DIY LR on its way :)

[oceangrl11]

Hello. Said i'd post some pics of the DIY LR i am doing so here they are. I accidentally broke a piece off of the 'table' that i made. It is in the white bucket. I will have to mend it when its done drying. So far everything has gone pretty well. Let me know if you guys have any input :joy:

 

[nluchau]

oceangrl,
looks like its coming along good . bet you cant wait until its cured. The 3rd picture made me laugh a bit. sorry had to.

 

[thegrog]

Lookin good! :yes: :yes:

 

[shiby1510]

congrats on the new LR keep us posted!!

 

[cowfishrule]

looks like a cat's poopbox to me
good looks with the diy lr

 

[brandyfish]

Keep the pics coming....you are giving me some ideas for when i start this weekend

 

[oceangrl11]

LOL. Yeah i guess it does look like a litter box

What can i say? I did not have enough sand to completely submerge them into another box so i just used what i had. Did not really like the way they came out b/c they were flat on that one side. The ones in the bucket/ and fish box came out really nice and i like the texture. The ones in the black box i added sand to the mixture b/c i did not know if the other stuff would stick b/c it was so lumpy. But it hardened just fine ! However i used oyster shells and when i did 5:1 there was not enough cement to make them stick so i would try 4:1 or even 3:1 b/c i ended up adding close to another cup of cement.
Do not add any sand to the mix, just the oyster shells b/c the sand makes it look unnatural IMO.
BTW. The cement really makes your skin dry out

So use some gloves....it had taken me three days to get my hand to stop being crackly and grose. Maybe i just have sensitive skin or something....but its grose
The first pic is the table that has a broken leg The second is the DIYLR in a garbage can being cured. Ask any questions if you'd like ! ttfn

 

[nluchau]

Lookin good - cant wait to see it in your tank

 

[shiby1510]

looking good...
yes i do not like the sand as much as the oyster shells either.. JMO
BTW I used 3:1 and it worked great.. i was actually sick of using cups... and since its just parts we took a big coffee can and it made a lot!!
and yes cement absorbs all moisture so if you touch it say

to your soft hands... to preven this gloves aren't even needed... just wash your hands when you are done and use a moisturizer :yes:
Just a little pointer if you are making big batches... it becomes very strenuous to mix.. so think about it for a second.. and then go dig out your paint mixer.. hook it up to your drill and you just saved yourself a lot of time and aching muscles! :cheer:
enjoy and have fun!! :joy: :happyfish

 

[oceangrl11]

Howdy there. Thanks so much for all the input. I can not wait to see it in my tank either But....I need to make some more.
So far as the hands go...My hands are still peeling skin Really bad and i have used a great moisturizer. I washed my hands over and over after touching the stuff. I hate having dirty hands....i think it is just bad for MY skin. OH well.....
I do not think i will make a large batch just because i get really bored and sore quickly. Not from mixing but from being stooped over. I'll see. I still have to mess around with it a little more ttfn

 

[thegrog]

I would definately advise gloves. Raw cement is very caustic and what you are describing on your hands is a chemical burn (3+ years of med school and counting pays off some times).
As for what I do with larger batches is get a 5-gal bucket, and make enough mix to fill it about 1/3 the way. Then tilt it about 45 degrees and rotate it. You ever seen a cement truck? Same concept. Roll it around and stir occasionally
For mix ratios, 3:1 is fairly strong stuff...good for structures that will have a lot of stress on them or fine, detailed things. 4:1 is a little weaker, but more porous. Good for the "bulk" rock in your tank. 3.5:1 (or 7:2) is inbetween and what I use for all-around stuff.

 

[dskidmore]

We have a drill attachment with the advertised use of mixing cement in a 5 gal bucket. Works pretty good.

 

[ktsdad]

Ok, I have some dumb questions -
3 parts cement/1 part oyster shells or
3 parts oyster shells/1 part cement?
What type of cement are you using? Just standard stuff from Home depot?
I assume you still have to use some real live rock to populate this stuff?
Thanks for the help :needhelp:

 

[dskidmore]

3 parts oyster shells/1 part cement
You need at least one piece of real live rock, the higher your live rock ratio, the faster things will spread to the DIY rock.
Standard Portland Cement is used, not any of the pre-mixed cements.
Don't forget to cure it throughly before putting it in your tank!

 

[ktsdad]

Thanks for the answers! :yes:
We are getting ready to put together a 225 gal reef. I have 50lbs of LR in a 60 reef and 50-60lbs of LR in a 95 FOWLR. We are going to take down both current tanks and combined into the 225.
110lbs of Real LR (been in a tank for 1.5 years) and 120lbs of DIY LR should work well.
Making 120lbs of rock sure would be cheaper then buying base rock at $3.50 per pound (lfs)
How long do you suggest I "cure" it?

 

[ktsdad]

One last question....
Where do you get your oyster shells?
Do you use crushed or whole or a combo of both (my guess)
Since it will be 5-6 months before I get my 225 in place, I was going to start making some DIYLR. Then get a rubbermade bucket (large) and place my homemade stuff in the bucket with some pieces out of my existing tanks some power heads and a heater and let it "grow" for the next 5-6 months. I would assume I would need to do some water changes, maybe a complete water change once a month.
Thanks again!

 

[dskidmore]

Curing:
Portland Cement is extremely alkaline. The curing process removes the stuff that leaches out too easily and would mess up the chemistry in your tank. Start the curing process in freshwater to save money on salt. Test the pH of the water regularly, and change the water as necessary to keep it down to normal tank levels. Curing times vary greatly, no-one seems to have come up with a science to it yet. About 8 weeks is normal. When the pH stabilizes, switch to salt water. You will get another pH spike as diffusion causes the salt water outside the rock to want to mix with the concentrated fresh inside the rock. When the pH stabilizes the second time, it is ready for you to add the live rock to it. You may want some minor lighting to encourage coraline growth.
Oyster Shells:
The easiest place to find it is a farm feed store. I think they use it for raising birds. It comes pre-crushed.
You might want to do some research, there are some good sites that have pictures of step-by-step directions, shape ideas, and instrucitons for getting unusual effects. (One guy mixes pasta into his rock. The pasta rots away, leaving lots of internal texture to the rock.)

 

[shiby1510]

In addition to all of the good information already said I would like to add... if you are looking at portland cement at h/d make sure it is not by quikrete... that stuff is completely garbage and i obviously found out the hard way.

Also, when looking for portland cement... get the highest type as possible... higher type... = stronger rock
-=remember have fun=-

 

[ktsdad]

Mixed and molded out first rock last night! :cheer: :cheer:
Thanks to all for the ideas and recipes!!
Saw a guy on that "auction" site was selling recipes, he was asking $5.99.

Guess he never heard of message boards!! :hilarious :hilarious

 

[oceangrl11]

LOL. selling recipes for making DIY LR ? WOW. I guess he's never heard of google either. You can find tons of stuff by just doing a search. That's very interesting.