DIY Rock

silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
If anybody here has any experience making DIY rock I have a few questions:

1- For the mix, my research shows
2 parts white Portland Cement
3 parts crushed lime stone or large crushed coral
1 part rock salt (What kind?) Is this to make the rock more porous after it dissolves?
1 part water
Aragonite sand for the mold
Does this sound correct?

2- For flat pieces, can I use acrylic for the mold or will the mix stick to it?

3- Curing in 1.021 saltwater mix?

4- Cure till PH drops to 8.2?

5- Do I need to seal it with anything? If so, what?

6- If I use live sand in the display, do I need to cure the rock till it's live?

Any comments, help or suggestions, good or bad, will be appreciated.
 
grmreapr

grmreapr

Member
I cant answer all your questions but I do know there are some good threads on here if you search. What I do know is that most people use wet sand as a mold for the pieces. As for curing I believe the best way i have heard is actually to put it in the back of your toilet so it leeches out anything you don't want and it also changes out the water for you. You should not have to seal the rock it should be fine the way it is and yes you will have to cure the live rock as in a cycle. Do not take this as gospel this is just what I remember what I was looking to do it I am sure others have way more knowledge.
 
silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by grmreapr http:///t/397159/diy-rock#post_3539235
I cant answer all your questions but I do know there are some good threads on here if you search. What I do know is that most people use wet sand as a mold for the pieces. As for curing I believe the best way i have heard is actually to put it in the back of your toilet so it leeches out anything you don't want and it also changes out the water for you. You should not have to seal the rock it should be fine the way it is and yes you will have to cure the live rock as in a cycle. Do not take this as gospel this is just what I remember what I was looking to do it I am sure others have way more knowledge.
Thanks. I've read about the wet sand for the mold. As far as using the toilet goes, the amount I would need for a 72g? I don't think it'll fit in a toilet. It's probably going to be spring before I can start work on it if I did it. So I was thinking of putting it in a tub with a hose buried under it and running the water every couple of days to change it out. Threads? The search is on.....

If I do this, I might post pics of the progress.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by silverado61 http:///t/397159/diy-rock#post_3539049
If anybody here has any experience making DIY rock I have a few questions:

1- For the mix, my research shows
2 parts white Portland Cement
3 parts crushed lime stone or large crushed coral
1 part rock salt (What kind?) Is this to make the rock more porous after it dissolves?
1 part water
Aragonite sand for the mold
Does this sound correct?

2- For flat pieces, can I use acrylic for the mold or will the mix stick to it?

3- Curing in 1.021 saltwater mix?

4- Cure till PH drops to 8.2?

5- Do I need to seal it with anything? If so, what?

6- If I use live sand in the display, do I need to cure the rock till it's live?

Any comments, help or suggestions, good or bad, will be appreciated.


Hi,

I have no idea how to make your own rock, sounds like too much work and just as expensive as regular dry rock. Not to mention the amount of time it takes to get it ready to use. There are indeed threads where folks have done it, and it shouldn't be too hard to search and find. As an artist, I completely understand the desire to do it. It also elemenates the worry of adding undesired critters into the system.

I'm going to address the "cure until it's live" statement.
You can cure it for as long as you want and then some, but it won't ever become live rock. Rock is just rock, what makes it "LIVE" are the tiny critters that move in and make it their home. So you will still need to purchase some live rock to seed what you make, or purchase critters to go in the tank and inhabit the rock...to make it LIVE rock.
 
silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
Good point. I was going to put LR in the sump anyway so that should help. Maybe I'll put a couple of pieces of LR in the display till it finishes it's cycle. That way, if there's anything living in the rock, some or most of it should move to the DIY rock.

I would just like the tank to look as natural as possible without having a bunch rocks just piled into the display. This way I could do tunnels for critters to hide, cliffs and different overhangs for coral to sit at different levels. I might even do something up the back to make it look fuller without adding a lot of weight.

This is all just spinning in my head till it warms up enough to continue working on the stand.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by silverado61 http:///t/397159/diy-rock#post_3539294
Good point. I was going to put LR in the sump anyway so that should help. Maybe I'll put a couple of pieces of LR in the display till it finishes it's cycle. That way, if there's anything living in the rock, some or most of it should move to the DIY rock.

I would just like the tank to look as natural as possible without having a bunch rocks just piled into the display. This way I could do tunnels for critters to hide, cliffs and different overhangs for coral to sit at different levels. I might even do something up the back to make it look fuller without adding a lot of weight.

This is all just spinning in my head till it warms up enough to continue working on the stand.



Have a look at some of the tanks people have posted for inspiration.
 
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