Get Your Rocks Off On My Rocks

[Smells Fishy]

I've been planning on doing this thread for a long time. Randomly today when I was in the spare room where we keep all are things we don't have room for or haven't found a place for yet (just moved), while looking for the things i will need for a fishkeeping project in the mixing bowl, i got the urge to look through my rocks. Basically all these rocks are some of my favourites, quite a lot of rocks got left back at my old gaff since i now live on the fourth floor of some flats and it would have made it even more of a piss take to move in. So i saved all the really good ones and ones that i will actually put to good use in fish tanks. I'm planning on doing a planted community with rocks that go well with eachother, that should be kicking off around May time, I'm going to make a thread about it soon, after this. Anyway this thread, well i just wanted to show my seriously sexy and abstract rocks off and if anyone can ID them that would be great, it would be nice to know if any of these are aquarium safe.

1a
Since i don't know the name for this rock yet, to me its just WTF rock.

1b

2a
Is this lava rock?

2b

3

4

5

6a

6b
Its clean don't worry the browns part of the rock, makes me wonder why tho and it ruins the it.

7

8
You might think the 2 on the right are sea glass but they don't have the frosted look it generally has and doesn't feel the same. All of these are very odd finds, so if by any chance you think i might have something like whale vomit that's worth tons of money please left me know.

9

10

11
These rocks are my favourites as you can tell since I'm using them and have been now for probably 2 years, so i think they are fish safe. They do look better when not covered in algae, wish it was the green sort tho. I would love an ID on these ones if anyone can.

10
Saved the best till last. I really would want to use this but again its the brown marks that put me off since i don't know if its harmful to the fish.

All of these were collected from the beaches around Scarborough. Hope you liked this because i sure enjoyed digging through my rocks. What ones your favourite then?

 

[zozo]

Those brown spots could be ancient clay residue, clay mainly is formed long time ago from glacial movements and boulders grinding eachother bellow it.
And this goes on and on for i dunno milions of years and forms sediments of Boulderclay.. I once found a chunk of rock in such a clay deposite and imediately fell in love with it. When i washed all the clay off it still had clay collored staines to it. I cooked it, soaked it in acid, chisseled it, used a dremmel tool with router bits. Worked on it for days like mad, but this stuff was realy too deep imbedded into the rock.. Impossible to get it out.. You see the holes i created with the dremel to get the rock hard clay out of it's nooks and crannies. And it definitely was some kind of silky clay comming off and out of it.

In the end i gave up and was just bafled about it that clay can imbed so deep into rock by forces of nature..
Did put it in a little tank without fish to test it and it never showed any averse effects in the water column. And always when i took a toothbrush and started brushing clay came off.

Never used it in an aquarium with fishes tho. It's not easy with fining a matching collection with occasinal pickups here and there.. And actualy as with many rocks containing white vains, it kinda pops and contrasts a bit to much in your face when submersed. Matching rock collections are the most difficult part of the aquascaping idea. Just one misplaced or off colored rock can make or break the whole scape, that's why i didn't come up with a rock scape yet.

Same with this one, would love to use it one day without smashing it to pieces, but never found anything matching its odd shape and colors.

 

[Smells Fishy]

Hi zozo. Thought at least a few members would be digging this thread but obviously not. I've noticed quite often on my posts your the only one who gives me the time of day, you and sciencefiction, shes not shy about reading my threads and actually giving a response as well. I think I've got a good few likes from you two as well. Everyone has there reasons, like me sometimes i'll read a new notification but not reply for some reason like i've been rushed off my feet and only feel like reading, not wanting to conjure up some reply that doesn't make me seem stupid. And then its forgot about.

Glad you commented and added some pictures because i thought this could be a decent thread for everyone to show off their rocks. I don't know how sticky threads come in to being but with a thread name this, well its a great start. If like you say it is ancient clay then it shouldn't do any harm to the fish tank, especially the plants because clay contains iron. I bet you get different kinds of clay with all sorts of different chemistry. Those two rocks look like real nice finds and i would say they are pretty good matching rocks, have you not thought that? Get them in a tank together man and see what you can make of them.

