made my own rock now ?

[samantha68]

ok i made my rock last night looks pretty cool but here is my ? I know that you are supposed to soak in freshwater bath for weeks so do i let it dry 24 or 48 or?? before soaking? also do i keep a filter on it or no filter i heard change the water every week ..please help

 

[rbmount]

do a site search here-someone posted a thread about making their own rock.

 

[squidd]

Actually, when you make your "rock" (agrocrete) It would be best if you left it in the "sand mold" and keep the sand damp for a few days to "cure" (harden) before taking it out...
Then soak in fresh water for 4-6 weeks (change weekly and test pH to see if it stays under 8.0)
If your "rock" is a big solid lump you'll be OK, but as you get into more complex "open free form" shapes it's better to let it "cure" before moving to help prevent breakage...
Once it's had a chance to "cure" it's pretty solid stuff...

 

[samantha68]

ok thank you very much so i'll put in in today to soak then..just sits in the water would a filter help or no?

 

[jlem]

Run an air stone to help circulate the water. You can change the water as often as you would like. I changed mine every couple days

 

[samantha68]

ok thank you for your help,i put a emperor on it because i have a couple extra ones..i guess now i just wait and see what happens with the ph right?will the ph go high then drop off ? and how am i sure it is ok for the tank just by the ph?

 

[squidd]

If you put in fresh water it should have a pH of about 7...(the water)
After sitting with "fresh" rock it will rise to 9 or so...rock leaches alkalines and raises pH and will do so in your tank if you put it in too soon...
After a couple of weeks/water changes it should stay below 8 (rock has become stable/cured)
Then it will be safe to place in your tank...

 

[squidd]

You can let the rock "sit" or swirl it around with a powerhead,you can change it once a week or every other day, It doesnt seem to matter...
It still takes 4 to 6 weeks to stabalize...

 

[samantha68]

ok thanks again guys for your help it's in my 30gallon with the emperor filter on it so now i just wait for a month or so .....i was surprised that it came out as good as it did for my first try ...i made 9 pieces with caves etc looks really good ...

 

[ekclark]

did you use sand in your mix? I just tried making some with crushed coral and it doesn't seem to be working. I did 4 parts cc and one part cement mix. What did you use?

 

[squidd]

I used 5 parts CC and 1 part "Thick Set Tile Grout" which is a portland cement and fine sand premix...

 

[barry cuda]

Is that a single piece, Squidd? It's pretty elaborate. How did you set up the mold?

 

[krowleey]

thats a cool looking rock!

 

[squidd]

Thats like a 5th generation piece...The first couple looked like Dog DooDoo...
Then I got into "tables" and "caves"...
It's also where I learned the three dimentional "free forms" need to set up in the "mold box" a couple days or they'll just bust up on you when you try to pull them out.
It's probably harder to describe "how to" than it is to do...
Just start out with 2"-3" sand (I used a large grain oolitic aragonite, but you could use any thing, wet) and "cut" a couple grooves in it...fill with agrocrete mix and top with another couple inches sand and more "grooves"..just make sure the second layer of agrocrete can "bond" to the first layer where they "overlap"
Then more sand, more agrocrete, more sand, etc...
This is the "back side" sorry I squished it when I "resized" the pic.
Yes, that's all one piece...There's another piece of "Tonga Like Branch" right behind it by the bucket...

 

[drkdweller]

what differnt types of cement can you use, any brand names i can look for.

 

[barry cuda]

It looks great. The 1st-attempt pieces in my display right now look awful...I'm praying for speedy coralline growth to cover up for my ineptitude
I'm thinking maybe I wanna try again, but the cost of aragonite sand down here in TX is almost prohibitive. I think I might go get a bag of CC and work with that, as the coarser texture might be more natural-looking than the crappy over-packed stuff I did on the first try with sand.

 

[zap800]

the cement you want to use is type I or II. and if you live near a chicken farm of a feed store you can use oyster shells. i found a recipe online at another site and printed it. it took the guys about 4 - 6 weeks to leach out all the toxins

 

[samantha68]

I already made them with portland cement and crushed coral

 

[ekclark]

I am trying to make mine with the mix that comes from garf site. It won't mix right. I think I will try some good old portland cement, type one I guess:notsure: , and I will see if that will work.

 

[squidd]

I just came back from the hardware store...
Looked at the box I used..."Polyblend Thickset (sanded) Tile Grout"
Contentsortland cement,sand,polymeric bonding agent (non toxic)