homemade rock

[denisec]

Long ago I remember talk about people making 'live rock' , seems like it was plaster of

[hr]
based. Is this so? I'd like something to bulk up the bottom of the tank w/o costing the small fortune the LSF charges for live rock. The tank is established so I don't really need the bio side of using live rock.
Denise

 

[poop_head]

ya it is made of portland type II cement, and oyster shells. I'm in the process of curing it right now. You have to soak it in water to get all the crap out first cause it is very acidic and stuff then you can put it in your main tank. Do a search for like "dead rock" and it should pull up some links discussing it in more detail.

 

[sinner's girl]

check the DIY forum, there are a few threads on it.

 

[goldenboy]

No need for crushed shells. I made mine with just a cement sand mix. I used the rocksalt method and it's pretty well covered with coraline. Although it doesn't look like the fiji or tonga in my tank, you wouldn't say it's ugly or that it is man made.

 

[edwar050]

I think some of the better ingredients to mix include plastic sawdust "makes rock lighter/ more coraline coverage", pasta noodles "creates porous shapes and will cure if noodles are cooked before implementation", and oyster shell for arguable ph/natural look/ buffering compound.