Quote Originally Posted by DanB View Post
Luke your idea sounds awesome. I always get satisfaction and enjoy the results from natural rock shaping. It can be very difficult and frustrating if you've never done it expect to add a little blood to the rock. But to me the result is often worth it because even if you mess up it is all good as rocks will break in natural shapes you might have not expected.

Definitely listen to Brian's advice. I can tell you from experience limestone is bad for most things that live in water.

One thing I personally have done when I'm unsure if a rock is leeching chemicals is to test the water before and after I let it soak for a week. A simple test kit at an aquarium store will have the necessary tests with PH being the most important. Sandstone is a really good rock and easy to work with but you need to test for Iron after soaking. Also check to see if the water is discolored.

Either way the money spent on a test kit and spending the time to do the soak test can save you a lot of money and lives.
Dayum this is getting intricate. I know to use Universal indicator to check the pH.
How do I check for Iron?
Is sandstone the stone I should use?
Are there any other stones I can use?
If I bake and boil the stone will it be safe?
What will sandstone leech?



Gingerlee I would love to see some pics.