DIY Rock

squishyfish

squishyfish

Member
Originally Posted by iyachtuxivm
http:///forum/post/2929924
Yes just mix it in as you mold. On the bacteria issue are you using sand on the bottom of your tank? If so get sand from your lfs's tank, one of mine actually keeps a tank just for this purpose its a little pricy like $6/bag about 4lbs I think. That should seed your tank no problem. If your interested in all the critters as I posted earlier its the same store. I woundnt think the sand would survive any long trip though. Make a thread of your progress or just continue this one.

I'm putting black sand in the bottom, so that would be a little difficult. What I have thought about doing it putting a shallow Tupperware bowl filled with white sand from a mature tank on the sand bed. I'm sure what ever is in the white sand would easily move into the main sand bed.
Thanks Scopus, I'll see if I can find that thread.
 
iyachtuxivm

iyachtuxivm

Member
Well I thought that might be the case. You could do the same in a rubbermaid container with saltwater put "active sand" in and your new made live rock for a month or so. Kind of give it a pre salt cure. Just through a raw shrimp in the mix watch the cycle and act as though it was a tank cycling. Give it a couple weeks after the cycle is complete. Im sure there will be bacteria on it by then. Then do same in tank with your precured cured new live rock and black sand.
 
V

vince-1961

Guest
Black sand in a SW tank. Cool! If you put the white sand in, Murphy's Law dictates that it desecrate the blackness no matter what your intentions or precautions.
Here's tonight's photo of Satan's Head, a/k/a a funny, not so appropriate shape for DIY rock. It's been in the tank about two months. The tank is very immature at 5 months.
Attachment 218243
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Attachment 218245


 
squishyfish

squishyfish

Member
Originally Posted by iyachtuxivm
http:///forum/post/2930425
Well I thought that might be the case. You could do the same in a rubbermaid container with saltwater put "active sand" in and your new made live rock for a month or so. Kind of give it a pre salt cure. Just through a raw shrimp in the mix watch the cycle and act as though it was a tank cycling. Give it a couple weeks after the cycle is complete. Im sure there will be bacteria on it by then. Then do same in tank with your precured cured new live rock and black sand.
Thats a great idea. All I would need is a basic light for the rock to start coloring up, and a heater to keep the temp up. Excellent suggestion.
Originally Posted by vince-1961
http:///forum/post/2930465
Black sand in a SW tank. Cool! If you put the white sand in, Murphy's Law dictates that it desecrate the blackness no matter what your intentions or precautions.
Here's tonight's photo of Satan's Head, a/k/a a funny, not so appropriate shape for DIY rock. It's been in the tank about two months. The tank is very immature at 5 months.
The black sand is pretty tight...and its about 25% cheaper too! We have it in my wife's nano...very cool, but I have noticed that there is no way to keep it solid black. White bits fall off the LR pretty easily. I figure we can keep it pretty clean simply by picking up the big pieces and letting the yellow watchman take care of the rest.
The Satan's Head rock is pretty cool. When I first saw your tank, I couldn't see it, but from that angle its pretty easy to make out.
 
V

vince-1961

Guest
Did you also notice the change in color between the top pics and tonight's pics?
That comes from visible life growing on the rock. I'd imagine that the non-visible life (bacteria) are in full bloom by now. That's after a mere two months and in a very immature tank on top of that.
I say go for it, take lots of explanatory pics as you work, including pics of your primary materials, and post them here. Tell us what works and what doesn't work as you go along. Keep track of your mixture ratios and which pieces get made from which mixture ratios. Think of it as a science project!
 
squishyfish

squishyfish

Member
Thats exactly what I am going to do, but I'm going to start a new thread once I get into it. That way people dont have to wade through the last 30 post to get to the "this is how I did it" part.
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
Originally Posted by Squishyfish
http:///forum/post/2929623
On the topic of bacteria, I'm patient when it comes to this hobby, but not so much when I know there is a way to speed things up. So, if I do end up making my own rock (which I think I am at least going to try), I will definitely want to seed the tank.
Live sand or aragonite will eventually do the trick but if you're in a hurry Google GARF grunge which is a concentrated goop of bacteria which you can paint your DIY rock with.
 
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