# Help with rocks/cave



## night_day (Mar 16, 2005)

I want to create some rock/cave formations in our 20 gal which currently has 3 fake plants, that's it. Are there certain types of rocks that are good for this? I assume I should submerge the rocks for awhile before adding them to the tank? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

What fish are you planning to keep?

If you are doing freshwater, about the only thing to avoid is coral, seashells, tufa rock and limestone. These will all jack your pH sky hi.
I have heard that marble will lower it, but i cannot vouch for that one way or another, nor can i think of any reason it would do so.

Basicly, if you have any question about what something will do to your pH, get a bottle of pH down, and apply a drop or 2 to the material in question. if it fizzes it will raise your pH. 
In theory, applying some baking soda/water mix to an object that will lower your pH would have the same effect, but i don't think it works. Never saw driftwood fizz in a marine tank (yes, i know, but it has been done).

Anything made of resin is inert is fine, most driftwood is fine just don't use grapevine, it grows a nasty fungus.


----------



## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

I would never mess with my ph unless I am a breeder, and then I would never use chemicals to do it, always natural! The ph down chemical will lower it for about a day then it will fluctuate.


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Agreed, it's about the only thing i ever reccomend pH down for heh. Better off with muriatic acid by the jug or peat in the filter. IF you know what you're doing that is. Muriatic is NOT reccomended for the beginner, nor is baking soda.


----------



## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

you mean like rocks from a river or lake? be sure to boil the hell outta them.


----------



## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I found that vinigar can test if a rock is safe to put in an aquarium or not... if it fizzes, its not, basically you are just testing for a rock that will leach metals into your aquarium as well as change your pH. Metals fizz when put in an acid or base.


----------



## night_day (Mar 16, 2005)

So there aren't any type of "special" rocks to that are best to add? My tank has been running over a month now with 4 guppies and 4 platys. The aquarium store we go to has huge varieties but I am not sure what's more appropriate, or the treated wood they have, is that any good?


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Metals don't fizz silly, bicarbonates do 

And no, no special rocks.


----------



## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

lol bicarbonates? I thought metals will fizz too, I remember throwing in mg into an acid or a base and it fizzing in my chem 105 class...


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Hmmm, never heard that. It's the whole opposite pH thing. If magnesium will react to acids the same way they do to bicarconates it's news to me, but again, you can fill volumes with what i don't know, and a chemist i am not >

But yeah, the bicarbs. vinegar + baking soda. youve done it, i know you have  same thing coral is made of. And tufa rock. Not sure the composition of limestone, but it's the same principle.


----------



## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

lol... yeah I'm no chemist either... so yeah don't take my word for it. I guess I have something to look up now


----------

