# Granite in an aquarium?



## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Radioactive? I would dare to say that if its radioactive, you have more issues to deal with then just the health of your fishtank.


On a side note, why are you tagging the thread with your own name?


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

gmccreedy said:


> Radioactive? I would dare to say that if its radioactive, you have more issues to deal with then just the health of your fishtank.


LOL! 

But Vladdy, to ease your fears, granite is not known to be any more radioactive than anything else around you. Sedimentary rocks are typically more radioactive than igneous rocks (like granite), so you have very little to worry about. 

Now, your microwave, television, cell phone, computer monitor....


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## dp12man (Mar 18, 2009)

No he's right some really expensive granite/rare granite is radioactive. I highly doubt that you could afford that granite in your tank let alone find it in chuncks that would look good. People that spend thousands on ther conter tops are the ones that should worry. As some of the rare cuts could be. There were some articles that talked about this. That they could be and that they did find them in some really nice homes. If I recall there is some gas leaking not sure on this?


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

geiger counter anybody?

You'll know if you have radioactive rocks when you fish glow.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)




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## Florida_Larry (Jan 19, 2009)

radiation is definitely present in the granite, more in the background range, but present none the less, and i would doubt high enough to bother anything, although as mentioned earlier, some rarer granite is noticeable higher in radiation output.


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## Spork (Apr 27, 2009)

Good one Epic.


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## AEWHistory (Nov 6, 2008)

I don't know how much radiation is in granite, others seem to have far better knowledge than I. But keep in mind that people kinda freak out when they hear the word 'radiation,' when in fact radiation is almost universal. You and I emit radiation, but this is a harmless level of radiation. Hell, I have little doubt that fish emit some level of radiation... especially Neons! Just kidding on that last bit.


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## lumpyfunk (Dec 22, 2004)

AEWHistory said:


> Hell, I have little doubt that fish emit some level of radiation... especially Neons! Just kidding on that last bit.


That is why I dont have any x Ray tetras:hihi:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

aside from any radiation issues, granite should be pretty inert and safe for use in aquarium. it should have little effect on water chemistry.


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2009)

Vladdy said:


> I heard that some types of granite are radioactive....


You and everyone else. 

It all traces to a single article that appeared on the news wires, about a single counter top in a home that showed high levels of radon gas. Turned out that piece of granite had some uranium in it, thus a higher radioactivity. It may not have been the source of the radon gas (radon gas tests are required in many real estate deals, especially in the northeast and southwest US). It was extremely unlikely it would have had any effect on a person, even over a cumulative lifetime in the house. The owners got the counter replaced.

Radon gas is present naturally in many areas, and there are detectors similar to smoke detectors for it. There are also abatement procedures to vent the gas so it doesn't build to a harmful concentration.

There will be no issue with a chunk of granite in your tank. Though you may no longer need a heater... :icon_lol:

Jeff


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## AEWHistory (Nov 6, 2008)

lumpyfunk said:


> That is why I dont have any x Ray tetras:hihi:


LOL, oh wow, that was really good, in a bad way. I wish I'd thought of it.


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## PDX-PLT (Feb 14, 2007)

FrostyNYC said:


> Now, your microwave, television, cell phone, computer monitor....


None of which are radioactive, BTW.

OTOH, your fish are radioactive. So is all the food you eat, unless it happened to be food created from 100% synthetic sources.

YOU are radioactive. Anything containing carbon from natural/plants sources is radioactive, due to the presence of Carbon-14, which is formed in the atmosphere by cosmic rays, and inhaled by plants.

Factoid: one way the ATF tests whiskey for purity is to test it for radioactivity. IF it's radioactive, it's considered fit for human consumption. If it's not, it is rejected, as the ethanol has been synthesized from petroleum (which has been underground long enough for the Carbon-14 to decay).


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## Old Salt (Aug 11, 2009)

I have 5 pieces of granite in my tank- effects= 0.


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## AEWHistory (Nov 6, 2008)

PDX-PLT said:


> None of which are radioactive, BTW.
> 
> OTOH, your fish are radioactive. So is all the food you eat, unless it happened to be food created from 100% synthetic sources.
> 
> ...


Not to mention the plutonium I keep in my one tank..... errr, maybe I should've kept that to myself... 

But seriously, that was my point exactly, although you had much cooler points. So Whiskey have to be radioactive? Really kewl.


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## PDX-PLT (Feb 14, 2007)

That factoid's from a book called "Physics for Future Presidents", written by a Berkeley professor. Fun book; check it out.


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