Do these rocks look aquarium safe?

[rtro92]

I acquired these rocks from an old roommate. They look so cool when they're wet, they get super shiny and reflective!! I'd like to put them in my 20g, but I've read that certain metallic rocks can emit toxins and poisons. I cannot identify what type of rock they are, I've looked at geology.com and tried many rock image galleries but still come up blank.

Does anyone recognize them or have anything similar in a tank? I don't want to put them in unless I know they won't hurt my little fish buddies!

They are pretty big, the fish food is for scale.

[mpfsr]

just drop some rubbing alcohol on them if it bubbles it will leach into your tank if not there all good just boil them to get any nasties off them

[Betta man]

If you have anything that's not hardy like rams or discus, maybe even tetras, I wouldn't. If you have something hardy like livebearers or some species of betta, then it should be fine. The shell will mess up the ph though.

[Cory1990]

You don't need to boil them. That in fact would crack or brake the rocks.

I love the shell by the way.

And as long as it doesn't have shiny stuff on it then it's fine. Iv got a ton of rocks in my tanks.

[mpfsr]

true you don't have to boil them or even wash them but I don't like playing Russian roulette with my pets and there are many nasty things you can bring into your aquarium from rocks and wood. But I also don't feed my dog "Dog Chow" either..to each there own on how they care for there pets....

[grogan]

Hahaha BV77 and I were just talking a few days ago about how we just pick rocks up off the Matsu river and toss them in our tanks. Okay in AK but lower 48 :/

[Ghost Knife]

I have about a dozen or so rocks that I put in my 125 when I set it up three years ago that I pulled out of the Atlantic. I boiled them for about 30 minutes and then that was that. Never had an issue with them. My cories like to hide under them and they look good so they make a great addition.

[Murloc]

Your rocks will not break if you boil those. Your shell however, might. It also might not lol. If it was MINE, I would just boil it. It was mentioned not to put it in your tank if it has " shiny " on it. That depends. If the shell has a glaze on it, the glaze could break down over time and add toxins. Or, the shell could be shiny because someone polished it. I have many polished shells that look like they have glaze, but they are just polished. Try scratching your shell and seeing if glaze or shell comes off.

[Cory1990]

It's a known fact that heat can brake rocks...

Also with a little dish soap and a sponge it's just fine. Iv never boiled a rock and put it in my tank, with driftwood I do. But rocks? Come on what's seriously on the rock that needs to be boiled off? There may be bugs living on it but fish eat bugs. Same for wood you don't have to boil it because fish like the tan that it gives the water and they will eat any bugs that come out of it.

Over paranoia is what's going on if your boiling rocks.

[grogan]

Make sure you rinse off that dish soap VERY thoroughly. Its extremely toxic to aquariums.

That being said, when I was more particular about what went into my aquarium I used to use the dish washer. I would rinse of the rocks in my sink, and then place them in the dish washer. I would run them through 2-3 cycle without soap and then let them cool. After that I would place them in the sink and rinse them thoroughly just to make sure that all residual soap scum from the dish washer was removed. After that I would add them to the aquarium.

As you progress in the hobby you will know what rocks to look for and what ones to avoid. Now days I give them a quick blast under the shower, and add them to the aquarium. If I notice issues with my PH I then question the rocks.

Example:
I am always picking up rocks wherever my journeys take me. When I was aquascaping my 56 gallon I laid out all of the rocks I had collected, not paying attention to where they came from. I had the most awesome piece of slat that worked perfect into my scape. It looked amazing and had some weird green glow to it. Then I started having PH issues. The PH was steady at 7.8 regardless of buffers, driftwood, and CO2 (drives Ph). After 3 weeks I determined that it was the rock. I removed the rock and monitored the PH afterwards. Success!

Problem:
The rock was pulled from the sea. I have so many rocks in my collection its hard to keep track. This is where I learned the lesson of having the 'Eye of the Rock."

[Murloc]

A bunch of rocks I got from the base of a volcano, that are super pores, it's hard to get crap out of the pores, some of his rocks look like they have larger pores. I boiled them, literally, it's easier for me to put rocks in a pot, then wash them with soap and rinse them off haha.

Either way, they both work. I've baked tons of rocks at 375 degrees to sanitize them for reptile cages. I have yet to have one break. That's right... I cook rocks hah

[emc7]

A natural vein of lead or arsenic can get in the water, but I have no idea what those look like. Other rock hazards are human pollution. Oily rocks should be washed with dish-soap and stuff the stays gooey should be scraped off or the rock not used. amazing how many rocks have asphalt on them. There are natural tar-bearing rocks in some places (avoid because they will keep oozing), but iME, unnatural is more common. You could try a clear coat, maybe an epoxy. Or just use a "detoxifies heavy metals" water conditioner. The vinegar fizz test is for rocks that will raise your pH. Never heard of a rubbing alcohol test, but that solvent should get off oily residue.

[Cory1990]

My cichlid tank is filled with like a good 150lbs of rocks about 1/2 is rocks. Each one was picked off of a hiking trail. All of them were only hosed down in my driveway and put into the tank. That was months ago and iv yet to run into a problem with the tank. My ph is always around 8 and it stays that way. Even with driftwood. My tap waters ph is at 7.6-7.8 depending on the day.

[Obsidian]

If anyone here has had a rock explode when boiling please let us know. From what I have read this is pretty much never going to happen.

I'm a huge fan of bleach. Just bleach the rocks and rinse and let fully dry. You don't have to worry about how much you rinse it and maybe you didn't get it all etc. Just rinse it well. It goes everywhere, it kills everything, it evaps when dry. Any lingering concerns- when you add the rock to the tank, add dechlor.

[Cory1990]

Not explode but they will crack or split from heat. But to each there own. But I think most rocks are alright with just being rinsed off.