The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[Electrobes]

I'm currently making a single prototype 'enclosure' for my Koralia 3. I have taken a balloon and surrounded it with a layer of 'crete. There are also several 1/2" holes for entering water and a 2-2.5" hole on the end for water stream exit. The back has had pop bottle caps in place during forming for magnet ports later after curing. It is still in the casting bin awaiting the 28 day cure, but I may be able to pull it out and post photos this weekend. I have also made coral cliffs that attach to the glass that add some dimension to the tank and break up the 'glass-box' look. This makes fragging a dream instead of soaking your arm every time!:thumbsup:

I buy all my Neodymium magnets from KJ magnets if you were asking where to buy. I have never found anything suitable for the price from big box stores. Remember strength is a plus, but a magnet with medium strength and a large surface area will be better than a very powerful small diameter magnet almost in every case.

Great info, thanks man. I dabbled in the magnet idea until I realized I didn't need them (I still can't believe I missed that :lol: ).

I'd love to see your koralia enclosure, sounds cool. Looking forward to it.

 

[flamron]

Is that all?

Just read through the entire thread. I've had two goes at making rock - both failures in my opinion. Still working on getting the mix dry enough. I will be doing the "drizzle" method for sure on my next batch.

I am using: one part portland (type I - available from my local HD), 1.5 parts pulverized limestone (this will be my sand bed as well - at 4.67 for 40lbs, it is relatively cheap, compared to the alternatives), and probably going to end up just sprinkling the salt lightly into the mix once I have the consistency down.

I do hope IR comes back. I feel she was doing some really groundbreaking work - some of which I may try as well. I really like the cooler/pressure cooker idea to make the jiffy rock.

I think initially, I will be dry curing for a month, rinsing for a few days in tap water, and testing the pH in saltwater. I also have access to a good stream, if the dry cure, kure method doesn't work well.

I also may pick up so Oyster Shell from a feed store, and experiment with it some.

I have been on RC for quite a few years, and this is probably one of the best threads I've ever read. I would like to thank EVERYONE that has helped in progressing MMR.

 

[kyrin01]

subscribed! ( cant find the subscribe button)

 

[flamron]

subscribed! ( cant find the subscribe button)

It is at the top - under the page number. Look for Thread Tools and it is under there.

 

[Rhodes19]

Is that all?

Just read through the entire thread. I've had two goes at making rock - both failures in my opinion. Still working on getting the mix dry enough. I will be doing the "drizzle" method for sure on my next batch.

I am using: one part portland (type I - available from my local HD), 1.5 parts pulverized limestone (this will be my sand bed as well - at 4.67 for 40lbs, it is relatively cheap, compared to the alternatives), and probably going to end up just sprinkling the salt lightly into the mix once I have the consistency down.

I do hope IR comes back. I feel she was doing some really groundbreaking work - some of which I may try as well. I really like the cooler/pressure cooker idea to make the jiffy rock.

I think initially, I will be dry curing for a month, rinsing for a few days in tap water, and testing the pH in saltwater. I also have access to a good stream, if the dry cure, kure method doesn't work well.

I also may pick up so Oyster Shell from a feed store, and experiment with it some.

I have been on RC for quite a few years, and this is probably one of the best threads I've ever read. I would like to thank EVERYONE that has helped in progressing MMR.

Ronnie,

I'm no expert but 1 part cement to 1.5 part pulverized limestone sounds off to to me. I've seen most ratios of 1 part cement to 3-5 parts of what ever folks want to use (sand, crushed oyster shell....) and about 1 part water (more or less as needed). I like the idea of using pulverized limestone. Where did you find it. I've used crushed oster shell but would like to try pulverized limestone myself.

 

[flamron]

Hmm - I may need to bump up my sand then. Maybe go with a 1cement:3sand:handful of salt.

I found it at my local home depot. It is Paverstone Pulverized Limestone. There was a thread on either the COMAS or the OMAS forum about it, so I checked it out and they actually have it in my area.

