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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Rock and Stone from Garden Centres?

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06 Apr 2014 07:36 #1 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
How safe is rock and Stone from Garden Centres and quarries etc to use in aquariums?

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06 Apr 2014 08:15 #2 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
Just be careful of the kind of rock

(Ie. Make sure its not going to cause havock with your ph.)

Other than that, give it a good wash and scrub and you should be good!

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06 Apr 2014 08:45 #3 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Hammie when you say causes havoc with PH do you mean by raising it?

I ask this cos this rock/stone is for a Tangyanikan tank...

While on the subject what are the main kinds of rock and Stone that raise PH?

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06 Apr 2014 09:11 #4 by ABdarudeone (Mick)
Im not very experienced in this matter but i know one simple way of testing stones :
Pour some vinegar over your rocks - if you can see any reaction -it IS going to mess up your PH .
Im using stones from my local beach in one of the tanks - boiled and washed about 5 times :sick:
no casualities so far ;)

**Neither a teacher nor a native speaker**

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06 Apr 2014 09:27 #5 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
I mean either raise it or lower it, either could be bad depending on your requirements!!!
One way to check is chemical check. I.e. vinegar (look for reaction when vinegar is poured on rocks) however this isnt always a definitive check!
Another check is a longer term test! Test water in a container and record ph
Add a rock or 2 then test again in a few days
Slight fluctuations will signify bigger changes longer term!

Thats how ive always tested! And ive never had an issue yet!!!

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06 Apr 2014 09:34 - 06 Apr 2014 09:34 #6 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
Limestone and marble (and sometimes sandstone) are the usual culprits for unexpectedly raising pH, though that's probably what you're looking for.

If it's NOT, basalt and granite are good alternatives.

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."
Last edit: 06 Apr 2014 09:34 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley).

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06 Apr 2014 09:40 #7 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
When testing the PH over a few days with and without rocks in the bucket does the water need to be circulating with a filter or pump

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06 Apr 2014 10:09 #9 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
We've had many threads on this forum on this, it is quite a common question.

The changing pH issue is a bit of a red-herring if it is the only thing of concern.
There are many bits of written work that say "the vinegar test tells you if a rock is safe or not".....rubbish, that is not true at all.

For a Tanganyikan tank, the calcium carbonate based rocks will buffer the pH and they may also raise the pH. They will also tend to buffer the RedOx..
So long as they do not contain toxic materials then I see no problem in their use in principle.

No matter what rock you have, take care to look for signs of poisons in the rock (that ain't always easy).
They may contain arsenic, sulphides/sulphites, and copper salts to name a few.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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06 Apr 2014 11:16 #10 by paulv (paul vickers)
One thing I read on this subject is if there is a rust like streaks on the stone avoid it as itcontains iron.

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06 Apr 2014 11:42 #11 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Fools gold...avoid using any rock with it ..its pyrite..otherwise use common sense..give it a good boil and pop it into the tank once you are satisfied of its source etc..
Avoid rocks in the garden that has had chemicals used on it, beach rocks can be ok once they arent on a stream leading down to the water, as they could contain waste etc...otherwise go for it.
Ive used rocks from streams,rivers and beaches..never had any issue. Beach rocks tend to give you the most variety generally..as a tip bring home rocks also and leave them somewhere in the backyard or whatever..Can be useful for future tank changes or the likes.

Gavin

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06 Apr 2014 19:49 #12 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
While pyrite is dangerous in an aquarium, as far as I know iron oxide (the rusty patches on some rocks) is not. It could cause problems in large quantities but the red iron stains found on some rocks wouldn't be enough to cause any problems.

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

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