Cleaning collected rocks

i collected some rocks for ROR ficus in kzn in the fields on a farm, was wondering if i could put them in a tropic tank? I scrubbed the muck, moss and algae off the smaller ones and boiled em with salt water. . ? Also, i have a larger one that wont fit a pot. . How should i clean it. how thorough? With what?

 

should be fine

 

Before adding ANY rocks to your tanks you should really do the vinegar/acid test to make sure it is safe to use. I've found some rocks at LFS which when acid was added to them they were totally unsuitable for aquarium use.

 

Vinegar/acid test??
Please explain vee.

 

I cooked them with salt water with some white vinegar added to make sure the moss/algae died. . . What does the test involve?

 

take the rock you want to put in the tank and take a few drops of vinigar or acid and put it on the rock and wait about 1min if you see any bubbleing you then know the rock isnt safe for your tank , it will leach into your water

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

 

This is what I do: I use pool acid (HCL) with a syringe just squirt a little bit on the rock. It bubbles pretty much immediately and then the rock is not suitable. If I find I can use it, I scrub all the muck off and then I soak it in a strong bleach solution with hot water for a day. Then I leave it in the sun to dry. I then rinse it in a water/HCL solution (1:10). Then later in the day I check up on it to see if there is any bubbling. Often there are certain small pieces of rock imbedded in the larger rock that are unsuitable to have in your tank. So you really gotta test the whole rock.

 

I guess it has been explained already

 

What exactly leaches out?

 

the rock is an odd type, the big boulders on the farm kindof "skilfer" and crack in layers, it looks like a cross between sandstone and soap-rock...

 

top left, top right, is the weird rocks i'm talking about
the bottom ones have been in tanks before, their very silica-ish

 

Thats not rock, THATS A MOULD OF SOMEONES EAR!!!!!

 

okay. . . How d 'you figure that?

 

Whoa dude what kind of ears do you have?

 

I think he played in the scrum for Province LOL

 

Hahaha nice one :top:

 

If I drove a cabrio, My ears would slap me to death..

 

in the end i mostly only boiled these rocks in a pot with salt and some white vinegar to make sure any moss on it died, scrubbed it with hard bristle brush and boiled it some more, then went into the tank