Dyceskynes
New member
Man I must have misses that. Thanks I will check it out.
The Ultimate DIY Rocks!
- Thread starter JohnL
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Well, I had all my rock built and soaking in a large bin for about a month. It started to crumble, as though there were fault lines throughout the rock. I think that as the salt dissolved, it weakened the rock.
I ditched the whole batch, which was really a heart-breaker:
Fortunately, I took photos so I can replicate this attempt.
My next batch will be a 3:1 sand:cement mix. I did a test piece with aragonite instead of sand, and it's much stronger than just cement with salt. It's quite porous, too, if mixed fairly dry. As with my salt mix rock, I'll probably use a thicker mix in key areas to keep it intact. I'm going to skip the addition of salt to avoid any fault lines this time around. Sand is $5 for a 40lb bag, which is a lot cheaper than aragonite.
I ditched the whole batch, which was really a heart-breaker:
Fortunately, I took photos so I can replicate this attempt.
My next batch will be a 3:1 sand:cement mix. I did a test piece with aragonite instead of sand, and it's much stronger than just cement with salt. It's quite porous, too, if mixed fairly dry. As with my salt mix rock, I'll probably use a thicker mix in key areas to keep it intact. I'm going to skip the addition of salt to avoid any fault lines this time around. Sand is $5 for a 40lb bag, which is a lot cheaper than aragonite.
Holmez221b
New member
Which sand is reef safe??
Holmez221b
New member
a 40lb bag for 5$.. Do they sell it at HD or Lowes
ODOG
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Flusher, I agree with what you are saying. I made a small batch last winter with equal parts (2 cups of each) sand and aragonite to 1 part cement and elt it came out way better than a small batch i made that was 4 cups salt 1 part cement. I wound up making another batch 1 part cement, 1 part salt, 1 part sand, and 2 parts aragonite. I like this a lot and used it to patch up the ones I had that crumbled. It still came out pretty porous and looks pretty natural with the shells and what not in the aragonite. My next project will be building a tower in this manner which will be layer upon layer of homemade rock with each layer getting a little smaller so I have a volcano shaped rock in the center of my 110 I am putting up.
DYCE, http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=618586&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
There is the link. I want to try this in my new setup. I think it's a pretty good idea.
DYCE, http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=618586&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
There is the link. I want to try this in my new setup. I think it's a pretty good idea.
Rhodophyta
New member
Something better than egg crate diffuser is coarse pond filter matt. You can cut holes in it and then stitch on a patch of the same material with monofilament fishing line to make a jutting out section or shelf.
http://www.enkoi.com/prod64.html
This is one place to get the matt. The fishing line I'll leave up to you.
Dyceskynes
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Rhodophyta
I will have to look into that mat, looks like it will work well for what I am planning. Thanks
I will have to look into that mat, looks like it will work well for what I am planning. Thanks
Whisperer
New member
Thanks, that piece took several days to complete, the holes are all the way inside, it is relatively light because of that. I used Sakrete white type S (if that makes sense) from HD. Just be creative, I used the large bubble wraps, I cut a row of 2 or 3 bubbles, fold it and apply cement across the surface making sure you leave holes on the sides to retrieve the bubble wrap with a surgical clamp (or any similar device) once dried. Do this repeatedly until you get the desired size and shape. The trick is to have the right consistency of the cement and patience (do it by layers over several days). I like it because the fishes won't be able to get all the way inside...a haven for pods!
Here is the right side,
Here is the right side,
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Whisperer
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Perhaps, but I imagine it would be a longer process to have each layer dissolved before you can move on to the next. If you do it in one sitting, the inner salt crystals may take very long time to dissolve and may even increase your salinity in the tank if you have not completely dissolved the innermost layers. I think the bubble wrap method is simpler, cheaper and faster.
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