The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[1010]

sounds like it works

 

[1010]

sounds like it works

 

[1010]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8661079#post8661079 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 1010
I just relized that i bought the pellet salt that is 95.5% salt, i have seen rock salt but i was not sure if i could use this instead?

it is a water softener

sorry 99.5%

 

[Barto]

Later today I have a chore and a true test of the strength of my DIY rocks.
They are frozen solid in a tub, 65 ish pounds of rock in 30 gal of ice.
Have to haul it into a heated shop to thaw, hopefully it all didn't shatter

(I sorta got busy, forgot about my rock and Old Man WInter snuck up on me)

 

[Barto]

Whisper,
nice work on the bubble (wrap) rock, great textures!

 

[leoskee]

Nice work with the rock. You might want to change the background. Its a fresh water scene.

 

[Whisperer]

It's a new tank. Have you seen a freshwater gramma? Or a freshwater crocea?

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

ahh man i think i may have added too much Aragonite to my mix...

i just did it by hand fulls...i mix concrete usually one a week in my job but never with this type of reef sand involved...

we will see how it looks in a couple days..

i just did a rock wall for the back of the tank as opposed to separate rocks

i mixed 2 parts homedepot play sand to 3 parts Aragonite caribsea sand to 2 parts portland cement to 3.5 parts crushed water softener salt...

like i said we will see how it all holds together...it was interesting to note that the salt didnt disolve upon contact with the water during mixing...

apparently i should have added Dow Calcium flakes to the mix, it got down to -7 last night and stuff froze befor eit realy had a chace to react...so i brought it inside and it seems to be hardening up now..the tank is a 20H

here is a pre-create pic.

and here it is after working the shape around about three times

from the two pics you should be able to visually flip the picture in your head to get an idea of what i am trying to achive..
It is all one piece...it doesnt touch the side or the top of the tank but does extend pretty close to them...whole reason i did this was to cover the overflow box/ and the very unsightly White silicone i used..
that is the tank lying on its back and the picture was taken from the top of the tank...the green tape is along the bottom of the tank about half way through...

and a shot from the side to get a slightly better angle on the two tunnels...

the two pieces that will be vertical once the tank is standing are actually tunnels supported by foam wraped in HD bags..and the two pices of green tape you see in the top left and mid right are the bulk heads for the CL

i cant stand the tank up yet to take a proper pic since the concrete hasnt hardened fully yet...i dont want to put undue stress on any of it yet...

i hope i wont have to drill extra holes in it to get to the salt inside but you never know...i knew it was going to be a thicker then the usual project so that is why i used a little extra salt in it...hoping that pieces would be touching each other inside and after one disolves the rest would follow..if i do have to drill holes they will be small and from the sides...no bigger then 1/2 an inch..

the salt i used came in various sizes from about 3/16 an inch up to about an inch square...i also crushed some of the larger pieces to get smaller more consistant pieces..but trust me there is plenty of big ones in there too...it looked just like regular concrete wheni was done mixing it...just a little more dry then you would use for your sono tubes though...i pre mixed it all up before adding water to make sure the portland didnt bond to the only the salt once water was added..

currently it wieghs about 20 pounds i would say...i will weight it once the salt is out and the all the water has evapourated out aswell...still 20 pounds isnt too bad for covering the whole side of a tank is it?

 

[Whisperer]

Just one more shape I made. I chose an arc with outward shelf-like projections because it takes less volume and more swimming space for the fish and at the same time elevating the SPS closer to the light. The arc is free-standing. Thre is 360 view around the tank (well, almost, except for the overflow at the corner).

And an off-center look,

Thanks for looking. :wave:

 

[cdentii1]

Now Thats Nice!!!!:beer:

 

[tankslave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8660599#post8660599 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whisperer
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,

So you pour the cement on bubble wrap? That stuff looks real good! Just like the european ceramic pillars. Just wondering if you could explain how you did that a little better. You pour it on the bubble wrap and then roll it up somehow? I tried the aragocrete thing, but couldnt really control the shape too well, and could only get gigantic holes.

