Rocks for Aquascape Question

[Fish Folk]

I'd like to set up an aquascape with some medium sized, rounded black / dark gray river rocks like the photo attached. Some I see for sale online are artificially polished. I'm interested in learning: Are polished rocks always a no-no for hardscape? What safe source(s) would you recommend for purchasing them from? Is this as easy as going to a landscape supplier and buying some stones, boiling them, and voila!?

 

[Andy's Fish Den]

Check out a local landscaping supply yard, they usually have pallets of various rocks. They will a lot of times let you dig through to find the sizes you want, and its a lot cheaper this way as well. I've never boiled rocks, just wash good, scrub if they have dirt on them and put in tank. I've heard of rocks exploding when boiled, but I've not had issues just washing them off. I would stay away from the polished rocks myself, I don't think they look natural, and not sure if there could be any of the polishing material left on the rock.

[Tanked]

Whether or not to cook your rocks depends on where you got them. If you harvest your rocks from the local river or creek, I would not hesitate to cook them.  They don't have to boil  The idea is to remove living organisms and pollutants.  Some rocks that I thought were clean produced an oily sheen on the water surface when boiled.

@Andy's Fish Den's suggestion of going to the local landscaper is probably the best way. A quick scrub and done.  Go on a rainy day so you can see how they will look in the aquarium.

[Sharon- fishandfloral]

I get all of mine from a garden supply/ landscaping business. I just scrub them off, rinse well and use. If you are worried about rock affecting water parameters, you can test them first. If you don’t have an acid, put them in a bucket of water to soak, and test parameters before and after. 

[lefty o]

if i was looking for more than 1 or 2 rocks, a landscaping place would be where to shop. 

[CanadaAmanda]

I’d ask around locally if there is a place to collect rocks like this?

A scrub to remove debris/dirt and douse with peroxide is another way to prep them.

 

Rocks are polished by tumbling them with sand.  There is only a problem if they have been artificially polished by adding a lacquer in place of a proper polish, or to make a naturally dull rock look shiny... some rocks look unremarkable even when properly polished.