Limestone as baserock ?

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Can you use Limestone as baserock? This whole area here is composed of limestone and i can get tons of it for free where their blasting it out. Anyone ever done this?
From wikepedia
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate: CaCO3). Limestone often contains variable amounts of silica in the form of chert or flint, as well as varying amounts of clay, silt and sand as disseminations, nodules, or layers within the rock. The primary source of the calcite in limestone is most commonly marine organisms. These organisms secrete shells that settle out of the water column and are deposited on ocean floors as pelagic ooze or alternatively is conglomerated in a coral reef (see lysocline for information on calcite dissolution). Secondary calcite may also be deposited by supersaturated meteoric waters (groundwater that precipitates the material in caves). This produces speleothems such as stalagmites and stalactites. Another form taken by calcite is that of oolites (oolitic limestone) which can be recognised by its granular appearance. Limestone makes up about 10% of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks.
Pure limestone is almost white. Because of impurities, such as clay, sand, organic remains, iron oxide and other materials, many limestones exhibit different colors, especially on weathered surfaces. Limestone may be crystalline, clastic, granular, or massive, depending on the method of formation. Crystals of calcite, quartz, dolomite or barite may line small cavities in the rock. Folk and Dunham classifications are used to describe limestones more precisely.
Travertine is a banded, compact variety of limestone formed along streams, particularly where there are waterfalls and around hot or cold springs. Calcium carbonate is deposited where evaporation of the water leaves a solution that is supersaturated with chemical constituents of calcite. Tufa, a porous or cellular variety of travertine, is found near waterfalls. Coquina is a poorly consolidated limestone composed of pieces of coral or shells.
During regional metamorphism that occurs during the mountain building process (orogeny) limestone recrystallizes into marble.
Limestone is a parent material of Mollisol soil group
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
I just got about 200 lbs. of the stuff from a nearby blasting area.
Can i use it??? What should i do? Rinse and soak or just rinse and srcub it? I really wanna use it!! It looks real good, but it does look like it has a lotts quartz in it! They make concrete outta this stuff, so i think it'd be ok!
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
I just read an article on the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium. They used 30,000 lbs of quarried limestone for the baserock in their 20,000 gallon reef. So, I'm thinking ....COOL! Anybody in this area want some? I'll get you some if you want. It's really cheap.... FREE!
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Why would it crank up the ph??? Calcium carbonate is what store bout baserock is??? DIY baserock is made from concrete etc...
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
I just read an article on the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium. They used 30,000 lbs of quarried limestone for the baserock in their 20,000 gallon reef. So, I'm thinking ....COOL! Anybody in this area want some? I'll get you some if you want. It's really cheap.... FREE!

o man i used some of this in my qt and its a little piece.. how do you get it down.. what are you going to do with 200 lbs or limestone now tht you cant use lol?
 

bellanavis

Active Member
When I make my DIY rock, I use the stuff without lime, I was told to do so. I don't remember why they said to use the kind without lime.
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by bill109
o man i used some of this in my qt and its a little piece.. how do you get it down.. what are you going to do with 200 lbs or limestone now tht you cant use lol?

:notsure: I dont know that it will. :notsure:
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc

:notsure: I dont know that it will. :notsure:
.hmm thts an aweful lot of 200 lbs of useless baserock to keep sitting around.. lol o well not everything is going to work out your way
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate: CaCO3).
:notsure:
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by bill109
.hmm thts an aweful lot of 200 lbs of useless baserock to keep sitting around.. lol o well not everything is going to work out your way

It might even be 300.
I still think its gonna be fine. If the Atlantis Marine Aquarium used it I mean come on.
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
It might even be 300.
I still think its gonna be fine. If the Atlantis Marine Aquarium used it I mean come on.
true but its also a mich larger aquarium (are you talking the one in atlantis resort in nassau bahamas?)
maybe there ph was hard to keep up so they use limestone to keep the ph up
i know i was given rock to get my ph for fw tanks and it was like baserock but smelled funny so i assume its limestone now lol
 

bill109

Active Member
have you got any really cool pieces of limestone tht is worth using... if so just rinse it for a few days maybe lol? or coat it with tht diy rock
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
It was 20,000 gallons and they used 30,000 lbs of it. No, I think its in Long Island or something.
wow well anyways in atlantis resort they have a aqauarium in the resort and the top is all open so you can walk around and look in! its soo cool

(why is it tht 1/3 of my smilies dont work .. EVER?!) the last colomn on the right.
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by bill109
wow well anyways in atlantis resort they have a aqauarium in the resort and the top is all open so you can walk around and look in! its soo cool

(why is it tht 1/3 of my smilies dont work .. EVER?!) the last colomn on the right.
Maybe thats somethin thats "not workin out for you" Huh? Well at least I got my smilies!
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
Maybe thats somethin thats "not workin out for you" Huh? Well at least I got my smilies!

nope every time i post all my smilies are moved round and random ones dont work..
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Does anybody else have any input on this? Will it significantly raise my PH? And if so why? Is there anything I can do to avoid it? It seems to be about as dense as the baserock/LR I allready have. Anything else I should be aware of?
Maybe I should just give some to my nephew and see if anything dies!
 

ophiura

Active Member
Limestone is commonly sold here as baserock (aka Texas holey rock). So long as you have no reason to be concerned with surface contamination, I would see little reason to worry. It is often a little more dense and less porous, but otherwise, is commonly just fossilized reef anyway
 

dawman

Active Member
Just for s**t and giggles , put some of your limestone in a garbage can or a plastic tub . Let it soak for a day or two and take a ph reading . It will be up there . I use portland cement[which has limestone in it] in my diy rock and need to cure it in water for weeks to months depending on the quantity with daily water changes . Right now a batch has been soaking for three weeks and the ph is still off the chart . Take into account to the people that have already been down this road . You are not the first person that thought limestone would work .
 
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