Making Live Rock

try2wryte

try2wryte

Member
Hey silly question, Won't any porous rock turn live over time with all the little holes providing homes for the marine life ? For example the Tufa or Lava rock from *****

Wouldn't these provide the necessary terrain for organisms and coraline aglae to migrate into/onto? And these come in pretty piece with holes in them, lol so I would be very excited if I'm right and turn my new tank into a live rock farm lol for a while.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Avoid the lava rock IMO. The chemical makeup varies greatly and it could be loaded with heavy metals.
The tufa rock is fine and it will become adequately populated enough to be called live rock. It will probably never have the diversity of wild live rock but with the right worms & pods it can function almost as well.
 
try2wryte

try2wryte

Member
What about the other kind of red rock sold in fish stores it looks like the lava rock but its usually called river rock or something to that effect, very red but very porous. Or any other type of rock you can suggest?
 
pete159

pete159

Member
ARAGONITE
COLOR - White to tan
REEF SAFE - Very
HARDNESS - From very soft to medium hard
CORALINE GROWTH - Grows very fast
SHAPE - Some pieces have great shapes depending on source
This calcium based rock is great for making tank raised combination rocks. Aragonite was formed in the ocean so it is a good choice for reef aquariums
TUFA
COLOR - Cream to tan and brown
REEF SAFE - Most tufa is reef safe
HARDNESS - From very soft to very hard
CORALINE GROWTH - Grows the fastest on some pieces we have tested
SHAPE - Some pieces have good shapes depending on source
This light brown rock grows coraline algae very fast. Most tufa was formed by geothermal waters rich in minerals. This can be good or bad so use reef safe tufa.
LAVA
COLOR - Black to red and brown
REEF SAFE - Some lava is reef safe - only use tested types
HARDNESS - From very hard to almost glass like
CORALINE GROWTH - Grows well on some pieces we have tested
SHAPE - Some pieces have wonderful shapes
 
try2wryte

try2wryte

Member
Oooh I just read an article describing the use of a 5 to 1 mix of aragonite sand and portland cement to create your own rosk. This sounds promising.... any thoughts
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Try2wryte
http:///forum/post/2890985
Oooh I just read an article describing the use of a 5 to 1 mix of aragonite sand and portland cement to create your own rosk. This sounds promising.... any thoughts
ummmm sounds promising
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
sounds like a bunch of cement in a tank. Not saying it wont wonk but alot of cement has silica sand in it witch grows alge. And IMHO I dont see it look good. I know where to get rock for cheap Live and base pm me and you will be glad you did
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Dose silica and phosphates not grow alge. If I am wrong correct me. For I remember reading this but cant remember where. You are the man so is it true.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by Keebler
http:///forum/post/2891222
Yeah yeah, aren't silicates the things that can cause algae...what's the difference between silica and silicates?

Silica is Silicon + Oxygen. It is the most common molecule on the planet. It's the primary ingredient in aquarium glass.
Technically, I think Silica is classified as a silicate but it's usually identified as Silicate + a metal ion such as Iron Silicate or Magnesium Silicate. The major difference for our hobby is that Diatoms cannot use Silica to build their skeletal structure but they can use almost any other silicate compound.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2891279
Silica is Silicon + Oxygen. It is the most common molecule on the planet. It's the primary ingredient in aquarium glass.
Technically, I think Silica is classified as a silicate but it's usually identified as Silicate + a metal ion such as Iron Silicate or Magnesium Silicate. The major difference for our hobby is that Diatoms cannot use Silica to build their skeletal structure but they can use almost any other silicate compound.
Wow I was just schooled here. Thanks man I learned something.
 
try2wryte

try2wryte

Member
Even if I don't use it I'm going to try a the cement mixed with sand and one batch with crushed oyster shell just for kicks. If its pretty I'll take pictures and promote it. If it looks like a bunch of cement then we will chalk this up to beginner curiosity/blunder and move on without ever speaking of it again. That and I'll prolly buy a bunch of Tufa and watch that turn over the months to come. YAY its like watching grass grow....
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by Try2wryte
http:///forum/post/2893609
Even if I don't use it I'm going to try a the cement mixed with sand and one batch with crushed oyster shell just for kicks. If its pretty I'll take pictures and promote it. If it looks like a bunch of cement then we will chalk this up to beginner curiosity/blunder and move on without ever speaking of it again. That and I'll prolly buy a bunch of Tufa and watch that turn over the months to come. YAY its like watching grass grow....
That all sounds great to me but watch out for the crushed oyster shell. If it wasn't cleaned properly it can be loaded with nutrients (can you say hairy rock?
)
Set a handful in some old tank water for a few days and test to see if Ammonia is still zero.
 
fishyfun2

fishyfun2

Member
Originally Posted by robertmathern
http:///forum/post/2891208
sounds like a bunch of cement in a tank. Not saying it wont wonk but alot of cement has silica sand in it witch grows alge. And IMHO I dont see it look good. I know where to get rock for cheap Live and base pm me and you will be glad you did
Ok, what is "cheap" for live rock? Sorry, i don't know how to pm anybody yet!
 
try2wryte

try2wryte

Member
Absolutely, im not gonna dump anything in my tank without watching it first actualy have 3 20 gallon tank im usuing as QT's for this experimentation. If it behaves well for 2 months then I might put it in my tank lol
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Lots of info out there on DIY rock. Portland cement, aragonite, and rock salt are the most used components I remember. After forming the cement is whatever form you are looking for there is a period that it needs to sit in water because something in the Portland causes increase Ph and needs to leech out. Plus the rock salt dissolves and creates pores in the rock.
Google DIY rock and you will see.
 
V

vince-1961

Guest
I made a bunch of D.I.Y. rock, using beach sand, crushed oyster shell, poultry feed and portland cement in varying proportions. Used noodles to make holes etc. Wished I'd known about using the rock salt as that seems like a good idea to increase porousity. Had to let it "cure" in freshwater (with frequent water changes) for about 2 months before the pH finally stabilized. I put it in the tank about a month ago. Here are some pics from when it first went in. It's obvious which pieces are homemade and which are not.
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