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Is it safe to use ocean rocks and shells in aquarium?


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2 hours ago, Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics said:

Hello!

One of my newest aquascaping ideas includes medium - large rocks from the ocean that I collected. Is it safe to put it in a freshwater aquarium? If so, does anyone do anything to the decor before adding?

Thanks!

it can be safe but you must clean it off making sure there is no parasite or hitchhikers 

here is what I would do

-Do a bleach dip (fill bucket up with water add bleach)

-Boil for 15 minutes

That should do it!

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Parasites and pests are less of an issue when going from saltwater to fresh.  There's not a lot that would transfer over. I would probably test them in fresh water for a few days. Fill a largish container with fresh water, check the ph before, plop the rocks in and then recheck the ph a few days later. If the rocks will affect your ph you should see a difference in a few days. I wouldn't worry a lot about salt leaching from the rocks as most freshwater fish have some tolerance for salt and may even find low levels beneficial.  Depending on how large your large is, if you opt to boil them then a barbecue and a large metal trash can can be your best bet. As long as they don't affect your ph though you should be okay.

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