# Contaminated my rocks, any solution?



## CraGunner (Feb 12, 2016)

I bought a new batch of rocks at the landscape store yesterday, found some real beauties. One in particular that I'm in love with. Fastforward today: My wife got out some hornet spray to spray a nest, and got some of the spray on my new rocks, which had been cleaned and were sitting outside. So she then decided to wash them off with some Dawn dish soap. Yeah... I rinsed them with the hose as best I could, and they are now sitting in a kiddie pool, soaking in clean water. I really want to salvage these rocks, not because they cost alot, but because a couple are perfect for what I'm doing with the tank. Any chance I can get these rocks clean, or do I just throw them out?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

What kind of rocks, a pic would be helpful? Just curious if the rocks are porous like lava rock or smooth.

I wouldn't worry too much about the wife using Dawn dish soap to clean the rocks, unless they were porous. You could always do a mild bleach soak, white vinegar soak or a hydrogen peroxide bath to remove any residue left by the Dawn. Of course do not mix any of the ingredients that I listed together, they need to be used separately.


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## CraGunner (Feb 12, 2016)

8-1-17 001 by Josh Cragun, on Flickr

The landscape yard calls it White Onyx. It's pretty smooth, not very porous at all. That picture is of the White Onyx currently in my tank. And thanks for the feedback Deeda. Load off my mind. I'll get them soaking in some vinegar tonight.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Sounds good. After they are done soaking, rinse thoroughly with tap water and give them the smell test. You can also then swish one of the rocks in a tub of water and see if you have any soap residue foaming up.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What about the pesticide though? I'd probably try one in a bucket with a fish for a week first.

The white won't last, BTW.


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## CraGunner (Feb 12, 2016)

The white rocks won't stay white? Those ones in the tank have been in there for 8 months or so and they still look good. How long does it take for the white to fade?

And yeah, I'm worried about that hornet spray chemical too. Appreciate you chiming in as always.


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## illmatic40 (Jul 26, 2017)

Is there a way to remove pesticide from stone? I just bought two boxes of rocks today from a wholesaler that were on the ground. They may or may not contain a "round up" type spray.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't know of any way. But you could do a bucket test. Some round up is benign after 24 hours and some is toxic for more than a year.


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## Drake1588 (Jul 19, 2017)

Muriatic acid will more than likely peel the top layer off. That looks like some sort of calcium based rock. You can buy it for cheap in the pool section of home Depot or Lowe's, usually about $5-$8 per gallon. It's incredibly acidic, so you want to put the rocks in a plastic tub, outside, away from grass, preferably near a spot of your driveway that is stained. The fumes are dangerous so absolutely do not do this indoors, and it is highly caustic to skin and eyes, so wear rubber kitchen gloves and feel free to put on some goggles or at least sunglasses that protect your eyes from any possible splash/mist.

Load the rocks into the tub and GENTLY pour the acid over them. have a garden hose on and within reaching distance. I rotate my rocks every few minutes to make sure every surface has gotten some attention. A small part of the outer layer where anything has stuck to it should be removed in a few minutes. When you are satisfied that anything foreign has been eaten away, you slowly fill the tub with water and let it dilute the acid. Muriatic acid is often used to clean stained concrete, because it eats away at the surface and frees the stain.

Dump the highly diluted acid onto the driveway, and any residual acid should clean up that spot. Alternatively, you can dump baking soda in and it will neutralize it. Never scrub the rocks while they have pure acid on them because it's easy to aerosolize it and damage your eyes if you do.

I make it sound worse than it is because it is a dangerous product to mishandle, but if you are careful, it's the same stuff they use to clean pools, reduce the PH, or clean concrete with.


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## CraGunner (Feb 12, 2016)

So I did the bucket test, put one of my fish in the bucket with the rocks while they were soaking in the vinegar. The fish didn't last very long...

Just kidding! I'm pretty bad at this, but not quite that bad.

So the rocks were first doused in Dawn, then rinsed, then soaked briefly in vinegar (hole in the kiddie pool), then rinsed, now they are sitting in a new vinegar bath, going to leave them overnight. I'll give them a good rinse in the morning. Would you guys bother with bleach or muriatic acid, or just proceed to the bucket test? I can't believe how much grief these rocks have caused me... how silly. Thanks for your help guys.


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

following...


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

CraGunner, check the hornet spray label and even the website to see what the company recommends for removing over spray. I did a quick search and it varies between mfg. and product. Some say a soap and water wash removes it. Even looking up their MSDS sheet on the product should give you some idea of what cleaning up residue may entail.

I would at least let the rocks dry out completely and then touch and smell for any possible residue from the hornet spray before doing a test fish experiment.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I've lost a few fish to various sprays like hair spray and careless pesticide. From what I've seen it is not the spray itself which is too bad for the fish but the film any type of oil/petroleum item makes on the surface. This layer can cut off the gas exchange when it is thick enough. My first go with this hazard was when my daughter was saying goodbye while spraying her hair. It was not long until I noticed the fish gasping at the surface. With a quick water change, I lost no fish. The second time was from aerosol bug bombs set off in a closed room and I did lose the whole tank in that room as I was at work. 
I might guess that you do not have a problem with the small amount of pesticide left on the rocks, The detergent most likely got most of it off. But detergent is designed to be persistent and cling to dishes, etc. and that may be a bit more trouble. I'm guessing you will be okay using them but a good rinse and dry well is almost always good for the question. 
On the rocks staying white? We often soak Texas holey rock in bleach to get the super white color that sells best. How long it stays white can depend on what the limestone was made of as well as how much algae the tank gets. Limestone can be any color from white to grey or yellow but the bleach will often take the color out of the top layer so how long those rocks stay white can vary.


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## Trademark (Dec 31, 2016)

*** taken my rocks out and power washed them in a bucket in the back yard. They look like new when done. Then I fill the bucket full or rocks with water and treat it with Prime. After rearranging in the tank sometimes there's territory issues for a day or so.


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## CraGunner (Feb 12, 2016)

Update:

So the rocks have been in my tank for a bit over a week now. So far so good. No deaths. I appreciate all the input guys and gals. As always, this forum is the best. Rather than just my regular weekly water change, I did an additional water change mid-week, just in case. haven't noticed any problems at all. I feel fairly confident we are in the clear here. For clarification, after contamination, I did the following: Did a very brief bath in Dawn Dish soap, then rinsed thoroughly. Soaked in Vinegar, rinsed thoroughly, soaked again in vinegar and left almost 24 hours this time, and rinsed thoroughly. Let sit in a tub of water for 2 days, replacing the water twice. Then I stuck them in the tank.



DJRansome said:


> The white won't last, BTW.


As is usually the case, you were right, DJ. The rocks that have been in the tank for almost a year are not quite as bright white as the brand new rocks I put in the tank. Hadn't noticed until I compared them side-by-side. So... anyone wanting to use White Onyx, it will fade a little. DJ was right. But in almost a year, it hasn't faded much. Still very pretty in the tank, though. Had someone comment on them just last night. But I might try powerwashing them, just to see what happens.


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