How do you clean your aquarium rocks?

[jfulcer]

So we've got two big rocks in our tank that are the ones where the fish store drills huge holes through for the fish to swim in and around. I was cleaning the tank tonight and always scrub the rocks off with a hard bristled vegetable brush and soap and really hot water. I never seem to be able to get all the nooks and crannies.

How do you clean your rocks?

 

[Margie J]

Before I got my algae eater fish I just scrubbed things like that with a sponge and a little salt (never soap). Then rinsed well with hot water. It's almost impossible to get it completely clean and you really don't need that anyway. Tank surfaces build up a micro-environment which is actually good. With proper water changes. gravel vacs and filtration, you don't need much more.

 

[Crankyshank]

I have an algae eater that cleans it for me

 

[Sleepy]

Algae is good for fish. They will eat it if you loosen it in the water they swim. If you don't want to do that, just get an algae eater or pleco. If you worry about not having enough algae for them to eat, you can always take a cube of cucumber and they love that too.

 

[MosMom]

I just rinse them. There is bacteria that fish need to be healthy and it congregates on the rocks so I don't scrub them clean. Soap is also not very good for them.

 

[cardaway]

Yup, just rinse them. The stuff you feel and can't get off is good for the balance of the tank.