JCole's box of rocks
- Thread starter JCOLE
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Nice! Which process did you use?
2 parts Portland cement
1 part special grade seaflor sand
1 part Florida crushed coral
2 parts rock salt - 1 part small/1 part large
I think it will turn out really well but I might have to scrap these pieces. I wasn't thinking and used play sand for the molds and now a little concerned with silica, etc.
Cool, I tried making rock many years ago with portland cement and oyster shells. I ended up using them to border one of our gardens because I didn't like the look of them. To be honest, I really don't have an artistic/creative bone in my body
LOL! I don't know if my wife will allow that, as they look like elephant droppings!
This is more than likely a trial run, as I used play sand for the molds and I am second guessing that now. I am resetting the system and going a different route with the aquascape. It will take a little while to create the scape and cure but I think once things fill in, it will look pretty good.
I used Aragamax for my molds.LOL! I don't know if my wife will allow that, as they look like elephant droppings!
Perfect! Thanks for the tip! I just purchased 4 bags. I think it would be better to mix that with the cement anyway, with it being smaller sand. Plus I don't have to use all of the Seaflor sand I planned on using in the tank.
Trial rocks didn't turn out that great. They look like large piles of crap and they seem pretty weak. A drop test from a couple of inches will break the shelf rocks right in half. I think its because of the large chunks of rock salt.
I used the following
2 parts grey portland cement
1 part special floor aragonite sand
1 part crushed coral
1 part corse rock salt
1 part chunky rock salt
I dont know if it's because of the large rock salt that is creating weak spots in the cement or just it needs to cure for much longer. Or........maybe I shouldn't drop test them?
I just picked up some pricey bags of white portland limestone cement, some new sand, carribian crushed coral, and perlite to make some new rocks. I want to get it right before I waste a good bit of money.
Anyone have any tips? Should I leave the salt out of the mixture?
I used the following
2 parts grey portland cement
1 part special floor aragonite sand
1 part crushed coral
1 part corse rock salt
1 part chunky rock salt
I dont know if it's because of the large rock salt that is creating weak spots in the cement or just it needs to cure for much longer. Or........maybe I shouldn't drop test them?
I just picked up some pricey bags of white portland limestone cement, some new sand, carribian crushed coral, and perlite to make some new rocks. I want to get it right before I waste a good bit of money.
Anyone have any tips? Should I leave the salt out of the mixture?
I followed it this time but added 2 parts cement instead of 1. One just seemed way to weak. Maybe I'll try a test one when I make the next batch to see.
Busy weekend.
Made some new rocks with a different mix inclusing perlite and white Portland cement. I think these will turn out much better. Thanks for the tip on the sand @griss!
Base rock from tank was bleached and then acid washed today. The acid wash really opens up the pores and removes buildup.
Before acid wash
After acid wash
Drained the DT, removed the fish, and cleaned out the sludge buildup from the bottom. I am going to clean the coralline off with HCL tomorrow then work on sanding the tank this weekend.
Needless to say, I am sore!
Made some new rocks with a different mix inclusing perlite and white Portland cement. I think these will turn out much better. Thanks for the tip on the sand @griss!
Base rock from tank was bleached and then acid washed today. The acid wash really opens up the pores and removes buildup.
Before acid wash
After acid wash
Drained the DT, removed the fish, and cleaned out the sludge buildup from the bottom. I am going to clean the coralline off with HCL tomorrow then work on sanding the tank this weekend.
Needless to say, I am sore!
Those look fantastic, so much better than my attempt.
I am thinking of a way to create better molds for the DIY rockwork. I just posted this thread for some help. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them. If this turns out to be the way I am thinking, then I feel it will be really good!
forums.reefcentral.com
DIY Rocks for new aquascape - Help needed
Hello everyone! I am in the process of resetting my 480 gallon peninsula system. I am setting the system up to be a "traditional" system (front viewing) instead of a peninsula. I am looking to create my own aquascape using DIY rocks. I have all the materials and have practiced creating some...
forums.reefcentral.com
I was originally thinking of doing something like that but I decided to make the entire structure at one time instead of individual rocks. It's doable with partitions. I think the idea I have will work, but maybe there is a better way to develop a mold for the cement.
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