Ok I have been thinking of redoing one of my tanks! I have noticed all the stones around one the roads, now I am now considering stealing these but it has crossed my mind... And I wonder what stones would do what in the tanks. Here's the questions: 1: what do you guys have in your tanks and what's the effects? 2: can you load some pics so I know what you are speaking about? 3: has any one else ever considered loanin these stones from the goverent?
Stones can give a nice look to a tank but you must be careful as to not put stones that are not to big as it will make your tank look very small. With the stones you are choosing to use i would do a vinegar test on them. Just poor a little vinegar on the rock and if it foams then it wont be good for your tank but if it doesn't then it should be fine. I just cant remember why we do that but i am sure someone will be able to help out.
do it to check if the stones will leach any harmfull substances into the tank bud . usually if the stones are white-ish they fail the acid test but that's just the stones I have tried , be careful picking stones from the road you don't know what's fallen on them (tar springs to mind). cheers
I once stopped next to the side of the road at an "abandoned" road works camp (it was weekend) and loaded about 20 litres of small granite chips areound 5-7 mm from one of the heaps. Unused, no tar. I wont go for the "sweepings" the fish looked better in the tank than with the standard white marble chips you get
Are you talking about outside peoples houses? If so that piece of land doesnt belong to them so they are basically giving stones away for free. Thats what iv been told. Iv used stones like this in one of my tanks, if you have small fish be careful! Thats only to small stones
Hey just leave my Stones(Rocks) outside my Yard! But aside to give you an idea: All these rocks were picked up next to roads.
most of mine comes from the veld across the dam. i look extremely odd walking home with handfuls of stones and my excitable 18mnth old lab X on a lead lol. the black stone with the white line through it came from namibia, my bro brought it back for me, iv always had a thing for stones lol:nuts:. the pebbles come from the beach, i spent a whole holiday collecting them for my 16L substrate. im always collecting stones lol. well thats my 2 sense worth. i think this sorta stone makes a tank look more natural.
Try not to use too many, as the extra load can cause problems with the base glas, which can crack under the weight. Your can add extra support, either by sealing egg-crate to the base or by using a fine substratum. Both of these distribute the weight of the rocks acorss across the entire base of the tank. Also try to use the lighter, more porous rocks. While some of these are more likely to dissolve, they are so much better than other rocks simply by the fact that they break easier (can make smaller rocks out of bigger ones) and they pose little threat as far as weight goes. Regarding the dissolving rocks, find out first what kind of rock it is. If it is sandstone, it'll be fine to use in setups like Malawi tanks, Central American tanks, Australian tanks and even some West-African setups.
Thanks for the info guys I was thinking more along the lines of pebbles, the smooth white ones I have a few ideas I am toting with not all are for my fish tank but mainly for the tanks! I will keep you guys posted when I have more ideas
i found some cool rocks in the river sand that you buy by the truck loads .ya and on my trip to cape town ,it was a road trip ,i found cool crystals and gems on hills and on the beaches of practicaly every were.
the thought has crossed my mind to and i agree with troy a persons property ends where their wall begins.i get my stones from the koppie close to home and have a few pure white pebbles also from namibia
