diy live rock

[jpond83]

has anyone ever tried the diy live rock woth portland ans rocks salt? I have been out of the hobby for a while and sold my whole setup and im now in a new house wanting to start up again. i would like to make half of my rock and the other half will be from the lfs. i just want to know some opinions on it.

[phippsj]

When I was just getting into the hobby (1 year ago this month, so byno means am I saying I am an expert - just passing on my limited experience here) I looked at everything I could when it came to rock. I decided that portland cement was going to be my choice because I could mold the rock to look the way I wanted. I found that it does tend to be brittle if made with too much sand/rock salt mixture (long, long curing times help this - ie 2 months before trying to dig the sand around the edges). The rock was not nearly as pourous as I hoped, and certainly did not compare to live rock in that aspect.

I also looked at creating rock out of foam. I actually got pretty good at creating the "rocks" so that they had the right texture, etc, and were very pourous but they obviously had the floating issue.

I ultiately ended up buying marco rock (the stuff from Florida) really cheap and doing the whole "rock wall" thing, just using the foam as mortar between the marco rock. I then bought a ton of fiji marco rock (much, much cheaper) and integrated that into the foam rock wall work. Inthe end, I ended up keeping just one piece of the argocrete rock that I made myself... the rest I have sitting in my garage (fully process cured, which does not mean it was ever live, just leached).

To make a long post short, I found this:
Funtional - yes
Durable - debatable, I made some that are durable, but had a LOT of practice and waste to get there
Athestics - that is just plain personal preference

You could get it to work, but you could also just keep a good eye out for marco and live rock purchases from other members selling their setup. I think I have over 400 pounds of rock in my aquarium now, and probably a third of that volume in foam. I have never had amonia, nitrate or nitrite issues. I do get phosphate issues now and then which could come from a number of different sources (and I feed too much but I just can't help it when they beg!)

[txav8r]

There was a thread not too long ago about this. I can't remember who all was posting on it but I know Allan was one of them.

[allan]

Yeah, I am embarking down this road. I have a tank and a set up, only I want to replace a plastic milk crate with a more 'airy' rock that will allow for a more pleasing (I hope) look and ability to stack and display the actual live rock.

We can get together if you like to either discuss what I do know or even to work on our projects at the same time.

I'm not sure where the thread is, it's probably in the DIY section a few pages deep. I created a pvc structure that I plan on wrapping the cement around as I bury the structure into the mold. Then keeping the sand damp for a week to two weeks to make sure it cures strong.

I have, at the moment, a bag of play sand (for the mold). A bag of portland cement, low alkalinity. A bag of Rock Salt. And waiting for a bucket or two from the Trout Dude as he tears his stand down.
I want to get, a bag of crushed oysters.
I plan on mixing this five to one. Light to medium for the rock salt to create that porous quality that we like in our rock, and liberally on the surface as I'm forming the rock around the pvc structure.

Anyway that's my plan, and I hope this is in the DIY section as it certainly fits.

LMK if you want to link up for a joined project. I would have to agree with the other guy near the top though, although cost effective, it could be argued that it's more expensive when considering labor, water bill, and irritated spouse nagging about the bucket of water and rock in the garage.

[txav8r]

Let me know when you take on this project. I'll be glad to be the peanut gallery.

[jpond83]

well i started it tonight.
with a mix of 4:1, salt:type one portland. im gonna try adding some oyster shell to another batch tomorow. i will experemint with it for a while and see how it works. i have some ideas on how to make some realy porous tonga branch that i will try tomorow also. i have done lots of research on this (about 2 months worth) before i started and i think everything will be fine. i will post pics after i they set up and i leave them in some water to cure for a day or so.

[jpond83]

i am also going to make a backround out of this for my new tank once i figure out whate kind of tank i will be getting. if anyone has one that they want to part with around march let me know.

[allan]

Let me know when you take on this project. I'll be glad to be the peanut gallery.


lol, only if you bring a six pack. :)

[jpond83]

it may take a 24 pack. wow its nice outside todayh

[jpond83]

done with the first batch and im happy with the results realy realy pouros. i will post some pics tomorow when im not soo tired

[Ping]

The rock should be place in freshwater for an extended period of time to leach out impurities. 6 weeks to 6 months, until the pH is comes back to nuetral. The tank of the toilet or a bucket with your RO waist line works well to keep clean water flushing through.

[jpond83]

i setup a troft in the backyard with a ball valve drain and y'ed out of my water hose to make water changes faster