Are my DIY rocks cured?

tjc348

tjc348

New member
I have about 60-70 lbs of rock that I made myself out of oystershell, portland cement, and rock salt. They have been soaking in water w/ oxygen for about 3 weeks. I have done about two water changes. The PH is around 9.0 I think.

I was wondering if it would be safe to put them in my aquarium at this point.I literally just setup my aquarium and put salt in it. I plan on buying some live rock within the next week or so. The PH in my tank right now is around 7.8 or maybe even a tad lower.

Would it be ok to put the rocks in my tank now since my PH is low and my tank is just cycling? I don't plan on adding any fish for another month or more (whenever my tank is fully cycled).
 
That is a big debate. I changed mine once every 3 days or so for the first 3 weeks Then it was once a week or the next mo.
Then I got layed off work and the rock sat for 1 year before I got back to the build. I had changed the water 1 a mo. during that time.
It will all depend on how much cement you used also. Do a search on "curing DIY rock" and read some other post. It will give you a better idea and info on the proses.
 
8 months for mine and they are still not cured. My ph is around 8.6 and i want it a bit lower. It's no big deal for me but i thought it would be done by now. I made about 80lb of rock and changed my water every 3 days but still high ph. My base ph from the faucet is 7.4 so i know its the rocks doing it, i've even change the container they were soaking in.
 
AnonAMoose said:
8 months for mine and they are still not cured. My ph is around 8.6 and i want it a bit lower. It's no big deal for me but i thought it would be done by now. I made about 80lb of rock and changed my water every 3 days but still high ph. My base ph from the faucet is 7.4 so i know its the rocks doing it, i've even change the container they were soaking in.
Click to expand...


Wow thats ridiculous. Everywhere I've read it usually takes about 1 month.

The only reason I asked if I should put them in my aquarium is because I have nothing in it, and my PH is already low so I didn't think it would hurt anything considering I wont be putting any fish in my tan for another month or more
 
tjc348 said:
Wow thats ridiculous. Everywhere I've read it usually takes about 1 month.

The only reason I asked if I should put them in my aquarium is because I have nothing in it, and my PH is already low so I didn't think it would hurt anything considering I wont be putting any fish in my tan for another month or more
Click to expand...

i still dont think i would add them to the tank yet...the only way to drop the pH is to change the water...unless you plan on doing 100% water changes on your tank to get the pH down i wouldnt do it...

you could try adding a couple power heads and some vinegar to the the curing vats..the acid will help to neutralize the pH..
 
I've been running some air stones in the water the rocks are curing in. I was thinking about moving them down to the creek behind my house in hopes that it might speed up the process
 
I have herd of people putting diy rock in the water tank of the toilet so every time its flushed it gets fresh clean water but I doubt 70 lbs of rock will fit in the back of any porcelain thrown haha.
 
tjc348 said:
I've been running some air stones in the water the rocks are curing in. I was thinking about moving them down to the creek behind my house in hopes that it might speed up the process
Click to expand...

unless you can guarantee there is no farm runoff or street runoff or factory runoff/ direct pollution entering the creek i would strongly advise against putting your rock in the creek...there is only one thing that happens in this hobby quickly, and that is disasters..
 
haha yeah the toilet is out of the question.

And I am unsure of what is running off into that creek so I guess I will stay away from that idea.

I just did another water change in the tub my rocks are curing in, how long after I do the water change will the PH be affected? I tested it about ten minutes after the water change and the PH was low but I guess that's because it isn't taking affect yet.

How long does it take for the rocks to reach their peak in PH once the water is changed?
 
Only way to know is to test your pH and you have to remember that the pH will rise once you put it in saltwater again.

Wait a day or two before you test your pH in your tub.
 
skunkmere said:
can you use muriatic acid to speed up the ph drop?
Click to expand...

similar to using vinegar...it wont speed the drop it will only neutralize the water...it will save you changing the water all the time..ie it will bring his alkaline water of 9.* back down to 7.*, next day the rock will raise it up again...and so on...

you would have to be careful not to drop the pH so much (with the HCL or vinegar) so as to create an acidic bath though as it will likely weaken the rocks...
 
Any other alternatives to getting this PH down faster besides the vinegar?


What would happen if I were to put those rocks with a PH of 8.8 in my tank? Would it raise the PH all the way up to 8.8 ? I just figured cuz it is such a large amount of water it wouldnt affect it much but then again I don't realy know.

I dont want to make any mistakes or rush anything,but I am just curious.
 
it might not bring it up to 8.8, it would likely only climb to 8.6 or so, rest assured it will climb, and th only way to get it back down would be large water changes...that is why it is soo much easier to do it in freshwater, and cheaper too...once again, NOTHING "good" happens in this hobby quickly...be patient...it will all come along.
 
Silly question, but look at my number of posts....
Do ALL man made rocks have to cure for this length of time? Or was this particular one because it was made with something specific? I was hoping to make a background...
 
I spent over 3 months curing my DIY rock... I had powerheads in the curing tank, changed water every day for a couple weeks and then every other day... I used vinegar to lower the PH... I went through about 12 gallons of it! My PH was still spiking to 9 or higher over night... I gave up, pulled the rock out and ordered some from Marco Rocks. For me DIY rock was a waste of time and money... but that's just my experience with it. Others have had good luck! I hope it works out for you!
 
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