2007-12-06 11:14:04 · 8 answers · asked by IanD 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
I haven't seen any large natural stones/rocks in any local pet stores.
2007-12-06 11:24:23 · update #1
Pet stores will have rocks but you can also use natural rocks from lakes, streams, rivers, or just around. You have to boil them to sterilize them and you should test to see if they are basic by scratching the surface and pouring vinegar on them, if they bubble they will raise the pH of your tank and you might not want them.
I have some beautiful rocks that I found and put in my cichlid tank. I have a bunch of round river stones, and cave made of a curved piece of red slate.
Good luck!
2007-12-06 11:29:48 · answer #1 · answered by cellerdor 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you use rocks that you find, do some research. Heck, do research anyway, because you should know that certain rocks leech minerals into the water. Depending on which fish you have, those minerals can alter your water in a harmful way (or a good way, or not at all). Depends on what your fish like / can survive in.
Pet stores often sell rocks by the pound. Keep searching... I'm positive a store is out there that has them near you.
2007-12-06 23:51:07 · answer #2 · answered by mightysquirrell 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try going to a home depot, or lowes and you can purchase rocks there which usually arent to pricey. Either that or if you have a river,creek, lake any body of water around you where you can pick up rocks that would be ideal. If not you can use regular rocks but you will need to let them soak. I advise that since you dont know if the rock has any chemicals on it that you let is soak for atleast a day in 50% clean water 50% white vinegar. After it soaks for a day you can give it a good rinse and add it to your tank. Just make sure that the bottom of your tank is supported enough to hold the weight of the rocks.
2016-05-21 22:13:18 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your store doesn't carry larger rocks, if you talk to a manager and tell him/her what you want, they can still special-order it for you. If they won't, they don't care about keeping you as a customer. Having them order it will aslo save you from having to pay shipping if you would order online.
You can use rock you collect, but I would tell you to be very cautious if you do this. The procedure for testing for the presence of carbonates was already explained, but this type of rock is only a problem if you're keeping fish that can't tolerate higher hardness levels and a pH of around 7.8. For fish such as African lake cichlids, this type of rock would be fine. But you also need to be careful of rock that lowers your pH - typically sandstones from coal-bearing regions. The rock contains small amount of iron pyrite, and the sulfur from this reacts with water to produce sulfuric acid. Test for this by soaking the rocks in a clean bucket of water for about a week, testing the pH before and after. I've had these rocks drop pH to 5.5 (with a starting pH of 8.3, so the water became over 1,000 times as acidic from what came out of the tap).
Some types available for sale from one of the companies that suppies aquarium rocks: http://www.fellerstone.com/rockshop/ - lace rock, travertine, and antique coral are all carbonates
2007-12-06 11:46:42 · answer #4 · answered by copperhead 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I found the ones in my tank on the shores of Lake Huron.
Scrubbed it real good, boiled it a few minutes, then scratched it and poured some vinegar on it. The last part is to test for Ph - if it bubbles, it can't go in your tank.
2007-12-06 11:30:19 · answer #5 · answered by freshbliss 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I did (to make my tank more natural) go outside and find a good rock. Clean it off realllly good!!!! (use hot water no soap) and put the rock in. Its free xD
2007-12-06 11:25:54 · answer #6 · answered by SoulEaterKurizu 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pet/Fish stores usually stock these.
2007-12-06 11:17:02 · answer #7 · answered by Quiet Tempest 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
walmart or pet/fish stores have them
2007-12-06 11:19:06 · answer #8 · answered by missy_a_jesus_lover 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