Rocks From Backyard

Question
Hi,
I have some cool rocks in my backyard I want to put  in my fish tank (in the tank are, two Gouramis, two silver angelfish, three peppered cory, and one algae eater) As I was saying, would it be alright to put the rocks from my backyard in the tank?

Answer
Hi Bekah,

A lot of websites will tell you not to do this, but when I went to Maine in the summertime I picked tons of rocks for my aquarium and every single one has been fine.

The biggest dangers are pesticides on the rocks from lawn applications, and the chemical composition of the rock changing the chemistry of your water. Make sure that no pesticides or fertilizers are used on your lawn. Even rinsing can't get these chemicals out.

Second of all, make sure that you have an idea of what the rocks are. Limestone (very common here in Florida where I live) raises the pH and alkalinity of the tank. The way to test is to drop a few drops of vinegar (hydrochloric acid is better, but ordinary people don't have this in their cleaning cabinet) onto the rock and see if it fizzes. If it does, then it's the carbonate in the rock reacting with the acidity of the vinegar. Most people advise not putting rocks in that change the composition of the water.

I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole