Rocks for tank

I'm preparing a killer semi aquatic aquarium for some N. v. v. that should be arriving next week.

I have a cycled filter so don't worry about that, however as I am collecting rocks to make a nice land area some of them have some green on them like an algae or something. I decided not to bake them because some of them are sandstone and slate which if I remember correctly can explode. so what I'm doing is soaking them in hot tap water, then draining the sink and pouring boiling water over them. do you think this would work to sort of sterilize them and kill any algae or bacteria on them? I mean my biology training tells me that those temperatures will melt DNA and protein but they don't teach you everything in school. There are always exceptions.

also, does anyone have any other methods that they use to sterilize stuff that they found outdoors?

Correct me if i'm wrong but don't newts live in the wild. I've been keeping newts , salamanders, frogs, toads and reptiles for over 30 years now and never gone to those extremes .Give the rocks a good scrub, make sure there clean and don't let them become to soiled. Don't forget some bacteria are good bacteria.

Ian, I wouldn't say you are totally wrong, but wouldn't you be afraid of contaminating a foreign species with an unfamiliar alien pathogen or bacteria or fungus? Not all newts come from the same areas as their keepers...I think it is a good precaution. Ian is right, some bacteria is good bacteria...but in my opinion, if you are spending a lot of time and effort on your pets, you definetely dont want to see anything go wrong! AND dont use bleach or soap!

Since N.v.v are native to her area and are 99% wild-caught, I wouldn't be terribly worried about it, as long as you know the area you're collecting from isn't contaminanted with ranavirus, iridovirus, chytrid fungus, etc.

I collect many things from the wild (sticks, rocks, etc), and usually just give them a scrub under hot water.

Yeah, you see I have no idea whether those diseases are near me, but I live in a city so even if they aren't I wanted to clean them as well as possible just in case there was anything dangerous. I did collect the rocks from a park where I have caught salamanders from, but still I want to be safe. I feel good about the boiling though, unless there are any toxins deeply embedded in the rocks, I have a hard time believing that any dangerous life could survive a good soak in boiling water and then a good rinse.

I just wanted to make sure that no one else had experienced otherwise.

I think your approach is fine. Any beneficial bacteria to aid in the nitrogen cycle will begin to colonize as soon as you place the cleaned rocks in the water.