# Boiling Rocks?



## zinn250 (Feb 16, 2009)

Does anyone or has anyone used rocks that they found outdoors? I'm understanding that if you do, you need to boil them first? Probably a dumb question...but how long to you boil them for?

Thanks


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

I have some holey rock outside and I soaked it in bleach I will be boiling them as well..Probably 15 or 20 min. I would imagine would be enough... :-?


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## zinn250 (Feb 16, 2009)

What should the ratio of bleach to water be? Or do you just soak in straight bleach?


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## Nina K (Mar 29, 2006)

I use plenty of rocks that I've found.

I wouldn't recommend boiling them as they could explode, from what I'm told.

I brush them off with a toothbrush and pour boiling water over them...several times to get anything that could possibly be on them that I didn't brush off.

Make sure you give them time to cool down.

I've had my tanks up and running for 5 years now and never ran into a problem cleaning rocks.

Good luck


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

a second on the not boiling....the air pockets will want to release and can cause the rock to explode as said....used the same method as *Nina K* and have no problems watsoever


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

I've boiled and baked rocks with no problem.

tbh, the only time I've heard of rocks exploding has been 1 or 2 horror stories about campfires, which people have used as a reason not to boil/bake them.

that said, most times a good scrub is all thats needed


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## Timkat4867 (Jan 11, 2008)

Boiling is not needed. Bucket of water with maybe one or two capfuls of bleach, soak overnight, rinse in dechlorinator and let air dry for a day or do. works for me. Or just a good scrub as Madman suggested.


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## Lanker26 (Mar 21, 2009)

I have never put bleach on the rocks I find. I soak them in a bucket over night to get all of the gunk off of them. Then use a brush to get the rest off and rinse them off in hot water. Let them cool off before putting them in the tank.


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## jamthoyoung (May 20, 2007)

I never bleach. Scrub off the gunk, boil on the stove, cool down in the sink. None of them exploded yet!


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## StillaZilla (Aug 22, 2008)

I do what Timkat does. I find the bleach makes the whites whiter (God I sound like a Tide commercial), and all the shiny parts come out very nicely.


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## stan13ag (Mar 11, 2009)

I didnt get any lichen off of some lace rock just last week and lost 3 while away at work. I now have a tank full of stressed fish. I ended up just cleaning with a wire brush and they are fine now after a hige water change.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Power wash, scrub, boil and rinse in declorinated water. That's the way I do it.


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## SoDakJeep (Mar 21, 2009)

I just used a power washer but all my rocks were outside in the 12 deg. weather all winter long. So I just figured anything on them would have been froze and died. They are currently in my tank with no ill effects. Should I be worried?


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## jamthoyoung (May 20, 2007)

Freezing inactives microbes, but doesn't necessarily destroy them. We get -30 C (I think thats around -20 in F) weather for a few days a year, but that doesn't mean in the spring everything is sterile.


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