Hey!
So I will be moving to SoCal soon and the coastline is littered with amazing looking rocks and stone.
I will be starting a new high tech tank, and I want to find some nice stones for it. However, after doing some research into the geology of the California coastline, it appears the stones and rocks are mostly sedimentary, aka- limestone/sandstone.
Is there anyone here that can verify this? Has anyone used rocks collected from the California coast in their scapes?
When in doubt, test them yourself. Put some rocks in RO water and monitor the pH over a week or two.
I've also read of people doing reactive tests. I believe if you pour vinegar over the rock and it bubbles, it is very reactive and will effect the chemistry. Others can elaborate more I'm sure.
I live in SoCal, but not on the coast. I collected all my rocks from around my house, and have had no problem. We practically grow rocks here!
If you use the API Master Freshwater Test kit, instead of using vinegar, use a drop of nitrAte test solution bottle # 1. I don't know the chemistry of it, but it is more concentrated than vinegar, and will fizz quicker when put on a rock that is not suitable. I wash the rock in plain tap water, let it dry, and put 1 or 2 drops of solution on it. If no fizz, I use the rock.
I have read that unless you are doing a very specific biotope, limestone does not have a problematic effect on PH. This has also been my personal experience: I use limestone hardscape in a number of my tanks and have never noticed any problems. I would not make the same assumption about limestone gravel, however: much greater surface area would likely cause more problems.
Thanks for the responses, I do have some muriatic acid I could use to test the rocks. I have tested rocks in the past- always disappointed because the coolest looking rocks always end up being limestone.
I always wondered about how much they affect the PH. I don't think they typically do much unless you are injecting CO2 (which I do).
After so more research I found great locale in southwest Cali- the Providence mountains. Legal to collect rocks, and there is a lot of cool looking granite there. Lots of details, fissures, etc.
I'll be heading there in the next few weeks to see what I can find!
I do SOCal now and then and I think you will find it to be a rock pickers paradise. The fact that it is on a gap in the techtonic plates makes it very prone to earthquakes but that also means a vast array of rock types due to the churning. within a hundred miles, you are likely to find almost any sort of rock you like.
so the real problem may be in knowing what you want? And that gets back to what you have and how you want the tanks to work. I find that limestone has a way of getting a bad rep. Much of the media written in the hobby is written from a slanted view that works for both coasts where most books/info is written. those areas often have soft acidic water so a rock that is alkaline will change that water. But if you are not so isolated and take into account that much of the world's water is NOT soft and acidic, you may get a different view.
Water a soft acidic tank, definitely do not put alkaline rocks in and expect the PH to stay the same long term.
But if you have soft acidic water and want hard alkaline, limestone is prone to moving it in that direction. How much and how quick depends on the rock versus the water you start with?
I use almost all limestone but then limestone is where the groundwater comes from to start so it matters very little.
NOTE: I choose the plants and fish who match the water, I don't do the fight to try to change nature. She has more time than I want to spend!
Great post and thank you for the response! I definitely want water that is somewhat soft- fish- neons, ember tetras, and pygmy sunfish (a loosely south american tank) although my plant list isn't true to south america (needle leaf java fern, mosses, rotala, etc)
For stone I was thinking of staying away from limestone or any stone that will make my water hard.
looking for stone that looks similar to whats in the attached photos-
Bump: Continued from above- I did some research and it looks as though the Mojave is a great place to do some rock hunting, but I am definitely open to any and all locales where I can find rock like that in the photos above, I'm thinking it maybe sediment stone of somekind, maybe even limestone. It also reminds me of Seiryu stone.
Since it involves my use and choice of rocks, maybe I should throw out some info that I normally don't mention.
I am at a point in life where it is hard to say at any time whether I'm working or retired so I have a lot of latitude on where I live. I also have some options on that point. Some may notice that I now show my location as California instead of the Texas that I used for a while. Neither is a lie nor a major change but I feel it relevant to show some location and the forum system is pretty sure it can only be one spot. So now it shows I'm in Ca no matter where I really am when posting?
What that does for my rock choice is the important point. I find that when I choose limestone rocks for the tank in areas where limestone is the dominant type, it doesn't change the water much at all. When I use the same rock in other areas where limestone is not so obvious, it does change the water. DUH!
Kind of like adding black ink to black paint? It doesn't show much but if you add black ink to white paint, you will get a far different result.
So, that leaves me doing the simple thing to avoid the big decisions on what rocks to use. When I Florida, I use Florida rocks just as I use Texas or California rocks when there. The way it works out for me is the rocks and local water and local rocks have been together for a few million years so I just continue to let them live together and they tend to fight less.
Testing with various acids can give you some info but it may also rule out some perfectly good rocks. Just because a rock fizzes when you pour 6.0 PH acid on it, doesn't mean that it will react when you put it in a 7.0 tank, does it?
As others have said, you'll find all kinds of rocks from basalt to granite to sandstone. Check out the regulations before you gather. In CA we have regulations that cover the laws that affect the regulations that make no sense.
I recently scoured through some old threads and came across some of Hoppy's posting about gathering manzanita and getting permits. That's were I discovered that my gathering of dead manzanita on private property was good for $1000 fine per occurance! (wonder what the one from Yosemite was worth)
Very true PlantedRich. good advice. Really I should just monitor my water parameters better. Maybe run the tank for a while before adding livestock and watch the PH. Also similar to you, I have bounced back and forth between states. Michigan is where I am from, have been the in the moving process for several months due to my house that I'm selling back in michigan. I have also lived in South Florida a number of years! Florida is great for some cool looking light colored limestone- plus there are quite a few aquatic plants that occur there naturally!
Now due to work, I'm living in California- but actually in Michigan right now (finally got a buyer for my house and we're cleaning everything out). Hoping to hit up the Providence mountains soon and maybe a few coastal spots. Not just for collecting rock, but for some good hiking and nice scenery as well!
Kubla, I already did a little research on collecting, there are quite a few fossil collecting forums with good info on where you can collect rocks legally. Manzanita I'm not so sure. I would assume if it's ok to collect rocks, it would be ok to collect some wood, but Cali has some strict laws about plants- due to the agricultural industry, they don't want any kind of pests spreading from one location to another. I'd have to do more research about it.
As others have said, you'll find all kinds of rocks from basalt to granite to sandstone. Check out the regulations before you gather. In CA we have regulations that cover the laws that affect the regulations that make no sense.
I recently scoured through some old threads and came across some of Hoppy's posting about gathering manzanita and getting permits. That's were I discovered that my gathering of dead manzanita on private property was good for $1000 fine per occurance! (wonder what the one from Yosemite was worth)
That will be my secondary option. I just like hunting for rocks and driftwood on my own. Makes it an adventure to find the coolest pieces for my aquascapes. My favorite piece is a piece of mangrove root driftwood from southern florida. Went hiking along a secluded mangrove shoreline and found this beautiful piece baked by the sun sitting right in the sand. That was 5 years ago and it's still going strong in my one tank.
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