The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8101609#post8101609 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquachik
Wow...am I dreaming, or is this really the end (for now anyway)? Anyway, thank you so much Travis for all of the help you offered me in the messages.

No problem. Feel free to PM me any time.

Well now that I'm at the end of the thread, I have only a couple more questions. First, Someone mentioned that they used Quikrete Portland in a yellow? bag. The only portland concrete I can find anywhere is Quikrete Portland 1. Is this a problem?

I always worry about using Quikcrete. Not because of the brand, but some people pick it up because it says "cement" on it, and then they come home and open it up only to find that it's mixed with something else. Always ask a store official where to find Portland Cement. Most chain hardware stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot actually carry it in the back of the store and not inside with the rest of the cement products.

Should I make an online order instead to make sure I don't get quikrete?

This is up to you. You are probably fine. But if you want to. I won't stop you

The salt will be the same as yours. Will this make such a difference in the end? I hope not.

Nope. Not at all. I recommend getting and MSDS sheet for any salt that you pick up to use. This is to make sure that it is a safe salt for the aquarium. Salt comes in a variety of chemical compounds besides the Sodium Chloride (NaCl) that we are used to seeing on our kitchen tables. The same brand that I use has a Pelletized form of salt, and the salt is actually Potassium Chloride. I'm not too sure about Potassium Chloride, but if a fair amount of Sodium Chloride gets into our tanks, it is safe to use.

Also, people have mentioned every way in the book to save on water except the type I want to use. I do have city water if it is necessary, but outside for the pool, pond, and garden, I have well water. Just guessing, but I would say it has moderate levels of both Iron and Sulfur. Would this matter in the end if I did the last bit of kuring in tap?

This is just like the age old question of what water is best when used for you aquarium. Of course, RO/DI is the best, and RO isn't so bad either. But adding tap water and well water can jeopordize the tank's future. The build up of heavy metals, etc can get overwhelming after time. Most of these items will hold up in the rocks as they kure. FWIW, I kure in tap water and haven't had a problem. But if I do encounter a problem in the future, I can only blame myself for taking the cheap way out.

Oh and do you think it would be beneficial at all to add a little sand to the mix for more stability, or are you confident that your 3rd batch recipe will hold together for the long haul? If you do suggest a little sand, is there any type you know of off hand that I can pick up at Lowe's tomorrow when I go to get my materials?

It wouldn't hurt to add a little sand for stability. All the salt only rocks that I have made have been very sturdy, so I personally don't add sand to the mix. If you wanted to add sand, I would recommend adding some form of Aragonite sand or Pulverized Limestone. This would be safer to use. You can use Silica Sand, but it could leak a little extra silicates out. I wouldn't worry much about it before. I've used plenty of Silica Based sand in my rocks without a problem. You can just pick up regular playsand from Lowe's to do the trick.

.......Wait a minute, you probably won't read this until tomorrow, but I would appreciate any input anyway. Second trips are usually worth it.

Yup, you're right. And it's tomorrow

 

[aquachik]

Thanks Travis..you posted before I left so your help will be put to good use. Thanks alot.

 

[kraze3]

I used Quikrete Portland Type I.

First batch was 3:1 (salt:cement). They have been curing since 6/14. they are done Im just not ready for them yet. I found they do flake alot. I put a broken piece in my tank just to see it in there lol. Unfortunately it ended up crumbling into little pieces. I assume it was just too weak.

Second batch was 2:1. They seem much much stronger. They are actually even a darker color dut to the more cement. I plan on adding one of these to my tank soon to make sure I eliminated the crumble factor.

I know you wont get this before you go buying your materials but hope it helps a little. Ill let you know how batch #2 holds up.

I still need to post my pool curing pics also. No results yet though, they have only been in there about a week.

 

[dez_2121]

hay travis i made a batch a few weeks back (after i started to read this of corse) and now i have one ove the bigger rocks in my tank my question is

is it some way to get around that dull gray color i mean i know once the coralline algae starts to grow on it it will look diffrent but is there a way for the little people such as myself that tank is not blooming with algae yet to get past the color
dez

 

[xDave]

I have some black gravel that is almost small enough to be called sand but it is very smooth and rounded like tiny tumbled pebbles. I was thinking of pouring that over mine and patting it in for more color, any harm forseen in that?

 

[mskohl]

This is a pic of the first rock I made which started with a 3:1 salt:cement ratio, but ended up being more cement than that because I didn't know what I was doing when I added the water. The rock on the right is my second try and is exactly 3:1. It's a lot more porous and more intersting to look at. Though, if I use some pressure, I can break off a tip. I don't think the rock as a whole is weak, but the edges are a little brittle. These have both been in the water for a couple of weeks.

 

[aquachik]

mskohl, are you forming your rocks (in) on top of the rock salt? Yeah I have already come to the conclusion that I am going to start with 2.5/1 ratio. Travis, I ended up getting "Holcim Portland Cement #1 Type GU". I really hope this works. I also bought a small bag of sand just incase, but couldn't find any that wasn't silica. It says right on the bag Warning: Contains Silicate, Do Not Inhale. So I doubt it will end up getting used. It made me nervous when I saw that lol.

