# rocks from the dollar store ok to use?



## Guest (Nov 15, 2006)

Hey,

I just went to my local dollarama today and noticed that they have little sacks of polished pebbles/rocks for sale and i was wondering if these would be safe to use in my dart frog viv, or would the stuff they use to polish the rocks release some toxic chemicals into the system?




Thanks,
Ben


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## SusannahJoy (Jul 3, 2006)

i've used them and never had any problems, but i dunno.... maybe there will be problems later? now i'm all worried!


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## DaFrogMan (Oct 8, 2004)

I have been using them for a couple months - no ill effects yet.

I made a post about it a couple months ago - search for the post and you might find a little more info.


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

If they were designed for fish tanks (which some are) I would highly doubt you would have any problems.


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2006)

hey black_envy,

Thats the thing, i DONT know whether or not they were designed for fish tanks!





Thanks,
Ben


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

Well I can't help you there...I still wouldn't worry about it though, I have used all kinds of marbly thingys in my fish tanks with no problems, and fish can be just as fragile to that stuff as frogs are.


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## topherlove (Jul 14, 2006)

not sure if there okay or not, ive seen some at the dollar store that have specifics on them telling you not to use them in aquariums etc. But im not sure i believe that. I've never personally used them.


But i would Boil them before i used them if i were you, i boil all my stones,bake all my soil etc


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## Ridge (Jun 7, 2004)

There was a previous discussion on this, not sure if it was on here, but a few people said that the had a milky substance that appeared in their water features that they attributed to polished stones. The polishing process does sometimes use chemical powders to smooth the stone so I would definantly boil the rocks prior to using them. I personally would not use them.


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2006)

Its amazing how many of us think alike. I saw those rocks i the dollar store 6 months ago and first thing I thought of was " geesh, those would look nice in a viv". I took them home, gave them a quick bleach dip then rinsed them off and they have been in my vivs since.

Other things from the dollar store are:
1) spray bottles
2) tupperware containers (for tads)
3) razor knife sets
4) electrical tape
5) bleach
6) spring water / distilled water
7) suction cups (lots of sizes)
8) wire cutters 
9) terra cotta pots
10) water dishes
11) extension cords
12) Measuring cups


I know theres more but I just can't think of them now.


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

The only real problem I can see is the type of rock. If you are able to determine the type of rock it is you should be able to determine if they would be safe in the viv. Thins you would worry about would be rocks that could leach minerals or anything else for that matter intothe viv, but with that said granite, shale, or marble should be fine and most of those polished rocks seem to come from those families. If you can't even venture a guess on what type of rock it is, probably best to lay off as you never know what might leach out later.


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