I have these rocks in my backyard that look fun for a tank. How can I make them safe?

[Gannon]

These rocks have been in the yard of the place I've lived in for university, kinda just strewn about or in the pile of lava rock you see. Being that they've been in a yard for surely a very long time, they've probably come into contact with various chemicals like pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, etc. Is there a surefire way I could make them safe to use in an aquarium or is it just not worth the risk/hassle. Thanks for your help!

 

[Gannon]

On 5/1/2023 at 10:46 AM, Pepere said:

Pesticides and herbicides break down in the environment.  Pesticides typically lose effectiveness within 30 days.

I always use found rocks.  I refuse to buy them…

I typically pressure wash followed by bleach water soak overnight, followed byanother pressure wash and soak again with dechlorinator and water. Then pull and allow to dry until I am ready to use them.

 

I have not had any issues..

Thanks so much for your helpful response!

[Lennie]

Here are some answers back then when I created a similar topic. Maybe it is helpful!

 

[H20 Plecos]

Hey Gannon, 

The KingOfDIY has a great video aquarium safe rock/or not. I would recommend the following video to make sure. Then I would bowl them like mentioned (Pepere). Hopefully this helps. 

[nabokovfan87]

I would soak them for a little bit with an airstone.  Change the water every few days just to clean the deepest innards of the rocks themselves.  Roll them around and let the air out from inside the rocks. 

After 7-14 days that would be sort of the minimum for me to feel safe enough to test them.  Then I would go ahead and add something to the rocks first before risking the entire tank to make sure you don't have any crazy issues.  Maybe a snail or something might work?  Depends on what you have available.  Water test everything you can for any leeching, just like you would with some unknown piece of wood.

[Tanked]

Mine get a good brushing and then boiled.   Put them in a pan of water and slowly bring up to temperature.  Let them simmer for a while.   The exploding rock stories leave out key details and are almost entirely myth.

[Gannon]

On 5/1/2023 at 2:59 PM, Lennie said:

Here are some answers back then when I created a similar topic. Maybe it is helpful!

 

Thank you!

On 5/2/2023 at 1:07 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I would soak them for a little bit with an airstone.  Change the water every few days just to clean the deepest innards of the rocks themselves.  Roll them around and let the air out from inside the rocks. 

After 7-14 days that would be sort of the minimum for me to feel safe enough to test them.  Then I would go ahead and add something to the rocks first before risking the entire tank to make sure you don't have any crazy issues.  Maybe a snail or something might work?  Depends on what you have available.  Water test everything you can for any leeching, just like you would with some unknown piece of wood.

I like this idea. I'll probably go with something like this.