Limestone?

[slider101]

I was reading another thread and it said you can use limestone as baserock. Can you? I thought that limestone would be high in bad things that would spike your tank. Also where is a good place to find base rock or what is the best thing to use for baserock? I do not want to have to cycle anymore LR, I want something I can clean well and add directly to my DT.

 

[naclh2o nut]

My LFS sells base rock, $2.49 lb. You can also use tufa rock found at LFS.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by slider101
http:///forum/post/2997554
I was reading another thread and it said you can use limestone as baserock. Can you? I thought that limestone would be high in bad things that would spike your tank. Also where is a good place to find base rock or what is the best thing to use for baserock? I do not want to have to cycle anymore LR, I want something I can clean well and add directly to my DT.
Limestone, base rock, and live rock are all the same thing; just is a different state of SW "Liveness" (OK, you find a better word); The remains of (dead) skeletal coral. Limestone is found in areas that once were oceans. Limestone works just fine, just know where it came from and clean it well. Companies (CaribSea et al) are now growing their own LR, in the Gulf of Mexico, using limestone.
I was skeptical when I first learned this, this is from Dictionary.com:
lime⋅stone
   /ˈlaɪmˌstoʊn/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [lahym-stohn] Show IPA
–noun
a sedimentary rock consisting predominantly of calcium carbonate, varieties of which are formed from the skeletons of marine microorganisms and coral: used as a building stone and in the manufacture of lime.

 

[vishnuborg]

Yes, I quite frankly though that limestone was made of the same substances as live rock, and that live rock was a form of limestone?

 

[natclanwy]

It depends on where the limestone comes from, lime stone that is found locally in Wyoming and South Dakota is very dense heavy rock and contains other minerals that may leech into your tank and be harmful your your tank inhabitants. There are several places that mine old coral reefs which is where LR farmers in florida get the rock that they dump into the ocean to cultivate LR.

 

[vishnuborg]

Actually, there is a fossilized coral reef in the mid west.

 

[natclanwy]

Yep, There is one in Idaho I believe and seems like there is one in Kansas or Iowa also.

 

[supernovabjt]

Limestone is the name given to bio-sedimentary rocks composed of CaCo3 (calcite), or CaMg(CO3)2 (dolomite). It is formed from the skeletons of corals (technically aragonite) as well as snail shells and any other marine organism that builds their shell out of calcite (or aragonite). So as long as you are using pure calcitic limestone (dolomite should be fine as well) you will be fine.
Most of the rock we use in our tanks is relatively young limestone, I would not reccomend using any ancients limestones (i.e. from a quarry) because the minerals could have altered to nasties like iron sulfides, which you do not want in your tank.
If the limestone you are thinking of using is pure white, you should be fine, if it has a brown or tan tint to it, I would stay away.
Hope that helps.