The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[adpgibso]

Well I have a few questions...

I bought the blue bag of solar salt crystals and mixed with quickcrete which already has small pebbles in it. This particular quickcrete comes in a yellow bag.

Unfortunately it didn't set up when I mixed the two and only crumbled into pieces. Is there something special about portland cement I'm looking over?

What is the proved ratio of salt : cement someone has used and had great results???

 

[tsproul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7596144#post7596144 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adpgibso
Is there something special about portland cement I'm looking over?

Cement is the porcelain-like stuff...it is a very fine powder when dry.

Concrete is a mix of aggregate (rock, stone, pebbles...) and cement. I think concrete is avoided because you don't know what the rock/stone/pebbles are and some may leach minerals/chemicals into your tank. I picked up a bag of portland cement and rock salt at home depot. Portland cement isn't any more expensive than concrete, so why bother?

Tim

 

[Barto]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7594839#post7594839 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Insane Reefer
BSB - that batch 3 hit it on the nailhead, eh? Nice work

Thanks
They went to the creek last night, time to make more!

 

[Barto]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7596144#post7596144 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adpgibso
Well I have a few questions...

What is the proved ratio of salt : cement someone has used and had great results???

Travis (the starter of this awesome thread) has his mix/ratio on the first page and my mix/ratio is near the top of this page. Others have listed their mixes along the way.
Read, experiment, have fun, good luck!

 

[Stoney Mahony]

Love it, starting some this weekend! Ill post pics of how it turns out. Good job everyone!

 

[Savatage]

Me too!!!! Hope all goes well.

 

[James Yeung]

Just a quick update. A few days ago, I posted that my first rock disintergrated after 1 hr in water. That was after 24+ hrs of curing.

My other 4 pieces received 72 hrs of curing. Pretty much okay after 24 hrs of soaking in water. Only prob I see so far is the rock salt I used are too large. Other than that, the rocks are holding up.

 

[Insane Reefer]

Just a quick tip...

Recycle the bits that fall off - if large, cement them to larger rocks, if small, mix it into your next batch. Works really well, and you won't **** off your garbage man by throwing a lot of cement rock bits in the landfill...

 

[bnplu]

This is really a good thread I have learned so much from all you but one word of warning! When changing the water in your curing tub don't dump the old water anywhere near plants that you like. I killed everything in my flower bed. I pored it in an area a good 10 feet from the bed but it was too close and I realized it to late. Now I have to replant after I clean out the salt residue by watering with fresh water. OK I know now how dumb that was but the rock I made was to big to put in the toilet tank.

 

[240-Reefer]

:thumbsup:

 

[JmLee]

nice

 

[kraze3]

Im trying to kill the plants near the two tubs I have, but Im having no luck lol

 

[rstark33]

If you have a pine tree, discard your water there and it will help everything growing in the area. Pine trees make acidic soil and our lime water is base. My grass by the pine tree has really come around since I started dumping my water from my rocks over there......

 

[Barto]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7635866#post7635866 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rstark33
If you have a pine tree, discard your water there and it will help everything growing in the area. Pine trees make acidic soil and our lime water is base. My grass by the pine tree has really come around since I started dumping my water from my rocks over there......

:thumbsup:
That is where all of my daily rinse water went untill the rocks went to the creek. 3 @ 55-60 feet tall pines in my yard, all healthy with grass growth under the canopy. I checked on the risks with county extention agent about risks, & away I went.

 

[Covey]

So my rock are at 6 weeks now. I have some larges ones. I was wondering what is considered safe to add to the tank. What pH level change over how long?

I am hoping to start adding mine pretty soon.

 

[brackishdude]

Alkalinity: Good for plants (mabee, in some circumstances)

Salt: BAD. Use caution everyone!!

Love this thread, check it regularly. Some wheel reinvention, some trailblazing. Thanks!!

 

[Insane Reefer]

pH should be in the 8 to 8.4 range. Do a complete water change, use salt water (old from tank water change?), and leave 3 days. Test pH. If it is in a safe range, use it. If it is close, I'd still use it, but add one or two rocks at a time over a week or two...

 

[hooker18]

love thos thread. i read it about 2 months ago i think and the day after i went to HD and got the stuff. i used a lot of rock salt and the rock is great. my mix was 2 parts salt, 2 parts sand, and 1 part cement. i made about 75 pounds. works great. thanks for the info

 

[Chasmodes]

Anyone have any new rock pics?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7651599#post7651599 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hypsoblennius
Anyone have any new rock pics?

I do, but no new pictures. Sorry. Here really soon I will be making rock for my 75g Montipora Only tank. I'm thinking about constructing a removable rock wall. This way if I ever break the tank down, I can remove it. And if any space happens to appear between the rock and the wall, it can be used as a place to breed pods.