andy Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I know a few club members were experimenting with DIY live rock. How did they work out? Any regrets, got'chas or things would would have done differently? Brandy, didn't you and Bob try this? IIRC you weren't too happy. (scratch) I'm starting the tank upgrade process and being able to cast my own rocks would be great, from both financial and aesthetic points of view. I just don't want to hose myself farther on down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I made some out of left-over mortar mix, crused coral, rocksalt, and aragonite sand. I am not happy with the look, but I am just going to throw them into the sump so they don't need to look nice. The mortar mix also took FOREVER to cure. I finally started adding muriatic acid (from Home Depot) to start lowering the pH. Even then, the pH would go down for a few days, then jump back up over 9 or 10. So I would do a fresh water change, and a little more acid... And again, and again, and again... Finally the pH is stable, and I am about to consider adding the rock to my system. I probably will only add one rock at a time to see how it affects my system. Wait a few weeks, then add another rock. If I were to do this again, I would do more like Miles (Impur) did. White portland cement, white sand, and larger chunks of salt to get larger pores in the rock. I like the look of his DIY rock much more than mine. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I love how mine came out. I'm getting good at making the shapes i want. It took awhile to get the mixture right. I think its just as porous as natural LR and looks identical. The problem I'm having is the same that Dennis went thru. Its taking forever to cure. I'm going to test it again sometime this week and see where the pH is at. Since i have it curing in buckets on my back porch i'm hoping the warmer weather will speed up the curing a little. If you aren't in a hurry i think DIY rock is a great way to save some money and get the look you really want from your reef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I make mines out of ceramic. Works fine for me. Coraline algae grows on it pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I make mines out of ceramic. Works fine for me. Coraline algae grows on it pretty well. I still have to check on those frag racks you gave me - Next time I mix up some SW I'll soak them and test for leeching. Did that chemiclean work out for you BTW? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I still have to check on those frag racks you gave me - Next time I mix up some SW I'll soak them and test for leeching. Did that chemiclean work out for you BTW? I was going to message you on those pieces. Hopefully they check out(laugh) That chemiclean worked awesome! Should have done that a long long time ago! 1 treatment did the job. The key is to aerate the tank during treatment since the skimmer is offline. It took awhile before my skimmer acted normal again. But yeah, chemiclean is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 6, 2008 Author Share Posted May 6, 2008 How long have they been curing so far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 How porous are the ceramic rocks? Any pics?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 the ceramic rocks aren't porous at all. They are just supplementary, so I wouldn't use them for filtration purposes. As for pics, I don't have any right now. I need to get a tripod first, my pics look crappy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Ahh i gotcha. I bet they work perfect for that. I think ceramic would work great for keeping colonies in check. For example zoas. You glue the zoa to the center of a cermic rock, then you have a series of removable frag plugs or something around that. As the zoas expand and grow out onto the frag plugs, pull out the plug and replace with a new one. Instant frag!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Mine just took forever for the ph to go down. We ran out of patience and tried to hurry things along big mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 How long would you guess for a 'natural' curing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I started mine in October last year, and still have not put them into my tank. Sometime in January I got tired of the high pH, so I started adding vinegar every couple of days to the water. It would help with the high pH for a little while, then the pH would go right back up. Sometime in February I got tired of using all the vinegar in the house, so I got some muriatic acid from home depot. The rock filled a 10g tank that I had as a spare, and then I filled it with water. I then added about a 1/4 cup of the muriatic acid to the water. It would bubble and foam for a little while, then after a couple of days the pH would go back up. After a month or so of doing this, the pH has become stable at a lower level (about 8 or 8.5). I stopped adding the muriatic acid last month. Now I am using old tank water (The rock gets new water every water change that I do to my tank) to soak the rock instead of fresh water. I am going to do this for a while to see if I can get some bacteria to start growing on it before I add it to my tank. To be honest, I don't know if I will ever add what I have to my existing system. Like I said, I used some left over brick mortar, and it is grey colored. I mixed in some old crushed coral, and it looks really trashy with the white chunks poking out from the grey rock. If anything, I would just put it in a sump. I may try making some with white cement and white sand this summer. It would probably look better, and then I would use it in the refugium that I am putting together (on display next to my tank). We'll see. It was a neat experiment, and I would do it again if I was starting a second tank because you get a lot of rock at low cost. It just takes FOREVER to cure. Time wise, it is a lot easier to just pay the $3-4/lb when you can find it on sale here. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 It depends on what you use. We used crushed oyster shells and clam shells and cement. Our calcium level was 900 for several months. It was cheep to do total cost was about 15 dollars for a hundred pounds of rock. We set ours outside in a rubbermaid and did lots of water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 Time wise, it is a lot easier to just pay the $3-4/lb when you can find it on sale here. Yeah, that's the rub -- I'm starting to plan my tank upgrade and figure I'll be needing 100+ lbs of rock. Since I've got lots of aquascaping ideas and a shortage of cash, a few bucks in materials plus some patience looks pretty good. Impur, iirc you had extra raw materials kicking around. Interested in selling some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Yah the curing is whats tough. I plan to make some more for my cubes. I won't be starting the cubes for probably a year, so i have time (laugh) Over at RC there is a huge thread on DIY rock. Some ppl are now using old humidifiers with warm steam in an enclosed container with good results. Andy - i've got mostly full bags still. It really depends on how much i have left after my project. I think the drive alone would cost you more than buying the ingredients 90lbs white portland cement - $26 100lbs white silica sand - $8 50lbs solar salt - $7 100lbs crushed oyster shell - $5 Total $46 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 With $4 gas, I think you are probably right :( Did you have trouble finding sources for any of those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Andy, did you read this thread? http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5474 dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I only had trouble finding the white portland cement. It wasn't hard actually, i was just lazy and only called the big hardware stores. One day i opened the yellow pages and called a couple mason companies and the 2nd one had it I got the salt at HD, the sand at Willamette Greystone. I forget where i got the oystershells, i think HD as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 That's not so bad, I'll get to work this weekend. Thanks for the pointer, dsoz -- I saw it first time around but I think it'll be worth re-reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Andy- If you are going to make rock with white sand and white portland cement, let me know if you have any left-over materials. I may be interested in buying what you have left over. I need to make some rock for the tanks-for-teachers project so I can have some rock in the tank that the club bought for my classroom next year. I won't have any money until next payday (June 1st), but should be able to buy anything you have left over then. I can then let the stuff cure with acid over the summer. It should be good to go in September. Add a couple of "seed rocks" and the tank should be good to go. I think I just found a use for my RO waste water... When I make water for my tank, I also get a free water change for DIY rocks! dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I think I just found a use for my RO waste water... When I make water for my tank, I also get a free water change for DIY rocks! dsoz Now THAT is a great idea!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 Will do, dsoz. Maybe the club needs a DIY Rock "Concert" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I believe that there was a DIY rock event last spring. I did not go because I had just gotten enough LR for my 45g tank that I was starting. Now I have upgraded to a 75, and there never seems to be enough rock. So I pick up a piece here, a piece there... Now I have a tank for school to fill. Then once it is full of rock, salt, and water... living things will be next on my list. Does it ever end? dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 We will try to get one going before the end of the year. Mr S. used to do one every year at Albany Middle School. It worked perfectly because there was alot of room and alot of sinks to help with cleanup. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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