The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

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Hey guys, you can check out pg3 of my build thread to check out my LR panal. I went against some advice from you guys, but with good reason. Just click my lil red house.
 
Hey pito, I saw your panels earlier.. They look great, I like the rock ledges coming out of it... It'll look very realistic when your tank is set up..
 
Things to do with Solar CUBES...

Things to do with Solar CUBES...

Hey All,
I had bought 2 bags of Solar Cubes a a while back, and after opening the bag, discovered that I couldn't think of any use for them - they were too "cubey" for my taste. So I let them sit for a while, going to waste.

Then I hit a manic upswing and my brain kicked into overdrive, and I came up with two idea's. Going to share, 'cuz that's just the sort of gal I am :)

USE 1.
125181Cubes1.jpg


Boiled Cubes. Boiling for like 20 minutes rounds off the square edges somewhat, and makes for some nice, more natural shapes. You do loose a lot of salt though.
Don't boil in anything that could rust - my pot has steel bolts holding the handles on, and go through the pot - they sort of got grungy :(

USE 2.
125181Cubes2.jpg


Glued Shapes. I chose the largest pieces I could find mostly, stacked them and played, and finally glued them together. Elmers glue is awesome stuff, and non-toxic, and water soluble. I glued these together on a cookie sheet wrapped in plastic. Don't be stingy with the glue, and be creative.
Any of these pieces could add wonderful weirs for bugs and the like. Takes about a day to completely setup, though the bond is weak, so don't mess with them - just use them.

That's it for now. I have another half-baked idea, and will post more on it when I have the proof in hand ;)
 
I did the rock recipe , been soaking in water for 2 weeks w/ daily water changes and a strong pump. Took one out and broke it apart and still salt chunks in the middle. does it ever disolve?
I guess all my diy rock is trash.
 
Someone mentioned that putting an airstone in the curing water helps. I added a venturi to my mj1200 that I have in there and I am seeing more of the white crap (I think someone said it's limestone)leaching out per day than before. So, I assume it's helping.
 
I tired making my rock out of Hydraulic water stop as suggested on another thread, so far no white residue after a week??? Any thoughts???
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9094938#post9094938 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Holmez221b
I tired making my rock out of Hydraulic water stop as suggested on another thread, so far no white residue after a week??? Any thoughts???
Click to expand...

Well, if you read that other thread, the user who posted all about it said that this stuff is waterproof, and different than portland. My guess is that because it is so "solid", or nonporous, there isn't going to be any of the leeching of salts and whatnot that is par for the course with the stuff the rest of us use...
He also said it didn't need to kure, just cure for a week or so.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9097567#post9097567 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Insane Reefer
Well, if you read that other thread, the user who posted all about it said that this stuff is waterproof, and different than portland. My guess is that because it is so "solid", or nonporous, there isn't going to be any of the leeching of salts and whatnot that is par for the course with the stuff the rest of us use...
He also said it didn't need to kure, just cure for a week or so.
Click to expand...

Or it could be leaching out at a very slow rate.
 
I'll let you know about the actuall cure process as I go.. I tested the water after soaking it for 2 days and it the ph was a 10 +... I'll let everyone know how it goes as I test...
 
Something just occurred to me in the shower this morning. I'm sure there is a reason this won't work since I haven't sen any posts about it, but I thought I'd ask. Has anyone ever tried using concrete block (cinder block) as a base rock? It would seem to work since its made of concrete and has lots of pores for the critters and would be a nice stable base to stack real or DIY rock on.

Thanks for your help.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9121728#post9121728 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by magnon
Something just occurred to me in the shower this morning. I'm sure there is a reason this won't work since I haven't sen any posts about it, but I thought I'd ask. Has anyone ever tried using concrete block (cinder block) as a base rock? It would seem to work since its made of concrete and has lots of pores for the critters and would be a nice stable base to stack real or DIY rock on.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
I remember there was a large display tank that did this exact thing your talking about but I can't remember who or what.
 
I may give that a try and see what happens. I'll post the results. In the meantime, if anyone knows anything about trying cinder blocks I'd appreciate any info.
 
I remember reading the cinderblock(s) in the tank thread. I think they served a dual purpose, flat stable collumn like structure for stacking rock and also used to hide plumbing. Tank was viewable from 3 or 4 sides.
I'm not a paying member so search never works for me, maybe someone else...?

I've never used cinderblock that seemed very porous, they always seemed fairly solid & dense to me...IME
 
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