Thinking of adding rocks from nearby creek

[Monkeypoint]

In resetting my 10 gallon tank, I'm considering looking for rocks locally (as in, from a nearby creek a few blocks from my house). Is this too risky, even if the rocks are boiled? Can pathogens or bacteria still exist? Is it simply not worth the risk? I know certain types of rocks can alter PH and water hardness. I'm planning on keeping the Fluval Stratum that's currently in the tank and adding Eco Complete on top of that. The Stratum has brought the PH in my tank down to 6.6 (PH in my 55 gallon is always at a steady 7.8).

[Monkeypoint]

Thank you! This is great advice. I can’t hear the word igneous rocks without thinking of What’s Up Doc and how hilarious Madeline Kahn was in that film. And Babs was outstanding as well - one of her best roles. 
 

Tomorrow, my quest for rocks begins! I did read about the vinegar fizz test so I’ll be sure to check them out before disinfecting. 
 

I love that you can share this with your grandson and that each rock is attached to a memory. 

[Flumpweesel]

I use a lot of beach pebbles (local and pretty) and I just wash them, if they have holes I might boil them just to deep clean.

[Remi de Groot]

Have to agree with the others above. Never had problem with found rocks after washing them (and the vinegar test).
I got a big pond in the backyard and if i don't use a rock i put them around the pond.
Everytime i set up a new tank i go back out to collect some nice rocks from around the pond.
Don't really need to go further then my backyard anymore for rocks.

Just be carefull with boiling them, if there is some air trapped in the rock it might break or 'explode'.

[Flumpweesel]

On 12/4/2022 at 2:05 PM, Remi de Groot said:

be carefull with boiling them

And they stay very hot for quite awhile

[Biotope Biologist]

Yup I boil rocks locally. No harm in it. Unless there is a specific aesthetic I am going for where I have bought specific stones from a yard.
 

Also depending on your locality be aware some rocks also have iron deposits in them. Not typically harmful but they will rust. Pretty easy to spot they have a rust brown/orange spot that can easily be wiped away it likely has iron in it. 

[Monkeypoint]

Heading out in a few to look for rocks! There are some really gorgeous ones in the park near my house. I am going to boil them, but I'll be very careful. I'm going to put one of my light stand sandbags on top of the lid, just in case there's a boom.

[Minanora]

I look forward to seeing what you find! I've boiled plenty of rocks. I use canning rings to elevate larger, sharp rocks off of the bottom of my pots so they don't ding or scratch up the bottoms of my pans.

[tolstoy21]

I just spray rocks off with a hose to get the dirt off, then place them right in the tank. Most of my rocks are from my yard. If I got some from a waterway, maybe I would let them dry (or maybe not, to be honest; I would probably just give them a good rise and wash down in the sink or with the hose which is my normal process). I can't imagine water-born pathogens surviving being left out in the air to dry. 

Maybe I'm not as cautious as others. I have yet to hear a horror story of someone putting found hardscape in their aquarium only to find out they introduced the fish equivalent of the black plague. But then again, I also don't actively look for those horror stories.

[Patrick_G]

I’m of the same school of thought as @tolstoy21. I just clean them off and put them in the tank. With driftwood I clean it off and then let it dry in the sun. 

[Minanora]

I boil mine because it makes it easy to remove algae from the rocks The rocks I get I usually pick up from the Kern river in the summer. So they're extra slimy and the algae is super hard to get off. The ones I get from the mountains, I don't usually boil unless they get oil on them from the back of the RZR or something. Which has happened since the chainsaw is back there a lot.

[Monkeypoint]

On 12/4/2022 at 2:30 PM, Minanora said:

I look forward to seeing what you find! I've boiled plenty of rocks. I use canning rings to elevate larger, sharp rocks off of the bottom of my pots so they don't ding or scratch up the bottoms of my pans.

I found 4 beautiful rocks. One looks a lot like a perfectly shaped potato. They're boiling now. I have one old pot that the dedicated boiling pot of aquarium items and for making homemade dog food. I weighed the lid down with 2 25 lb sandbags.

[Jennifer V]

Looking forward to seeing what you've found. Post pics when they're in! 

[Tanked]

On 12/4/2022 at 4:35 PM, Monkeypoint said:

I found 4 beautiful rocks. One looks a lot like a perfectly shaped potato. They're boiling now. I have one old pot that the dedicated boiling pot of aquarium items and for making homemade dog food. I weighed the lid down with 2 25 lb sandbags.

I hope you didn't melt the sandbags!   Let the pan cool before attempting to open it or scalding is a bigger problem if it has a tight fitting lid.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Tanked
Computer glitched

[Monkeypoint]

On 12/4/2022 at 4:39 PM, Jennifer V said:

Looking forward to seeing what you've found. Post pics when they're in! 

Nothing beats the smell of freshly boiled rocks!

[Comradovich]

When I redid my hardscape this year, I used a bunch of found rocks. I've got an ancient sandbar out back, so if there's an earthquake, early snowmelt, or a clumsy deer... well, I get them delivered right to the back deck. Mostly granites and shales, worth smooth and more or less critter-free unless you count lichen.

What I do to treat is the old H2O2 soak for adding driftwood to the tank. I forget the exact measures, but it's pretty easy to look up how many parts of it to mix with how many other parts of water. I stayed away from the boil because my rocks have been out of water for quite some time, and I don't want to ruin any of my pots if I do have one with air pockets. The solution should get into pretty much everything and destroy whatever it lands on. I want to say the soak is a day or so... Worked great, though. No issues with ph or surprise fish sickness.

[Monkeypoint]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:27 PM, Comradovich said:

When I redid my hardscape this year, I used a bunch of found rocks. I've got an ancient sandbar out back, so if there's an earthquake, early snowmelt, or a clumsy deer... well, I get them delivered right to the back deck. Mostly granites and shales, worth smooth and more or less critter-free unless you count lichen.

What I do to treat is the old H2O2 soak for adding driftwood to the tank. I forget the exact measures, but it's pretty easy to look up how many parts of it to mix with how many other parts of water. I stayed away from the boil because my rocks have been out of water for quite some time, and I don't want to ruin any of my pots if I do have one with air pockets. The solution should get into pretty much everything and destroy whatever it lands on. I want to say the soak is a day or so... Worked great, though. No issues with ph or surprise fish sickness.

Thanks for sharing that. Great to know and it sounds like you live in a beautiful area.

[JJenna]

On 12/3/2022 at 8:22 PM, Pepere said:

Every rock in all of my tanks are found rocks…. 

Dang, if I had only not trained that out of my pup, I would have a tank full. His were only as big as he could fit in his mouth, but he never failed to find a rock on our walks. Special bond with your grandson!

[Jennifer V]

On 12/4/2022 at 5:30 PM, Monkeypoint said:

Nothing beats the smell of freshly boiled rocks!

The price you pay for finding some amazing looking hardscape!