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I live very close to the beach and since i dog walk as a summer job i frequently am there. Well yesterday while i was at the beach i started thinking about my tanks and noticed a lot of rocks that would look great in my tank. I have tried to look for rocks at stores but they are always so expensive!! Would it be possible to put these rocks in my tank? How would i go about disinfecting and preparing them?

Also, there was some driftwood on the beach, could i possibly use that or is it too risky?

P.S. It's my 600th post!! hehe!!

Last edited by Hooktor at 27-Jul-2005 13:25

Boil the rocks for 10-15 minutes to kill any wee beasties living on 'em. Then do the acid test to make sure they won't mess with your PH. (or keep 'em in a bucket of water for a few days checking PH).

OOO I would really not trust anything from the great lakes. I've heard that the pollution levels are just way to high to risk it .

Your tank, your fish though. If you can contact local authorities and verify that the fish from there are safe to eat it might be a risk you're willing to take.

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Hooktor,

Where are your from? I used to live close to Lake MI. I miss it alot. Right now I am living in Kzoo because of college. Good luck with your rock hunting. I use a lot of stuff that I find for my tanks. It's way cheaper.

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I think you would be OK with the rocks as long as you boiled them first. I use local rocks from near Lake Ontario in my tank and they are fine.

I would however stay clear of the local driftwood as that can really mess up your tank.

As long as you treat them, i think they're fine. Boil them for 20 min & then place them in a bucket, with tank water & test the water for a couple of days. If you are satisfied with the results, you can use them.



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You might want to soak them in some fresh water after the suggested boiling too. You'd might want to the test the water you soaked them in also, and check for little nasties.

I am from Glencoe, it is a suburb north of Chicago.

Sorry to steal this thread...but I stole 3 rocks from Lake Ontario when I was there

The lake didn't look that dirty or polluted, so I didn't really think anything of getting the rocks for my tanks...but I haven't put 'em in yet

So I should boil them for 10-15 mins and then do a vinegar test? BTW, they've been sitting around for 'bout 2-3 weeks and are good and dry...I don' think anything could be living on them, but they might have chemicals and stuff on 'em

Methinks I'll soak 'em in water for a few weeks, too

I am in Chicago and I was thinking the same thing. I really don't think the lake is as polluted as some may think. I spent 4 summers working there as a lifeguard and swimming every day and nothing bad happened to me!

Last edited by mo735 at 31-Jul-2005 23:45

Well i went and got the rocks, they look pretty great. I need to get a picture to show everyone. I think i am going to get more tomorrow, i have to go there again to dog walk.

I get rocks from Lake Erie all the time. Instead of a vinegar test you'll want to use a stronger acid, vinegar isn't strong enough to get a really violent reaction. The only time I use vinegar is for small pebbles, gravel or sand. In that case they are put into a cup and completely covered with vinegar, then I can see little tiny bubbles rising from any stones or gravel that might harden my water. For bigger stones, I use a couple of drops of a much stronger acid. I sometimes use pH down that came with my pH test kit (only use for it I have been able to come up with! ). Also I know of at least one of my test kits that uses HCl or Hydrochloric Acid as a reagent, that works too.

I usually boil or bake these rocks. 10-15 mins boiling or 15-25 mins @ 425 F in the oven followed by a good scrub. I have never had any problems with these rocks.

RE: Local driftwood. It can be used, just requires more care in cleaning than something you would buy at the shop.

The Great Lakes use to be pretty polluted 10-20+ years ago. But, within the past ten years they have really started to clean them up. Lake Michigan is no where near as bad as it was.

I remember when I was a child walking along the shore in Ludington, MI and walking around the maze of dead fish that were on the beach. And it seemed every year my family would go back to some spot on the beach the amount dead fish would slowly decline... Now, It's nothing like that anymore. The Michigan Government finally realize the tourist potential the Great Lakes have, especially the west cost of MI, and the finally put into action the clean-up of them. The only area I would avoid is the Detroit River. And the Saint Clair shores area. Lots of "raw" pollution in those areas.

-Pamela

P.S. My brother the other year when he went camping brought home a rock from the beach that had copper in it. So, it is good to test the rocks, because the Lakes, especially Lake Superior are copper rich.

Pammy Hina

Are you still in the West Mi area? My mom grew up in Ludington and I grew up a bit farther south of there.

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