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A few years ago, I went fossil hunting up in the mountains. I picked up a few sheets littered with shell and plant imprints. Do you think this could go into my tank? They're not impressive enough to put on a wall or something and I was going to throw them out. The deposits are mostly limestone/sandstone, but there is a mix of flint in it (can see the little chrystals.) Would this be fish safe?

BTW, I'll do the vinigar test, just wanted to know if it was worth trying.

Last edited by djtj at 01-May-2005 10:16

Hi,

Define "Safe."

If you mean will they immediately kill the fish, no,
probably not.
If you mean will they change the water chemistry, yes,
they probably will.

Limestone and any sandstones associated with it,
are carbonates. Over time, they will increase the
hardness (GH) of the water.

Not all sandstones are "glued together" by carbonate, some
are silica based and those will not harm the tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

How do I know, will a vinnegar test suffice?

Don't throw them out.

Ship 'em to me if you don't want them anymore.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Hi,
Yes, for your purposes, scrap off an area to get a fresh
surface and then dribble some vinegar on it and see if
it bubbles. If it does, then it will alter your waters'
chemistry.

Out of curosity, where did you collect the fossils?

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I found the fossils in Schoharie. It's in upstate New York. Just wondering, if the rocks would raise the ph, could I use ph down to counter it? I really want to have a prehistoric look for my tank.

It sounds really interesting, as I have a lot of fossils, but wouldn't it add a lot of weight to the tank that might break the glass? It would depend on the size of the tank and the weight of the fossil. I have a rather large one, an ancient peice of sea floor, but it weights at least twenty pounds. Some fossils, not those you found on your own, are sometimes treated with chemicals to keep them from crumbling -- like varnish. Check the weight, and if it is not more than a few pounds, and untreated, I don't see a reason why you couldn't try it. Some stone can however, effect the PH and water chemistry. If you could try it out in an extra tank, then check the water chemistry first before adding with your fish, that would help. I hope this helps.
I would love to see what a tank decorated with fossils would look like!

Hi,
As you were traveling up Interstate 88, after Richmondville,
on the way to Schenectady, you were passing through the
Hamilton Group consisting of Helderberg and Onondaga
limestone. After that you passed through an area of
Silurian shale and dolostone (Central Bridge) and then
into an area of Ordovician shale (Central Bridge thorugh
Duanesburg to Schenectady).

The "sheets" of rock are most probably shale, as sandstone
does not normally fracture into sheets.

That area was once a shallow inland sea.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

They aren't treated. I collected them myself. If I bought a fossil, then it would go right up on a shelf. (Although I have coral, trilobite, amonite, and ornothocairus fossils that would looks cool in a tank, but I paid big $$$ for them. I'd die if I got algae on it) They're not really fantastic specimins. I can't sell them or anything. But, they would look interesting in a tank.

And I probably won't go insaine with fossils, just enough for a decent background and maybe some floor covering. I want to have plants popping out of the spaces between the rocks. So, I probably won't be adding enough rocks to have any weight concerns (unlike people with mumbuna tanks *gulps*).

Would shale affect the water? I'll put it in an empty tank first (good call 2 tanks) but just want a heads-up. The rocks are greyish with sparkles (flint) which makes me think it might be something else. I'd post a pic, but the digital camera isn't in great shape.

Hi,
A frequent hitch hiker is pyrite, an iron sulfide.
Fequently shale has oil in it and will give off an oil
scum on the surface. I would put them in some water
first, and warm the water to say 80 degrees and hold it
there for a while ( week) and then examine the surface.
If you see an oil (rainbow) scum on the surface then I
would not put them in the water.

Anything that you put in the tank will, eventually, have
algae growing on it.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

djtj -- I live in Central Bridge, schoharie county.. where did you go to get them?

I just picked up the rocks on a roadside deposit.