Home made live rock

[Lazyreefer]

HI,

If anyone is making live rock in the next couple of weeks? I would like to buy some plugs if possible for frags. I need about 20.
I am not sure but can you make if say 1/2 inch thick about and vary it from 2 to 3 inches across?


Thanks

 

[Russ Braaten]

New plugs would not be seasoned and would kill the frags. I tried it once. I do have bits of rubble that would be large enough. I will sell them to you for $100 a pound if you need them badly. Less if you are not as needy. Hehehehe I also have small shells and pieces. I like using shells.


OK OK YOU can have them free.

 

[Lazyreefer]

I wonder if they would get seasoned in my sump? ANd if you have any flat pieces of rubble I would love some.

 

[VCoo71]

CCA has some bags of both disks and plugs for sale if your intrested in buying


charlie

 

[Russ Braaten]

I will look around for ya Doug

 

[Russ Braaten]

Doug, I have a lot. I had them in my last sump. They are in my curing tank now so they can get the salt off them. They are almost all broken coral frags that I used as rubble for pods.

Call me tomorrow.

 

[Lazyreefer]

lol, I will call you tommorrow. I have a new project to start!!

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

If you are in Stillwater I have disks, plugs, and rubble ready.

 

[dugg]

Lazy, you can't cure them in your sump. The whole reason for curing is that the fresh cement will spike the PH to 9.0 or higher. Curing has to be done in a separate tank or tub until the PH in that water falls below 8.3

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7981788#post7981788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dugg
Lazy, you can't cure them in your sump. The whole reason for curing is that the fresh cement will spike the PH to 9.0 or higher. Curing has to be done in a separate tank or tub until the PH in that water falls below 8.3

Sort of. While it's true that the pH spikes extremely high, it all depends on how much rock versus how much water volume you have. A couple plugs in the sump of a 30-50g water system isn't going to hurt anything. Now, 20lbs in a 150g system might be playing Russian Roulette with your fish.

 

[dugg]

True, a little won't hurt. I have done work on my cement walls since the tank was up and running, and added about 1/2 cup of fresh cement right into the water. It spiked the PH to about 8.5 to 8.6 for 30 mintues, then came right back down.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7982222#post7982222 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dugg
True, a little won't hurt. I have done work on my cement walls since the tank was up and running, and added about 1/2 cup of fresh cement right into the water. It spiked the PH to about 8.5 to 8.6 for 30 mintues, then came right back down.

Dried "Fresh Cement", right? :eek1:

 

[Serra]

Last Fri. I put a piece of my DIY rock into some water that had a pH of 6.0. Today that water tested with the pH of 8.9. This rock has been soaking a full 2 months.

There is still a crust of something on the water after a few days soaking...what is that?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7982668#post7982668 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serra
Last Fri. I put a piece of my DIY rock into some water that had a pH of 6.0. Today that water tested with the pH of 8.9. This rock has been soaking a full 2 months.

There is still a crust of something on the water after a few days soaking...what is that?

How large is the rock, how much total water volume is it sitting in, and how often do you do water changes on it.

I'm not 100% sure what that crust is. The rock leaks hydroxides into the water, so I'm wondering if it's just a buildup :shrugs: It's beyond my powers of chemistry

 

[Serra]

I change the water every other day. It is about 20 gals filled halfway with the rock.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7982829#post7982829 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serra
I change the water every other day. It is about 20 gals filled halfway with the rock.

That could take a while longer than average since that's not too much water volume. But, the constant water changes should have done something. Luckily, 8.9 isn't bad. I'm wondering if the 6.0 water is causing it to leech more hydroxide out then say 7.0 freshwater or 8.3 saltwater.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Have you tried soaking a small rock in some waterchange water to see if the pH still climbs? Well, it doesn't have to be waterchange water, but why waste good salt on an experiment

 

[Serra]

Good idea...will try that with next change water. Thanks.

 

[dugg]

No Travis, wet fresh cement. Using the acseterator, it dries under water in under 5 minutes.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7984641#post7984641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dugg
No Travis, wet fresh cement. Using the acseterator, it dries under water in under 5 minutes.

You didn't say you were using the acseterator Thanks for the clarification.