The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[Insane Reefer]

Hey Kraze

Nah - it is the fall slump. I've noticed that forums seem to quiet down in the late summer and fall. With the weather being nicer, people spend more time outside.
Or so it seems.

So - got any pictures, Kraze?

 

[kraze3]

I actually do, gotta hit the hay now but ill post some tomorrow.

 

[unbreakable]

can anyone post any pictures of how to mold the rocks? i found the way id like to have it made but just wish i could find a better way to mold the rocks. the bottoms are a little flat, but its still a bunch of boring shapes. i made another rock today but bottom was a little curved. i have that one drying right now

side shot stacked

 

[kraze3]

pics

pics

Ok here it goes...
My first batch was a disaster. i used concrete only not the mix and everything crumbled and was useless. My second batch I added a bunch of sand for the concrete to bond with and it held much better
Here are some pics of my newly cycled 29gal

Front shot

left shot

Left shot, real close up

Right shot - my favorite piece

It kind of resembles the energizer bunny, or a gremlin before they became evil, when they were short and cuddly(the name has slipped my mind).

Im downgrading my 75 to this 29. My next project is to redo my 75 set up. I want to have a snowflake eel and I want to make lots of tunnels, caves, and hideouts for him out of pvc. I then want to hide it all inside DIY rock. If I ever get around to it I will be sure to post pictures

nietzsche I do not have any pictures of the process but I can explain how I made them. The piece on the bottom left way in the back was made in a bowl. I used an old tupperware bowl and lined the inside with mounds of rock salt. I then molded the mixture on them. When I got to the top half I used rock salt to close it in a little and then molded a second semi circle on top but only smaller. Gave it an odd shape instead of just a ball.

The piece on the right I made in a 5 gal bucket. I started with just a lump on the bottom for a foot print and used the rock salt around the edge of the mixture to build it up. For the branches or perches I just build the cement out to one side and then covered with rock salt. I did this randomly around the center piece as I built it up. My only regret is I stopped about 3 inches from the top of the bucket. I wish I had gone all the way to the top and maybe a little bit higher. I could have gotten another 4-5 inches out of it and maybe 2 more perches. But there is always next time. Thats my favorite piece and I cant wait to get some corals on it to see how it looks.

 

[impur]

kraze - that piece is nice! Well done. Did you mix salt into the mixture or just as the mold?

 

[kraze3]

Yeap there was salt in the mixture also to make it pourous. its the old skool recipe. You could also use sand for the mold if you wanted i suppose. I had alot of extra salt at the time so i figured id give it a shot.

 

[impur]

Yah i'm using salt, OS, and sand. I made a test rock the other day with the white portland cement i finally tracked down and really like how it looks. I didn't use salt in that one, so i'm gonna try a few more this weekend with some salt and see what i can create.

Thanks or the info.

 

[mmm55645]

how long do you let your rocks air cure if you add salt into the mixture? is it less than what you would if you did not add salt into
the mixture?
Anohter question- will concrete for our purposes not cure right if the temperature is cold? I am wandering b/c I have had my rock outside -- it is going to start getting cold soon and I am not sure if I will have to change my method.


I'm going to add some pics of my rocks soon, just need to find my uusb cable.

impur- I like your sig.. that is an Einstein quote isn't it?

 

[Insane Reefer]

MMM, if you use salt, IME, it is easier to remove the salt before the cement has a chance to harden really well - I release(d) the salt after about 4 days or so, doing it as quickly as I could using hot/boiling water (usually less then a day or day and a half this way). Then just drain them and allow them to sit and finish the hydration/cure stage.

Temps under 55°F make it hard for cement to cure, so that will be the point at which you bring it indoors. Or you could try Calcium Chloride, which is actually meant for cold weather curing...
Be careful though - the more porous your rock, the more likely it will crumble completely apart if it freezes - I had this happen and had a tub full of gravel - but the denser pieces didn't fare so badly.

Pictures are always welcome

 

[mmm55645]

pics of rocks(picture heavy)

pics of rocks(picture heavy)

Found the camera cord finally. Here are some examples of my rock. I took a few pics of each at different angles. <p><strong> Rock 1</strong><p>I think this rock turned out well. There isn't as much room in the center as I would have liked but I didn't want the arms to be too thin <p>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/rock1A.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> <p>antother pic of the same rock

</p> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/rock1B.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
<p>and another</p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/rock1C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
<p><strong>Rock 2</strong></p> This one is one of my favorites <p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/rock2A.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket">

 

[mmm55645]

more pics(picture heavy)

more pics(picture heavy)

It would not let me post all the pics in one post, so I had to split it up.

<p><strong>Rock 3</strong></p></a><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock2B.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket">
<p></a><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock2C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></p></a><p>same rock but from above</p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock2D.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
<p><strong>Rock 4</strong></p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock3A.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><p>same rock, different view <p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock3B.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><p>from the top<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock3C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><p><strong>Another rock(3 views)</strong></p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock4A.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock4B.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/m76263/Rock4C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

 

[Insane Reefer]

The red came out different, didn't it?
Nice shapes - what did you use for molding/casting material?

 

[goldmaniac]

I like the red color.
It might even lighten up to a nice shade of pink after water kuring and placing it in the tank.
nice job

g.

 

[impur]

mmm55645 - yah it is Einstein

Here is a pic of my frist attempt with the white cement. I didn't use salt in this rock and i poked some holes in it while it was wet

Here is my attempt to make a centerpiece rock for my tank

I'll post pics in a week or 2 when i remove it from the bucket.

 

[goldmaniac]

great idea with the bubble wrap.

I don't recall it suggested on this forum, did you come up with that idea or was it a suggestion.

\ BRILLIANT!!

 

[Azazael13]

I would need to double check but I am pretty sure it was 40 page section 2 somewhere in the 27-33 page range where bubble wrap was mentioned. I tried it on one of my pieces and had mixed results. Haven't gone back since due to the lack of need for rocks, and lack of bubble wrap.

 

[impur]

I think it was mentioned awhile back. I had some laying around and figured it would make for a nice cave at the top of my rock

 

[Neptune777]

mmm55645
Great looking rocks! What did you use to color them red?

 

[Insane Reefer]

I did a quick google domain search - these are the three references to bubble wrap that I found in the thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=952524&perpage=25&pagenumber=7
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7487648
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=952524&perpage=25&pagenumber=38

Whisperer used it and made a neat rock with it.
And this was my bubble wrap project:

Took me like 15 minutes to pull all of the bags out of that center mass. Worked like a charm though.

 

[mmm55645]

i used a quikrete cement colorant for the red color, casting material was sand on all of them except rock 2 and 3, which were salt as a casting material.
The first rock has different shades of red and different texture b/c i was experimenting with leaving the uncured rock in sand with different sand types.