How Should I Clean Natural Rocks For Terrarium/Aquarium Use?

[Haligren]

I did a search for this topic and couldn't find anything specific enough either on here, google, or ask.com. I've been wanting to add a few river rocks I've found into my geckos' and my fishes' tank, but I want to know how to properly clean them before I add them to my animals' environments.

I have heard that you can boil the rocks for 12 hours to completely sterilize them. Is this true? I've also got a few clay pots for my fish tank. I plan on knocking holes in them and filing down any sharp edges. Do I use sand paper for this? Should I immerse the clay pots in the same water as the aquariums for a while? I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you.

 

[Crasher_Insane]

I'd suggest vinegar. It's a little smelly but it's safe. Some quotes from a site ( http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-as-a-disinfectant.html )
"Research reported in 1996 on sanitizing food and food preparation surfaces, showed that the efficiency of vinegar as a disinfectant could be increased by 10 times when the surface or food was sprayed with normal vinegar (5% acetic acid) and hydrogen peroxide (3%) over either one of the sprays alone.

Then in February 2006 researchers from MicroChem Lab Inc. in Euless, Texas, raised the bar even higher by reporting at the American Society for Microbiology, that a solution of vinegar and regular household bleach could be used, not just as a powerful disinfectant, but as a very effective sterilizing agent against bacterial spoors dried onto test surfaces."

I would think boiling runs the risk of cracking the rock and ruining it. Feel free to Google vinegar and it's disinfecting properties. I'd also buy a new scub brush just for your gecko stuff and scrub the heck out of it with the vinegar solution and rinse very thoroughly then let dry overnight. I suppose you could even soak the rock for a day or so, then do a couple soaks in water to be safe.

EDIT: Now when it comes to fish, I'm unsure, but it seems that a natural product such as white or apple vinegar when rinsed very thoroughly in hot water should do a lot less harm than chemicals. Plus if you have a very large tank I've heard it's more resistant to the shock of anything you could put in there since there is so much water to dilute it.
And yes, sand paper should do very well at getting rid of those sharp edges. Clay is kind of absorbent so definitely do several overnight soaks in fresh water after the cleaning solution.

 

[Haligren]

Wow! I use a vinegar mixture to clean my tanks with and to wash windows and stuff but I didn't think it was that potent. I'll give it a try with the rocks and stuff. Thanks!

 

[ecmartin]

bake the rocks in the oven to kill bacteria

 

[leoman777]

how long do you have to bake them and what temperature?? and do you have to wrap it in foil like sticks?? i have tons of lava rock in my back yard and want to put it in a fish tank too.....

 

[happy gecko]

I just found some rocks in my backyard. I first washed them off with the hose, then soaked them in soapy boiling water for 10+ mins, then scrubbed them with soap, washed them off with hot water, rinsed them with boiling water, then with vinegar, then rinsed them off again in the cool water to try to remove vinegar smell. Not sure if the really sterilizes the rock, but I don't see anything crawling around on them so I'm pretty happy with the way they are.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I wash the rocks in anti-bacterial dish soap, rinse well, and then soak them in 10% bleach solution for about 1/2 hour. I rinse, rinse, rinse, and then spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.

 

[Ehatcher]

becareful with the baking though. I have had some river rocks explode on me while i was baking them to put in my fish tank a couple years back. It likely wont happen, but it is possble.

 

[Alliemac]

I scrub with antibacterial soap, soak in a bleach solution for 30 minutes or so, run them through a really hot dishwasher and then scrub again with antibacterial.

 

[fortancient]

350 is too high in my opinion. I bake at 225 for about 1/2 hour to 45 min then rinse well. Addding water first can cause probs as rock is pourous despite it's outward appearance. Water turns to steam/gas and needs to go somewhere so the rock can explode.