Rocks from Snoqualmie river?

I'm thinking about heading up to the Snoqualmie river since it's only about a 20-25 min drive for me. Anyways, I was considering snagging up a bunch of rocks out of the river there since it's fast flowing and glacier fed (always liked the look of those kinda rocks). What are your thoughts on these rocks? Would any of them pose some sort of threat to my tank after boiling them and dropping a little vinegar on to make sure it doesn't fizz up? Just figured I'd post on here to see what your thoughts are and whether or not any of you have used rocks from the same river.

Thanks

Do the vinegar test first to make sure you haven't wasted your time boiling them. I've got rocks from Greenwater in my tank right now and I love them. Most are nice and round with character. For free !

Can't beat the price! I'm going to go freeze my butt off and risk being swept away in order to make my tank look pretty. I blame you for giving me the confidence to do this :p Thanks for the input!

My boyfriend did this same thing with rocks from Ruby Beach. Gorgeous looking rocks! Seems to be doing fine in his tank without any problems. (african cichlid tank)

Do it in warmer weather brrrr

What exactly is the vinegar test? What does the vinegar do?

Its an indicator that the rocks will leach minerals into your water, if they bubble there is a chemical reaction going on , and should be avoided in the aquarium, unless you seal them .

Interesting. So if the rocks bubble? Thanks. What type of vinegar? Like apple cider vinegar or what?

Hmm. I might pick up some rocks!!!

standard distilled white vinegar if im not mistaken

Cool. Thats not a bad idea. Let us know how the search and capture goes.

Go check out the "show and tell" section to see some pics of my tank with the Snoqualmie rocks. I still have 7 more that I need to clean and try out, but so far I think they look great

I used to pick up a new rock for the fish tank every anniversary trip. Can see the first 5 years of my marriage behind the fish.

How long did you boil them for?

hmm.. now i feel like i risked alot... cause in my npt i have a piece of sandstone i picked up on the oregon coast and i didnt boil or vinegar test it... either i got lucky on my Goldfish in the tank tht i soaked it in first was really a epic fish... but now its all perfect in the tank.. shrimp and fish all happy and surviving..

I boiled them for about 15 minutes and let them soak in the hot water with the lids on the pots until they cooled down. They've been in the tank for a few days now without any change in the water. My Loaches LOVE hanging out on them, as do my Cory's. Definitely worth the $2.50 in gas to drive out there I'll grab some up for you all next time, test them, and then throw them up for grabs. Check the "free" section periodically if you'r einterested

The vinegar test will just tell you if the rock in question is basic or not. Vinegar is a mild acid and when you combine an acid and a base you get a chemical reaction (neutralization), which you see as bubbling. It will not tell you if the rock in question is "safe" as there are many other variables to a "safe" rock. It won't tell you anything about heavy metals or any pollutants etc.

With that said, I've never boiled a rock in my life (theoretically if you chose to boil a rock with an air pocket it could end up exploding; like certain rocks in the campfire) and I have several hundred pounds of "free" river rocks in my tanks, just be smart about where and what you collect. Lots of rock around Washington and Oregon is basalt and granite which is fine. Avoid shale/limestone etc.

I do have one rock that I put in that I think may be Limestone, but I'm not too sure since there are a few different types :/ Kinda hard to see, but here's a pic with the rock in it. The rock's to the right side of the bunch and it a yellowish/orange cream color. Any thoughts?
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dude those look sweet. whered you get the driftwood?

Not to change the subject, but just commenting on Modest_man's avatar. As for the rocks, NICE. I may have to go visit the river someday.

Beautiful Male RD, how big is he? It looks just like mine. [img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]

He's about 8". F1 from Jeff Rapps, pure A. citrinellus.

Larger photo here

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can you use the viniger test on wood as well

JackDempsey wrote:dude those look sweet. whered you get the driftwood?

I actually purchased most of the driftwood from Crazyfish (forget the rest of his SN on here). The big piece in the middle of the tank was one that I used in my bearded dragon's 55g 4-5 years ago, can't remember where I got it. Thanks!