Making DIY Base rock

[ricanboy57]

Hey is there a site that shows you how to make DIY base rock? I'm dumb so i need a step by step guide with pictures.

 

[mflamb]

www.garf.org
Search hard and you will find it.
Also there is a great thread in the DIY forum. I think it's called The Ultimate DIY Rock.

 

[ben&bobbi]

you should have just bought mine!

very easy!
portland cement (Lowes), oyster shells (feed store) and rock salt (optional)
mix just enough portland and water to hold the oyster shell together. you can always add more shells and water as needed. you don't want solid rock. the salt will evaporate and leave much open space.

once mixed, put it in a sand mold - (any shape you want) and let it dry a couple days.

after dry, put it in a tub of water with a powerhead. change the water everyother day for about 4 weeks. check PH each week. around week 5 put old tank water in the tub and check PH. continue till the ph is near 8.0!

hardest part is the time to cure in the tub!

 

[ricanboy57]

yeah i've heard of different mixes and things but i was just curious about the sand mold and the process. thanks guys

 

[ben&bobbi]

sand mold - take a tupperware container, put DRY sand in it, shape the sand to a reverse of the rock shape you want. you won't get exact, but it comes out close. you can put clumps of sand with the mix to make caves, tunnels, voids, what ever. I made some rocks that look like large rocks from the top, but turn them over and they are basically hollow. the sand will rinse out when mix is cured. some stays on the rock, but is there in nature anyway.

sand from lowes will be fine for this!

 

[osiris4evr]

Does anyone have photos of DIY LR that they have made personaly i would love to see what others have come up with

 

[mflamb]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=952524

 

[UnKwnReefer]

I was also wanting to make the DIY rock, but I read that you need type III portland cement and it's almost impossible to find. I wasn't sure of what kind you could use to replace the type III. Anyone have info on what type of cement works?

Diane

 

[mflamb]

I made 440 lbs with Type II.

 

[jy544]

Here is some I have made.

 

[chrisstie]

Thats great how did you end up molding it into those shapes?

 

[jy544]

I used a sand mold. The trick is to make the mix real dry so that you can shape it.

 

[sytanek]

This would be an awesome demonstration, someone should host a orca meeting and do a demo.

 

[UnKwnReefer]

That looks awesome! Did you use rock salt in it?

I was just on another thread reading about what others have done. Looks like fun, I think I'll give it a shot. What's a bag of cement, some crushed coral and some sand?

Diane

 

[chrisstie]

Throw in a few beers and i'd call it a fun weekend

 

[sytanek]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9632885#post9632885 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisstie
Throw in a few beers and i'd call it a fun weekend

So So True.

 

[osiris4evr]

Hey jy544
What did you mix in with the cement to get the texture? Looks great.

 

[jy544]

I used portland type II and lots of rock salt. It has to cure for a couple of months before you can use it.

 

[sytanek]

In case anyone is interested, the guys in the Tampa Club are having a make your own live rock workshop soon.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1088516

 

[chrismhaase]

Get in touch with wardaddy, he is spearheading this venture at the above thread.