 

[Whisperer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8666378#post8666378 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tankslave
So you pour the cement on bubble wrap? That stuff looks real good! Just like the european ceramic pillars. Just wondering if you could explain how you did that a little better. You pour it on the bubble wrap and then roll it up somehow? I tried the aragocrete thing, but couldnt really control the shape too well, and could only get gigantic holes.

Cut the bubble wrap into small pieces of 2 or 3 bubbles (intact bubbles, of course). Then you fold the bubble wrap in itself to make a larger hole. Then lay the cement around it (I did vertical strips of cement, leaving the sides free) making sure you leave the two sides open for easy retireval of the bubble wrap. Do this by layers. removing bubble wraps when dried and before the you start the next layer. Try to make the holes as random as possible.

Hmmm...I'm not sure I explained it clearly. I will try to make pic demo if you like.

 

[Barto]

Pictures and descriptions would be great!
I for one will say thanks in advance.

 

[lildraken]

changing the background

changing the background

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8663668#post8663668 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by leoskee
Nice work with the rock. You might want to change the background. Its a fresh water scene.

I assume you were talking about me!
yeah the background was left over from when my tank was freshwater. tacky eh?
I finally got around to changing it.

I don't really like the DIY rock in the center that was made
with sand:cement:aragonite:salt. I don't like the way the
aggregate particles look in the rock: I prefer just sand:cement:salt
mix. That way the rock looks like a porous rock and not like concrete. Whisperer,
I really like the arc idea that puts the corals closer to the light.
It looks awesome.. i'm gonna have to try that.
I did make more caves that were thicker and they're still raising the pH since I started curing them in september.
I just gave up on those and gonna make some more with thinner walls.

 

[tankslave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8666574#post8666574 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whisperer
Cut the bubble wrap into small pieces of 2 or 3 bubbles (intact bubbles, of course). Then you fold the bubble wrap in itself to make a larger hole. Then lay the cement around it (I did vertical strips of cement, leaving the sides free) making sure you leave the two sides open for easy retireval of the bubble wrap. Do this by layers. removing bubble wraps when dried and before the you start the next layer. Try to make the holes as random as possible.

Hmmm...I'm not sure I explained it clearly. I will try to make pic demo if you like.

Yea, that would be great! The Sakrete you used, was that a mix, or just mortar, or did you mix someting in with it?

 

[Whisperer]

It says mortar/stucco mix. I recall adding some silica sand, just a little bit. I think you can use it as is because it has silica sand in it already. I'll post pic os materials later. Gosh, it's been a long time since I've done it. I actually have a smaller poiece that was left unfinished (got lazy). But guys, this cement that I used seems to cure more easily than the regular grey cement and I did not have that silica residue in the curing barrel (I used the RO/DI dirty water to cure it) like I had with the grey cement. To test the right consistency, try to roll the mix in your 2 palms. If it you can roll it and form a cylindrical shape, then you're ready to have fun with it. Hmm, do u guys really want me to post pics on how to do it? I'm busy during the weekdays. I dunno if I can.

 

[tankslave]

I think I know what you're talking about. I just got some stucco mix at HD and mixed it, and it does seem to be more managable than just the regular portland cement. You can form it into shapes and it stays put till it hardens. The whole bubble wrap idea is a really great way to get those jagged shaped holes/caves. I think this might be the best DIY rock recipe yet!

 

[Whisperer]

Cool, did u get the white one? Are you starting your project now? Another tip: when forming a base when you start, use some styrofoam peanuts (is that what u call it?) then place the cement on top. This way your rock will be lighter. You can remove the peanuts when it dries or you can leave them there. Make the cement a little thicker with each layer for strength. Make sure it is totally dry and remove the bubble wrap before you do the next layer. Be random and experiment with fancy shapes. Turn it sideways to make sort of a bent shape. Have fun. .

 

[Holmez221b]

Are you sure the stucco mix won't leach anything into the water??

 

[Barto]

Without a empty stucco stack in front of me, but having emptied more than my share. I would venture that the only difference between mortar mix and stucco mix is there is more lime in the stucco mix. The lime adds "stickyness" to the mix, stucco is typically applied to walls.
I would check labels side by side to be sure.