 

[Electrobes]

Is that all?

Just read through the entire thread. I've had two goes at making rock - both failures in my opinion. Still working on getting the mix dry enough. I will be doing the "drizzle" method for sure on my next batch.

I am using: one part portland (type I - available from my local HD), 1.5 parts pulverized limestone (this will be my sand bed as well - at 4.67 for 40lbs, it is relatively cheap, compared to the alternatives), and probably going to end up just sprinkling the salt lightly into the mix once I have the consistency down.

I do hope IR comes back. I feel she was doing some really groundbreaking work - some of which I may try as well. I really like the cooler/pressure cooker idea to make the jiffy rock.

I think initially, I will be dry curing for a month, rinsing for a few days in tap water, and testing the pH in saltwater. I also have access to a good stream, if the dry cure, kure method doesn't work well.

I also may pick up so Oyster Shell from a feed store, and experiment with it some.

I have been on RC for quite a few years, and this is probably one of the best threads I've ever read. I would like to thank EVERYONE that has helped in progressing MMR.

I'm glad to see that you've read the entire thread, but looking at your prior attempts I've noted the following:

- (one part portland (type I - available from my local HD), 1.5 parts pulverized limestone) --- This recipe is far too enemic.. you definitely need more aggregates to cement ratio. Typically it is suggested to have at least 3 parts aggregate to 1 part cement. I use 4 to 1 aggregate to cement, it works very well.

- This is just my opinion but I don't suggest using salt, period. It's been shown to cause retardation during hydrolysis, resulting in more brittle and weaker rock than without it. The dribble method will get you that texture you're looking for, but the hardest part about making rock (Again, IMO) is the water to cement ratio. once you get that down pat, the dribble method will give you the texture.

- IR was a major help in the DIY rock world, and hopefully she will return to add some more input. I experimented further with the steam idea, and it has it's pros and cons. I guess we'll see after more experimentation.

- Curing and Kuring: The 28 day "dry" waiting is standard.. it will definitely work. If you want the "best" cure process, then you'll want a greenhouse effect for the environment of the rocks... they like it hot and humid during the strengthening process (28 day period).

I am not sure what you meant by using the stream if the cure/kure didn't work, but you always should cure the rock the same way. Kuring on the other hand can be done using a stream, though there are risks associated with it.

- Oyster Shell: You may want to test oyster shell as it has been shown to leech off phosphates. I can't remember if it's part of the makeup of the shell, or the processing of it, but I know this has worked fior some but for many others they accuse it of leeching phosphates.

HTH

 

[flamron]

Thanks Christian. I haven't decided if I am going to use OS just yet. I may not use salt either, if the drizzle method can create the kind of rock I am envisioning.

If the dry cure and then Kure in a bucket for a couple weeks doesn't produce ready rock, then I will be using a stream in place of the bucket. I have access to a fairly clean and private stream, so I'm not too concerned about silt or theft.

 

[flying_dutchman]

So what recipe has the best results? I didn't find the time yet to read all 5008 posts.
Thanks

 

[Rhodophyta]

So what recipe has the best results? I didn't find the time yet to read all 5008 posts.
Thanks

Depends on your objectives of course.

If you want something lightweight and thin that can be used later the same day it is made, coral sand mixed with a small amount of clear two part epoxy resin is the goal.

Something really cheap or free? You salvage screedings from a construction site where a concrete sidewalk or driveway has been poured and then drill some holes and cold-chisel exposed aggregate to make the randomly shaped screedings more tank-useful.

If you want to imagine that you are stretching the limits of human knowledge and technique, there are lots of possibilities in the 5011 posts.

 

[Johnnydee]

Wow!! This is pretty sweet! I didn't know you could make and customize your own rock!!

 

[ximmortaldeathx]

Does anyone have pics of custom made rocks say 6months after placing it in the tank, my custom frag disks look badass and full of coraline however these are fired ceramic, i wonder if these rocks have the same result.

