[apac]

Hello everyone,
I was wondering if you could help me out with your expertise and knowledge.
Can I put anthracite coal,-’hard coal’ into a fish aquarium? The reason I ask is that I’m worried that it may cause a chemical or biological problem. Does coal have any impurities in with the carbon that will be released and affect water that fish are kept in? Will coal release any toxins in water that could be removed by soaking it in a bucket of water before adding to a fish tank, to get solubles out of it? The fish I wish to keep in the aquarium are African Cichlids that have to be kept in a high PH water hardness (about eight). I’ve come to this forum to ask this question as I’ve had very little comment or feed back on tropical fish forums, I was hoping that a chemist may be able to shed some light on this burning matter of mine.

In a nut shell, what toxins will coal release when submerged in water?? i.e. acid, sulphur, arsenic, ( or none as it is inert)

I can give more detail to the aquarium size/set up, and amount of coal to be present in the tank if needed. The reason for wanting to use coal is that it is relatively cheap, light weight, not razor sharp, and black and shiny.
Also, will there be an easy way for testing for toxins?

Any educated response is more than welcome.
Kindest Regards,
Andrew.