 

[aquachik]

Oh, and Travis, I did not get a MSDS sheet for my salt. It is the Diamond Extra Coarse Solarized Salt. Exactly what is in your picture, and a bag was already opened, so I was able to see it before I bought it. Do you still reccomend the sheet anyway?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

dez_2121 - There are some cement dyes that you can use to color things. It won't take long at all for the grey to start to fade to different colors. It does take it a while to turn a nice purple color though.

mskohl - Looks good. I can't wait to see it in your tank.

aquachik - the cement should be fine. It should be a fine, grey powder. No chunks or rocks in it. The sand will be fine as well. As far as the salt is concerned, you're fine. I typed up the MSDS sheet on here around page 10 or earlier. Feel free to try to find it.

 

[mskohl]

aquachik,
I would suggest going ahead and using the 3:1. I really like the texture of my second batch and this is just scooping it out of the bucket and molding it around pvc a little. On the first batch that was probably closer to the 3:1.5, I could have packed salt around the outside and achieved a similar look.

stephanie

 

[Ding2daDong]

Table Full of Second Batch Rocks

...To Be Continued... [/B][/QUOTE]

Looks great and seems to work. I'm imagining the neighbors walking there dog and stopping to see a man baking a bunch of rocks! LMAO I'm not making fun of idea because I am probably going to use it but put yourself in your neighbors shoes and imagine if you saw them baking rocks and molding them lol

 

[aquachik]

Travis, I saw the sheet when I initally read through the forum (took me 5 hours!); I have never spent so much time and gotten so much help from thread lol.
Mskohl, Thanks for the info.
I was curious, would it make any difference if i mixed my cement first, and then added the salt to the mold? Would the salt dissolve less and possibly stay close to its original size, or would it jeapordize the reaction of the cement being mixed for a longer time? Just curious, I think I am going to start my first batch tomorrow. Also, has Anyone used a measuring cup to add their water? Or maybe just some sort of estimate would be fine too. I have the feeling that when I start I will get to the water part and be dumbfounded. Even just a starting amount/ratio would be appreciated.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8108062#post8108062 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquachik
I was curious, would it make any difference if i mixed my cement first, and then added the salt to the mold? Would the salt dissolve less and possibly stay close to its original size

aquachik, I believe that some people are doing that.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8108062#post8108062 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquachik
has Anyone used a measuring cup to add their water? Or maybe just some sort of estimate would be fine too. I have the feeling that when I start I will get to the water part and be dumbfounded. Even just a starting amount/ratio would be appreciated.

I'd like to know too

 

[Rhodophyta]

The cement/water ratio would be .22 to satisfy the chemical reaction but a wetter ratio about .40 adds enough water to enhance workability. The excess water leaves the cement and evaporates at the surface, leaving behind small tunnels called capillaries. For each 40# of cement, I use two quarts of water, or one quart of water and one quart of latex based fortifier. That fortifier allows me to make thinner rocks because the final product is stronger and less reactive.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

So 2qt water per 40# cement. Is this before or after salt is added?

 

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8108682#post8108682 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pito
So 2qt water per 40# cement. Is this before or after salt is added?

It is the same before and after the salt is added. The ratio is just to the cement and the water. Any salt, sand, plastic fibers, etc. don't count.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

I just realized that the water to cement ratio confuses me because our rock to salt ratio is in parts, not weight. Any way to break the water to cement ratio into parts?

 

[Barto]

Is there any harm or benefit to placing "kured" rock in a FW tank.
I retrieved my rocks from a creek last weekend, rinsed & ph tested, I declare them done.
I will be gone most of the next 3 months and was just going to add them to one of my Cichlid tanks to keep them wet and not to have them sitting around.
This tank is setup with a constant water change system, 1GPH
Thoughts? Thanks!
See you all after turkey day

 

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8109118#post8109118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigSkyBart
Is there any harm or benefit to placing "kured" rock in a FW tank.
I retrieved my rocks from a creek last weekend, rinsed & ph tested, I declare them done.
I will be gone most of the next 3 months and was just going to add them to one of my Cichlid tanks to keep them wet and not to have them sitting around.
This tank is setup with a constant water change system, 1GPH
Thoughts? Thanks!
See you all after turkey day

Benefits would be that the rock would still buffer the pH and hardness a bit, useful in a Mesoamerican or African rift lake cichlid tank, and the usual visual and territorial spawning site types of bennies.

Harms would be first that you will introduce parasites and a bacterial population from that creek into your tank that would be likely to survive, unlike what would most likely happen in marine water. Second harm would be if you have softwater loving fish like neon tetras and other Amazon fishes, they would not appreciate the buffering.

I often set rocks out, real, Aragocrete, or resin, in a sunny spot and leave them there for months or longer until I need them for something. That way they have no harmful organisms. Sometimes they get a good population of pill bugs going. I will check those for disease and if clear, plop the rocks in bugs and all since many fish regard them as treats. Red dots on pill bugs are a sign of a parasite that has a life stage transmissable to fish.

 

[aquachik]

I started my first batch today, but I'm not very confident with it so far, but I guess I'll find out around Tuesday or so. But I was wondering how do you know what the cement will and won't stick to when you are forming the rocks? I am using a walmart plastic storage bin. I started out with salt in the bottom and formed some slabs and covered them with salt again. Is this okay or will it dissolve down into the mix? Because after I covered them up with salt I formed more on top of them. Hopefully this doesn't make them crumble (But it's just a try out batch anyway). But what I am most concerned about is that in a few places (the bin is transparent) I can see that the mix is up against the plastic. Am I going to have to break it off? Or is the way to tell what it will and won't stick to? I was stumped when I saw them just being dropped on cookie sheets lol. But anyway if you could tell me anything you think I am doing wrong so far I would appreciate it. Thanks