Our DIY base rock/live rock (with pics)

al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
I think the beads will be fine, as Joe said, the coralline will grow faster on them (plastic beads) than the rock, so I think that is a plus.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Alright, well it is worth a shot! When we get more supplies (probably after Feb 1st now since we have to finish the fence this coming weekend) we will grab some rock salt and beads and give it a try. Right now, my rocks are still sitting in tubs. I just changed out half or more of the water in the bucket with them because I tested the pH and it was 8.6
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Continue curing the rock, cement is high in alkaline and that raises the ph of the water the rock is in so keep changing the water as the rock cures
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Thanks for the info! My husband will appreciate it, as he was kind of baffled when I told him the pH, and he started wondering what raised it lol.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Well, I guess the vinegar must have been helpful then, ours was like day 5 or 6 when I tested last and it was 8.6...so not a huge help, and probably not worth the money we spent to get so much vinegar, but it did help...
 
bowfish

bowfish

Member
I think I might try adding some to mine and see if it helps. maybe a gallon of vinegar to the 15 gallons of water in the tub.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
This had us soak it in a tub of just vinegar for 12 hours. If it works for you let us know, much cheaper if we don't need to buy so much!
 
S

smallreef

Guest
a gallon of vinegar here is only $2... I think part of the problem is everything there is sooo much more expensive...
 
bowfish

bowfish

Member
Ok heres the latest,Did water change yesterday and Checked PH today after work.PH is 8.5 after a24hr soak ,getting close.Ive also added rock salt to my water and bubbling CO2 under the rock. Seems to be helping,
 
bowfish

bowfish

Member
This is the start of my 4th week of curing so it looks like it pretty much takes 4 weeks to start seeing results
 
N

nathanjc

Guest
Great work KemFish! I was hesitant at making my own base rock until I saw this post :)
Keep posting pics. I'd like to see how your base rock develops inside your aquarium.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Uh oh....hahaha, we got rid of it. It was a pain in the rear and we just don't have the extra space in our house for the tote we had it in....but bowfish is actually using the rock...I just saw the post a week or so ago, looks great.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Yup, we went and bought rock lol. The only place we had to stick the totes was the middle of out kitchen floor and I kept running into it, so after 4 weeks and still no progress with daily water changes, I decided ti had to go.
Bowfish's rock is great though.
 
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