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If I went somewhere and found some lava rock or some sort of shelf slate, how would I cure it for my tank? DO the LFS really treat the lava rock before you buy it? Or do they just hose it off and call it good. I worrie that If I bleach said rock to kill whatever is on it that I won't get all the bleach out and cause havoc on my tank....

As long as the lava doesnt contain metal, you could microwave it! I do that when sterilizing special soils for sowing cacti.

Just be sure you do not get stones with metal like stuff in it, because this could be heavy metals, which are poisonous to fish.

how do you test for heavy metals? (enter your own joke here)

how do you test for heavy metals?

hold it next to your ear.
if your hair starts to grow rapidly and you have this incurable urge to move your head, it contains heavy metals.

thats me... Old school

Avoid those (Rolling?) stones where there obviously are Heavy Metal; if you see metallic colors.

Eventual headbanging stones may damage your ears if playing to loud!

Actually Ozzy Osbourne threw a stone through his loud playing neighbours window, but that doesnt mean it necessarily was heavy metal in that perticular stone!

this is great information....
Didn't ozzy throw a log through the window...

I thought he threw a ham at one point? Why do I remember ham?

He threw some ham(?) into the neighbours backyard, didnt he?!

In a million years, future aquarists may use Ozzy's fossil ham or log in their tanks! What an incredible historical perspective!

Mmm...ham
argrlgrlgrlglrglrl (gurgling sound that Homer makes when he thinks about food).

And to think this post actually once had a point...crazy! *LoL!!*

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thanx.

Sorry for not playing any old rock but I just soak them for some time (a week), this will allow salts or other types of disolving chemicals to be released. Change the water (daily) to help. Then if not sure, I would try the rock in a tank with some 'test' fish (like feeder guppies). I know that doesn't sound nice, but it's better than loosing a whole tank full. I would also rinse and clean it with a brush before the soaking. I've done this and either it works or lucky.

We have an answer!!! Yaaay! Thank you, Dale90g, for an answer to the question of rock! But, what if you don't have a tank of feeder guppies around?

No tank? How about a bucket, or some other container large enough to hold the rock(s). Of course you still need guppies or other fish. Goldfish or native fish from area streams and ponds will work too. But you need to know if they are healthy. And if you buy them new, they need to be quarantined, or how do you know if it was the rock that killed them? Are you sorry you asked yet?
A bucket and colder climates, heat may be needed (don't melt the plastic bucket). So your best time to test rocks is in your summer time. White clouds do well in summer time in my back yard. Actually, other members in my club here have done this, have quite a few more than when they started by the end of summer. They use a tub type container and really are looking to grow aquatic / bog plants to make their yard more interesting and attractive. The white clouds eat insects (mosquito larvae). Ok, got off subject.
Free rocks, hmmm, looks like a little work is involved to get free rocks, or ones not from the LFS. Probably wouldn't hurt to do this on all rocks, could have a pocket of salt (or whatever) in the middle that would leach out. Then you need to decide how long to test. The longer the better, I usually go a week to a month, depending on size. Again, worked for me so far.

hmmmm. try a metal dector. hehehehehehe

Never had a metal detector in my tank, are they safe?