Quickcrete liquid cement color

barbianj

New member
I have followed many of the DIY rock/foam threads and I am starting a project with my 11 year old son to transform one of our 125's. We have started making some sample pieces and playing around with different ideas before we go into full production with it.

One topic that I have not seen covered is coloring the cement rocks with Quickcrete liquid cement color . Their Data Sheet states that it can be used for fish ponds, but I want to know if anyone has used it in their tanks, and if so, what colors were used and what were the results.

One other thing that I am not sure about is applying an epoxy resin over the foam. I will be using the pond foam, but I see some people cover it with epoxy and sand, while others leave it bare. What are the pros and cons?

Any help at all would be appreciated.
 
I dont know, I wish I could help, but that does sound like a good idea. wonder why I never thought of that. im interested in what you find out. keep us posted.,
 
I had seen where someone had painted his bare rocks with Krylon, and they looked really good. We are mixing different colors of reds,browns and black. I figured that anything would look better than all gray. It will be a long process. I'll take pictures when we get further along.
 
I have used their colors with no problem.

However, coralline and (coral)will eventually cover them anyways, but if you're impatient like I was, go ahead an use it. I've also painted them with Krylon. I used some of their burgundy and purple paints. But, like I said, you really don't need to do this, in the long run.

Here's a pic of mine. Notice how little of the "rock" that you can actually see?

377021-19-07_Tank3.jpg
 
I work with concrete colors on a daily basis and i don't think I would be using them. They use several heavy metal pigments to obtain color. Most of them use considerable amounts of iron.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14161664#post14161664 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barbianj
I figured that anything would look better than all gray.

Based on my experiences making DIY rock with various cement types, I highly recommend that you use white "Riverside" or Lehigh" Type III cement instead, regardless of whether you use tint or not, but especially if you do tint. Either way will look better than the usual gray.
 
I have used their colors with no problem.

Thanks Speckled Trout, that's exactly what I was looking for.

I should have mentioned that this is for a FOWLR tank, so more of the rock will show. I have some cement base rock in there now, and it looks OK, but still overall grayish.
 
I tend to agree with bosborn. I would be a bit concerned about metals in the coloring. Since it is FOWLR, it is less of a concern and some color might be nice, but from my experience the rock naturally changes color quite quickly.
 
I use white Portland and red color.
When the rock first went in the tank. The rock to the top left was made with just white Portland.
diyrock061.jpg

coralline stared to grow
corals11102007010A.jpg

Eventually the rock blends in with the rest of the rock.
lightrack016A.jpg
 
so just to verify.... Can you use krylon spray paint and it wont harm anything in the tank? How long do you let the paint dry? and is there any chance of it eventually flaking off (if it doesn't get covered with coralline?
 
Spray paint is not going to coat masonry. Instead it will be absorbed into the outer 1/8th inch. Only latex paints and barrier paints tend to flake. Thats within reason ofcourse. If you keeping coating it with spray paint you will eventually build up a layer.

If you absolutely insist on using concrete color I would recommend that you use one of the liquid based colors. Avoid blacks, browns, and probably red (Contains iron pigment).

While it might remain inert and never cause a problem you are most certainly taking a risk. For instance, when we do color concrete pours in environmentally sensitive areas NY requires that we use dust control and silt fence around the area of the pour to prevent any run off from color additives and colored release agents. They are very concerned about those chemicals getting into local streams and wetlands.
 
I recall using purple Ritz clothing dye to give my DIY white rock some color. I made up the white rock and then made up a batch of thin purple mix and flicked it on the white rock. I read that clothing dye is foodsafe or it wouldn't be approved to be worn next to your skin. This was posted in one of the DIY rock recipes. It worked fairly well. I had to use several boxes to get the color to show but the dye is cheap.
 
Back
Top