The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[Rhodophyta]

In some ways, the old ideas are best. Dolomite chips used to be used to make dolocrete before the switch to crushed coral made it Aragocrete. It's less soluble so it doesn't dissolve and break down the rock structure or throw off the pH of the water.

 

[SpankythePyro]

So using pulv lime is a good idea...it won't break down and make the rock weak?

also since limesotne is caco3...wouldn't it help buffer ph?

 

[mr.wilson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15413323#post15413323 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Insane Reefer
Would have been fine if you had kept it to opinion, not tried to pass it off as fact, especially since you were offered opportunities to back your claims, but you never bothered to offer any sort of proof...

And you weren't run off (how would that even be possible, come on, be real) - you got ****y and left.

I wasn't really run off. The smiley face emoticon is there because I was kidding. My opinions, experience and facts weren't well received by a few of the members because they contradicted their opinions.

The active members in this epic thread rotate. Some participants contribute valuable information and insight, while many others learn from the discussion, but there is a small minority that fail to do either. I lost interest in the thread a while back when there were too many of the latter.

 

[SpankythePyro]

the granular limestone I got is not the consistency of sand at all. Should I be worried about this?

 

[mr.wilson]

The size of the aggregate is negligible once it's mixed with cement. The more you work the surface, the more cement comes to the surface, and the aggregate is buried. Larger aggregate makes stronger concrete. Structural concrete uses 3/4" limestone, but once finished, the 3/4" stone is smooth.

Where you may run into trouble is if you are making fine detail like coral branches, as it can get brittle.

 

[SpankythePyro]

Yea I just made some rocks with

1:2:1 portlandyster shell:limestone

I don't know what to think of it yet though. I guess I'll take a look tomorrow after it has been sitting out in the sun.

 

[mr.wilson]

More often than not, it looks better in the tank than it does dry when you are focusing too much on detail. Coraline algae growth and encrusting corals will make your rock seem to disappear after six months. Here's a link to a tread where I recently posted some pics & tips on faux rock & coral. http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/showthread.php?p=315770&posted=1#post315770

 

[SpankythePyro]

Ah ok, and I'm wondering I'm on well water, could I use my tap water from the well to kure the rock?

I plan on steaming it sometime past monday.

Nice rock btw! I'd love to know how to do that to replicate tongan rock!

Would cooked rice deteriorate? I know about the pasta but rice seems like it would actually decay? Or how about cereal? How long would I have to wait before it decayed?

 

[rguyler]

Earlier in the thread there were some who used RO waste water to kure their rock while others were putting theirs in local streams and rivers so I doubt well water is any worse.

Going oby what I've read from those who used food products, it sounds like you don't want to go there. But who knows...most of these ideas sounded bad before somebody tried them.

 

[SpankythePyro]

Yea I just tested the phosphates of my well water though...

well above 10ppm...wouldn't that leech into the rock? although this rock is not that porous

 

[SpankythePyro]

Since I can't edit my previous post I'm still wondering...

If kuring the DIY LR after steam curing the concrete..will using tap water high in phosphate get leeched into the rock?

 

[customcolor]

i would say yes...just like having a tank with high phosphate with live rock then taking that rock and putting it in to ro water tank the phosphate will leach pack out till its the same.....

did that make seance?

 

[mr.wilson]

In my opinion, you would be better off just adding rock to your tank and dealing with a slightly elevated PH, rather than elevated phosphate and whatever else is in your well water that you haven't tested for.

 

[goldmaniac]

MMLR produces a pH of 11.0 or more. Don't put it into a display tank until it's all settled down.

When I made my batches, I would use 32 gal trash cans with 5-6 pieces of live rock and would change out the water twice a week, and for over the first month the pH was 11, only going down to 10 in that time. After that, pH dropped faster than before.

You'll kill everything if you don't "kure" the MMLR sufficiently.

 

[rguyler]

True that...

Sounds like RO is the way to go then. Do you have any means of collecting rainwater?

 

[sikpupy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15424295#post15424295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by goldmaniac
MMLR produces a pH of 11.0 or more. Don't put it into a display tank until it's all settled down.

When I made my batches, I would use 32 gal trash cans with 5-6 pieces of live rock and would change out the water twice a week, and for over the first month the pH was 11, only going down to 10 in that time. After that, pH dropped faster than before.

You'll kill everything if you don't "kure" the MMLR sufficiently.

Oh, I dont know. Mine was 12.5 and I toilet flushed/exchanged it till it was 11. I decided to experiment by putting some in the main tank a little at a time. I was aiming for a .5 increase. I added quite a bit of rock, 1/3 what you see, in the tank before it crept up any and only went to .1-.2 before I stopped adding. Just an observation.

Yea gold, I was aiming at just getting hiding places in there for the fish, first. I could not get images in my mind while making it though, and came up with that, lol. Ahhh, yes, I feel a new wintertime project comming up, lol.

 

[SpankythePyro]

I can catch rainwater...however that stuff has alot of junk in it as well..not as much but still a bunch of dissolved sulfuric acid...not what you want when curing concrete lol

 

[SpankythePyro]

Just got my second set done, I still think the pieces are too big, I'm not sure what to do lol. Maybe try marble sized dabs instead of I guess bouncyball sized

 

[sikpupy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15428661#post15428661 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SpankythePyro
Just got my second set done, I still think the pieces are too big, I'm not sure what to do lol. Maybe try marble sized dabs instead of I guess bouncyball sized

Thats just one reason you have to experiment experiment experiment! I just dribble it out my fingers going for pea size but it always ends up bigger but close to perfect.


Hey, Gold, dont know if you posted it and if you did forgive me, but, what was your dalloping method? I really like that look. Mine have been dolloped so I have a LOT of nooks and crannies. I dont want to give that up, but, maybe you can school me a little and I can make a nice hybrid!? If you would be so kind sir.

 

[goldmaniac]

SpankyThePyro:

Yes, i did answer your question about making the stacks and columns, 'dribbling', on the last page but I'm happy to cut/paste:

And to be clear, I made my cement into the consistancy of cold oatmeal and didn't really 'dribble' but unstead just grabbed handfuls of mix, sometimes with a garden spade, shaped a ball-ish shape, an dthen just added it to the existing piles - here's what i put up on the last page:

"-----------------

SpankyThePyro:

I made arches by using mail crates, and going layer by layer.

- make a layer of salt in the milk crate
- add four golfball-sized piles of mixed cement.
- fill in the milk crate up to the top of the piles of cement
- add more cement to the piles
- fill in the milk crate a little more, again to the tops of the piles of cement.
- add cement again, repeat.
- when you want to connect the 'columns' of cement you're making, just pile a line of cement from one column to another
- fill with salt up to the top of the cement, again
- repeat
- repeat
- etc.

I found that I could fit two of my bridge structures in a milk crate, each with four 'legs' and accompanying bridges between the legs, and get it done in an hour's time, including the making and clean-up of the 5-gallon bucket of mixed cement.
I used latex gloves and wore a mask.
The footprint of the four columns came out to make a lower-case y. this way, I could make two at a time in a single crate.
I can stack my bridges upside down, sideways, crooked, whatever, and they always seem to look good. People notice the holes the fish swim through but never the actual pieces.