Natural Decor

mcox3

mcox3

Veritas Aequitas
Dec 26, 2006
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Phoenix, AZ
I'm going camping this weekend in northern AZ and i will be camping near a creek.

I was hoping to go out and look for some decorations for my aquariums!

Would it be safe to bring home some rocks/pebbles and maybe some driftwood?
 
I think rocks should be fine as long as you boil them, but I know that boiling will not make all wood safe... I would be cautious.
 
i could always QT the wood right? to see if there is any unwanted algea or bacterial growth/spread...
 
it depends on the rocks
you can use a mild acid to test .

driftwood that comes from moving water should be okay..look for bad spots in it and remove them
I would suggest boiling the wood too.
 
boil and change the boiling water that the wood is boiling in once every hour until the water runs clear. Then boil it for 3 hours. If it is still clear then you should be good to go. If the boiling water has color to it, then continue to change the boiling water every three hours until it runs clear. This process may take a while - a couple of days even. As for the Rocks, Soak them in a bleach solution of 9 to 1. One part basic household bleach, nine parts water. After you soak them over night, rinse them well and boil them for about an hour. Then you can scrub them to get any foreign dirt off of them.

You shouldn't have any problems if you follow these steps, but depending on how you feel, you might want to quarantine them anyways. better safe than sorry.
 
read the article in my sig about driftwood. :)

i highly recommend NOT boiling ANY rocks, especially those collected near water sources.. rocks can absorb water to a point depending on their mineral makeup, and even have water embedded inside. to boil these rocks could cause excessive pressure to build up from the water inside, thus creating a rock grenade with a nightmare of shrapnel and boiling water. of course, its entirely possible to boil a rock without this happening, but you never know.
 
Last edited:
Daudzegier said:
You shouldn't have any problems if you follow these steps, but depending on how you feel, you might want to quarantine them anyways. better safe than sorry.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for sure...

I guess we'll have to see if I find anything worth bringing home...
 
J double R said:
read the article in my sig about driftwood. :)
Click to expand...

Great info!
J double R said:
i highly reccomend NOT boiling ANY rocks, especially those collected near water sources.. rocks can absorb water to a point depending on their mineral makeup, and even have water embedded inside. to boil these rocks could cause excessive pressure to build up from the water inside, thus creating a rock grenade with a nightmare of shrapnel and boiling water. of course, its entirely possible to boil a rock without this happening, but you never know.
Click to expand...

I've had rocks explode in camp fires before! Imagine that going off in the kitchen... no good.
 
okay, just got back from camping last night... i found the greatest piece... its about 2.5' long, curves up about a foot high and weighs around 15lbs...

i'll post pics as soon as she's ready...
 
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