Choosing rocks for a hardscape, help?

[Ryan Young]

Im planning on doing a 200 liter aquascape and need rocks for the hardscape. I have done a planted tank with some rocks I bought from an aquatic store but was wondering if I could go out foraging for them rather than paying £50+ for the amount I need.
I tried to find out from my local aquatic store whether i could forage for them and was given an indecisive answer because they could poison my fish and could drastically change the Ph level.
Can anyone shed some light on this for me or point me in the right direction to what I should do???

 

[Bacms]

You can but you should always test them with vinegar or other acid to make sure they will not release carbonates to the hard and change your pH. Several types of rocks are unsuitable for the aquarium for this reason. I would google to get the list of rocks people find suitable and make sure you boil them before you put them on the aquarium to kill any possible pathogens

 

[Ryan Young]

Thanks, alright will do that, saves a bit of cash for some fancy plants

 

[Harps]

I hear boiling rocks is a bad idea, as it causes trapped gas pockets to expand and could cause the rock to explode.
Perhaps soaking in a mild bleach solution would be a better way to disinfect? Afterwards, just be sure to allow them dry such that the chlorine evaporates off, and/or soak with some dechlorinator.

 

[Henry]

Consider the environment you're taking the rocks from. If you're disturbing a habitat by removing them, probably best look elsewhere. Some beaches are a seemingly endless supply, however, and will have absolutely no effect on the environment.

 

[Courtneybst]

How much are you looking for? If you buy at the right places you don't need to spend that much. I bought 12KG of Dragon stone at a nearby fish shop and it was £25 so around £2 per kg which is dirt cheap for DS

 

[HiNtZ]

I'd be careful about picking rocks and stones off the beach - it is actually illegal in many places to do so.

Google "safe rocks for the aquarium" - there are plenty of sites with pictures so you can see what you're looking for.

Personally, I go down the garden center and have a mooch round the landscaping departments seeing what I like the look of - then I grab my phone, check it's safe, then purchase. They usually go by how many rocks you buy rather than by weight, so you can pick huge pieces of rock and only pay a set price. When you're home, you can smash them up into lots of smaller rocks.