 

[cmpenney]

These rocks have been in the tank for closer to a a year at this point but it's all MMLR:

The grey stuff on the left side is the bottom half of rock panels that I build a couple months ago to cover my overflows. That picture was taking the morning after the bottom half was set in place.

 

[Tom Foolery]

This is an awesome idea! I will have to remember it for my next build.

 

[stormrider27]

Need some pointers

Need some pointers

I am going to try my hand at this after the holidays so I need to start stocking up on my supplies now thus I have a couple of questions.

1. Is silica fume still recommended even if I use HS concrete?

2. When using sand for the mold how long does the concrete need to cure before removing from the mold and starting the 28 day air curing process?

3. Can cement be used to attach MMR to dead rock and for attaching two or more pieces of MMR together or would another binder work better?

Thanks! :beer:

 

[cmpenney]

1) I've never used HS cement in my rock so I'll leave that one to someone else but I ALWAYS use silica sand in my rock mixture for what it's worth.

2) I leave mine in for about 24hrs but have pulled them before after just sitting overnight. If I don't need the molds to produce more rick right away I tend to leave them in the molds longer just because I don't feel like messing with them

3) Yes but the two rocks will both need to be out of the water when it is done. I used this technique to build my rock structure before filling my tank and my rockwork does not move. If you are attaching to other materials like PVC then I suggest using plumber's epoxy but for rock to rock MMLR mixture works great.

 

[heatdissipation]

I made so much rock that I have boxes of it sitting in my basement, I used only portland cement and rock salt, and it turned out great, that is all I have in my tank (except for a few peices of rubble that corals were attached to) and it has been running for about 9 months now, corraline algae is slow to grow, but it starting pretty good over the last month or so.

 

[xcelprintingcom]

Can Mason sand be used?

Can Mason sand be used?

Insane Reefer:

I am making my rock this weekend, was hoping tofind out before then if mason sand can be used?

The 3 ingredients I am using are White Portland Cement Type 1, Rock Salt, and Mason Sand, but wasn't sure if there is anything in mason sand that could be harmful.

 

[TampaReefer79]

Insane Reefer:

I am making my rock this weekend, was hoping tofind out before then if mason sand can be used?

The 3 ingredients I am using are White Portland Cement Type 1, Rock Salt, and Mason Sand, but wasn't sure if there is anything in mason sand that could be harmful.

Let me know how it works out for you!!

 

[DeathWish302]

I am going to try my hand at this after the holidays so I need to start stocking up on my supplies now thus I have a couple of questions.

1. Is silica fume still recommended even if I use HS concrete?

2. When using sand for the mold how long does the concrete need to cure before removing from the mold and starting the 28 day air curing process?

3. Can cement be used to attach MMR to dead rock and for attaching two or more pieces of MMR together or would another binder work better?

Thanks! :beer:

1) Silica fume is not 'always' required but a stabilizer for sulphate attack. The verdict IMO is still out if it is truly needed on small scale MMR as reefers' make. Reefball uses it, and I have dabbled with it in the past couple months. I'm not sold on it being 'required'....yet. The HS concrete will only cure at a faster rate and does not attend to any sulphate attack that may occur. In my readings, HS = more hydroxides = faster curing.

2) I absolutely NEVER air cure for the 28 day period. All my rock stays in the damp casting media to not require constant watering to keep the rock damp. Air drying is a bad idea IMO.

3) Cement can be used as a binder, but I've found it is very similar to silicone. Unless it is created at the same time, adhesion results may very. I have found acrylic rod and Harvey epoxy putty (HD) works great with little fuss. It's also ready in about 4-12hours to place in the tank or you can place it in right after if your careful moving the pieces. I would wait at least an hour to let it setup. IME drilling holes in rock is MUCH easier than trying to cement larger rocks together, only to have them break apart when moving to the curing Rubbermaid.

HTH