is grey, I can see there are some orange patches on it now that it's wet. I'm disappointed I read that one thing I could do is soak it for a few weeks, check the parameters before & after and see what has changed. If nothing, then great.

Nothing is quick & easy in this hobby, huh? Haha.

Be very careful, if there is any water or air inside the rock it could possible explode

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/fres ... ocks-7424/

Dear goodness. Well, I'm glad it didn't explode. I read that after I was done

+1 to avoiding orange.
Go to a river or lake, just clean the rocks really well and let them dry completely. I think you can bake them, unless the explosion rule applies there too

I'll probably just use the terra cotta pot & cover it with gravel & crushed river rocks, already got the sealant for it. @_@ boo. but i'd rather be safe than kill my fish over a neat looking cave.

it really was going to be super cool. -__-

If it's any consolation, I use almost all river and lake rocks, I just scrubbed them with hot water

You can also make a cave from miliput. This is aquarium safe and you can make any shape you wish

How cool! Do you know what stores carry it? I really like that.