Stone for terrestrial setup?

[moncrieff]

I just built my first terrarium for some blue spotted salamanders I'm planning on purchasing. I used some large patches of live moss I had collected from outside several months ago, and some rocks from my parents backyard. The issue I'm worried about is the rock in central pennsylvania is a mixture of slate and limestone. I poured some rice vinegar over the rocks and no bubbling. I was wondering if limestone would be dangerous for terrestrial salamanders. Should I just switch to wood? I was thinking rock might be better for keeping the salamanders cool? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks =).

 

[freves]

As long as the stones are well washed I would not worry about putting a few in with your salamanders. You did not mention how big they are but real rocks, depending on number and size, can add significant weight to an enclosure. I really do not think that a rock is going to have much more of a cooling effect than wood in an enclosed system however this is just a guess on my part.
Chip

 

[Nathan]

Limestone can only harm salamanders by smashing them. It is as safe as a stone can be in the tank.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I just built my first terrarium for some blue spotted salamanders I'm planning on purchasing. I used some large patches of live moss I had collected from outside several months ago, and some rocks from my parents backyard. The issue I'm worried about is the rock in central pennsylvania is a mixture of slate and limestone. I poured some rice vinegar over the rocks and no bubbling. I was wondering if limestone would be dangerous for terrestrial salamanders. Should I just switch to wood? I was thinking rock might be better for keeping the salamanders cool? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks =).

Slate is perfectly fine. Limestone should be used with caution in terrestrial enclosures. (and only in aquatic enclosures for certain hard water species).

Also, vinegar is not a suitable test for the presence of calcium carbonate. The acetic acid is not strong enough to give accurate results. the best acid test is to use muriatic acid from a pool supply shop, however this strong acid is dangerous to use. The most user friendly and easy way to check rock for calcium carbonate is to place a few drops of pH Down (an aquarium product for adjusting pH). Since you are keeping terrestrial salamanders, you really do not need to worry about calcium carbonate though.

As an old Pennsylvania boy myself, I can assure you the biggest worry you have in central PA is the presence of hydrocarbons in the rocks there. This is easy to test for though, merely break a piece of the edge of the stone and smell the "fresh face" if it smells oily or gassy, better off using it on your patio. The "fizz" test will come in handy for you too as shale, which is probably the most common sedimentary rock in your area does not fizz. It also is the most likely to contain hydrocarbons.


Rocks and wood will do little to keep you pets cool in captivity. Better to keep the enclosure in the basement or have air conditioning available.

Any found rock or wood should be scrubbed and then boiled for a few hours in tap water to kill off any possibly harmful fungi, bacteria, and parasites.

Limestone can only harm salamanders by smashing them. It is as safe as a stone can be in the tank.

For most terrestrial caudates this is somewhat true. For most aquatic caudates this is a dangerous falsehood.

Limestone is a raw form of calcium carbonate, which is water soluble and will cause uncontrollable and random rises in pH and water hardness. With exception to the few hard water caudates out there, it is an unwise choice for most hobbyists in most enclosures.

 

[Nathan]

Different limestones have differing solubilities. The pieces you find are of limited solubility (more soluble limestones exposed at the surface are quickly dissolved, leaving more resistant stone behind). And if you live in an area where limestone is common, your tap or well water almost certainly already has high levels of dissolved CaCO3, further limiting the solubility of the limestone. Trouble can come when placing limestone in soft or acidic aquatic setups, true, but we were talking about a terrestrial setup.

Few caudates are dedicated to water of a particular pH or hardness; stability is more important than particular values. And in most cases limestone does not negatively affect stability; again, the exception is if you are using water that is acidic or soft. I try to avoid using such water in any case, as it is subject to pH fluctuations due to the lack of buffering ions.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Different limestones have differing solubilities. The pieces you find are of limited solubility (more soluble limestones exposed at the surface are quickly dissolved, leaving more resistant stone behind). And if you live in an area where limestone is common, your tap or well water almost certainly already has high levels of dissolved CaCO3, further limiting the solubility of the limestone. Trouble can come when placing limestone in soft or acidic aquatic setups, true, but we were talking about a terrestrial setup.

Few caudates are dedicated to water of a particular pH or hardness; stability is more important than particular values. And in most cases limestone does not negatively affect stability; again, the exception is if you are using water that is acidic or soft. I try to avoid using such water in any case, as it is subject to pH fluctuations due to the lack of buffering ions.

Well said!

 

[moncrieff]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, they were very helpful :happy:. Just to be safe I decided to remove the stone and replaced it with some wood bark I got at the petstore. I did get my little blue spotted sals in there and they just liked to dig completely under the rocks never to be seen again. Even though the rocks were small, I was afriad of hurting the slamanders when I'd move them around to feed them.