R-DUB wrote:I think that your theory is flawed. If they fizz doesnt mean they are unsafe. It means they contain a high amount of alkaline. Like limestone. Texas Holey rock is limestone. Which I know is safe. It will have a tendency to make your water harder over time. But not unsafe for cichlids, maybe others. Most of what is fizzing is probably dirt and debris anyway. I would just stay away from rocks that appear to have metallic looking "flakes" in them. Or ones that have "rust" oozing or leaching out of them. The rest are more than likely safe if cleaned well. Good Luck!
I hope I am wrong, rather, I hope that what I read is wrong.
Samson wrote:One of the nicest backgrounds i've seen here. Good work!
Thank you!
Mcdaphnia wrote:R-DUB wrote:I think that your theory is flawed. If they fizz doesnt mean they are unsafe. It means they contain a high amount of alkaline. Like limestone. Texas Holey rock is limestone. Which I know is safe. It will have a tendency to make your water harder over time. But not unsafe for cichlids, maybe others. Most of what is fizzing is probably dirt and debris anyway. I would just stay away from rocks that appear to have metallic looking "flakes" in them. Or ones that have "rust" oozing or leaching out of them. The rest are more than likely safe if cleaned well. Good Luck!
The "acid test" is to intended to distinguish visually identical types of calcite and quartz apart in the field. It has nothing to do with "safe". It has nothing to do with anything other than answering the question, "Hmmm, is this crystal calcite or quartz?" You have to break the rocks to a fresh surface in order to do the test properly, and that seems to be left out of the steps you see aquarists using. Limestone and calcite are likely to fizz anyway, but the fizz will fizzle out if you keep doing it, or if the surface has time to weather and age. Some deadly rocks containing ores of copper and more toxic minerals won't fizz at all. Rocks that have metallic flakes in them might be dangerous, or they might be only iron pyrites and innocuous. Rocks with rust oozing out of them are very likely safe for your fish and a boon to some of your live plants, but they can leave stains on items in the aquarium and even on the glass itself so avoid them for maintenance reasons.
You are more likely to find harmful rocks in the mountains of the Western United States than in the East. The old cowboy rule of thumb was if you found water choked with slime and smelly, drink it. The crystal clear pool was the one not to drink from. Especially if you looked nearby and found the skeletons of lots of dead animals. Probably not much more help than the "acid test" but you get the idea I hope from that story that you need to find out what your rock really is, if you want to be safe. No quick and easy test, sorry.
I see, well I guess I will go with the cowboy theory...the rocks had algae and stuff on them so most likely are "friendly", otherwise I don't think the algae would have grown on them (obviously, I could be wrong).
Would it be safe to use the rocks that I poured Muriatic acid on? and should I boil the rocks in water before using them? my guess is I should but the wifey doesn't want my to use "HER" pots to do it so I would like to skip that if not truly necessary.
Supply me with six months of free styro and we will call it an even swap! 
. I would have enjoyed making some for some extra cash but oh well