# How do I make flagstone "safe"



## MandyBlue (Mar 19, 2011)

I fell in love with a beautiful flagstone from my local landscaping supply store. The owner pointed it out because he said a local fish breader comes in almost weekly to buy the smaller stones for his tanks.

I went a little crazy and bought far too much (300 pounds) but dont plan to use it all as I can return what I dont need.

Being that the pieces are quite large, which I want, how can I make them safe for my aquarium? I already power washed them, but what should I do next?


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## MandyBlue (Mar 19, 2011)

So far I've decided to put them in my dishwasher on power scrub and steam, no soap.


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## Frazee86 (Aug 1, 2010)

some ppl bleach them in a low ratio of bleach to water let them sit over night then rinse and let sit till no more bleach smell others just rinse them off stick them in some scrub some boil haha i would say what you did it fine i've bleached some and just scrubbed some and it worked just fine


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

I wouldn't bleach sandstone because it's so porous and what you did will work just fine. 
Also, be aware that the sandstone may leak particulates in the water, especially over time- just a heads up. :thumb:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I think the question of how porous a material might be is missing a point. If water soaks in , it will also come out. Just a matter of drying it all. Bleach works fine even with very porous material like wood and clothing. Bleach is pretty standard for laundry. Sandstone may lose some bits of gritty material but overall it is a pretty safe bet even without treating.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

I had flagstone in a tank for about a year. I only rinsed it off prior to putting it in the tank. Didn't notice them breaking down in any fashion, it was only a year, but still. I changed to holey rock based purely on aesthetics.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Hey, to each his own!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm with that thought, DanniGirl. We each have to choose but if one avoids bleach with the though in mind that it should not be used on porous things, we will have blocked out a totally nice range of decor that is safe to use. I like large wood in the tank but would never be able to get it hot enough to kill anything by pouring boiling water, etc. People are quite willing to remove chlorine from their water by using Prime or other dechlor products but they refuse to use bleach because it has chlorine, it just doesn't make much sense when the chemicals are all the same thing. Lack of knowledge and experience keeps them from enjoying some really nice parts of the hobby.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Flagstone around here is usually slate. I use the dishwasher on sanitize (no soap, no rinse agent) myself when I have enough rock to wash.


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## biglove (Jan 4, 2010)

Have used sandstone in tanks over the years and have never had issues...the only prep was a good scrubbing with fairly hot water to remove debris/dirt.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

LMAO! Bleach is fine to use and I'm not discouraging the use of it (when it's necessary). Obviously I should have worded my reply differently. As far as flagstone is concerned, I have used it and yes, I have had a bad experience with it; it depends on the composition of the rock.

To the OP, I restate my previous reply, "what you did was fine!" :thumb:


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