 

[zozo]

Well i guess it's not given to everybody having interest in something simple as a piece of common rock.. I can't help it find them far from simple and when you think about they all have something mysterious and definitively a story to tell.. Some are realy beautiful and others just very ugly, but still they are little time capsels of history from this planet we live on. Imagine if they could tell where and how they traveled to end up where they are in the shape and colors they are in. Unbelievable most of them started out as something completely different before they where turned into stone. Something i rarely talk about, because nobody wants to hear it.. It's something for me myself and i.

If looking from an aquascaping pespective, i can imagine if you do not have a nice uniform fitting collection you can scape something with. Then you just have a few worthless sillly stones. To be honnest 99% of what i pick up and eyeball and aw i put back again. 1% goes home gets a place in the garden in the hope i'll ever find something matching, even tho the chances are near to zip i ever do.. Don't take it personal, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and just keep searching and enjoying it.

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi....
I'm no geologist but picture number 1 looks like concrete!
Number 2 definitely looks like lava rock....incidentally which I have found on the beach near Great Yarmouth!
Not sure on the rest.....I'm sure someone will know!
Cheers
hoggie

 

[Smells Fishy]

Hi....
I'm no geologist but picture number 1 looks like concrete!
Number 2 definitely looks like lava rock....incidentally which I have found on the beach near Great Yarmouth!
Not sure on the rest.....I'm sure someone will know!
Cheers
hoggie

Lol yeah i have thought that myself but wasn't confident enough to say so because thats mad looking concrete!

 

[G H Nelson]

Yes...buddy it does look like old surface concrete usually used in older garage forecourt's!
Cheers
hoggie

 

[Tim Harrison]

I'd say it was either man made breccia or conglomerate (concrete) too

 

[HiNtZ]

WTF rock looks like concrete to me also.... looks just like the paths we have down our road after they broke them up to re-lay. Either way, it wouldn't be going in my tanks just from the look of it.

 

[zozo]

Could also be tuff stone (tufo), occasionaly it can be found mixed with other little rocks in it. Tufo is rather soft and used a lot as building material.. Since it is vulcanic ash it comes in different colors, from black, greyish or brownish and redish.

Oh Ps. thats what Tim already said, Breccia didn't kno wthat this was simular to Tuff.
This is also natural Breccia or tuff

 

[Smells Fishy]

WTF rock looks like concrete to me also.... looks just like the paths we have down our road after they broke them up to re-lay. Either way, it wouldn't be going in my tanks just from the look of it.

I was sat in an old WW2 bunker on the beach today and it was made of this conglomerate, seems not as good to me now since i now know its man made. I wouldn't dream of putting this in any fish tank btw, i maybe would pictures 10 and 7 tho.

 

[PARAGUAY]

The first picture is definetly concrete/hardcore often used by builders and possibly eroded by the location.Dont think anyone is avoiding your posts you cant comment on everything,I often miss things and will catch up on journals etc later,in this case could not add anything what zozo and hoggie have said and also lack knowledge myself geology too

 

[Annabellam]

I love the natural array. They are beautiful. Did you decorate some thought or it is sort of a natural thing?

 

[Smells Fishy]

I love the natural array. They are beautiful. Did you decorate some thought or it is sort of a natural thing?

No they are all natural, found them on Scarborough beaches. I have got a painted rock tho with a nice quote on it "knowledge talks but wisdom listens".

 

[simon Coram]

I would hazard a guess that 1a, 1b is some form off old boat ballast. Seen bits like this when i have been diving.
over the years it has rock and rolled around on the sea bed.

Im probably wrong cos i usually am according to her indoors

 

[HiNtZ]

I was sat in an old WW2 bunker on the beach today and it was made of this conglomerate, seems not as good to me now since i now know its man made. I wouldn't dream of putting this in any fish tank btw, i maybe would pictures 10 and 7 tho.

10 and 7 look nice yeah. Should have no problems with them, even with CO2.