# lichen in the aquarium tank



## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

so...i've decided to be sneaky and purchase rocks from a wholesale garden store rather than an aquarium shop, and the place i want to go to has a very wide selection of rocks to choose from. there is one particular type of rock that is molted with black, red, and gray but it is also has lichen and moss growing on it. 

i was wondering if there would be any repercussions if i were to just put these rocks into the tank. has anybody placed lichen into an aquarium and had negative effects or know what happens to it?


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## Karebear (Oct 6, 2008)

Sometimes the rock we get in the store has lichen on the rock, does not seem to hurt the tank. Just be careful as it decomposes in the tank. Some fish do eat it too.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

thanks much!


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

if there's alot of the moss or lichen on there, you probably want to scrub most of it off before adding it to the tank anyway. A strong wire brush always helps. Alot of people either boil the rocks or pour boiling water over it. This is to remove any fungus/other crud that can grow in your aquarium without that step....


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## Scouter (Mar 3, 2008)

I was a little lazy on scrubbing mine and after putting them in the tank, I noticed quite a bit of fragments still attached to the rocks. Once my amanos noticed, they finished the cleaning job.

Scouter


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