Experienced Aragrocrete rock needed

[ChazYork]

I was thinking of trying to build my own rock, specifically a one piece arch from aragrocrete mix. I got the ingredients online, but it only calls for low alkalinity cement...

Does anyone have experience with this? and would anyone know if the lye or any other chemicals in the cement have an effect on the water parameters?

Help or suggestions wanted

 

[Guest]

I believe it is Riverside White cement that they use at GARF. You may be able to pick a bag up at a pool supply warehouse. Whether or not is leaches harmful chemicals in the water, I don't know.JMHO, by the time you pay the $22 or more for the cement, and $40 a bag for the araganite sand, your time! etc... it is less hassle to just buy live rock from an online distributor. You can also have your rock in the tank much faster.

 

[Phyl]

One of the guys in our reef club was making his own rock... I think it was about 6 months or so ago. His first batch was unreasonably heavy and not very pourous. I think for his second attempt he tried putting salt into the concrete but this has reported ill effects on the curing process. The third time I think he used pasta, lol.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=4854812#post4854812

That thread has some of the history on the rock making.

 

[Brenden]

Chaz, sounds like you may be better off glueing your LR together to make a arch. Anyone have direct experience with a good glue that can be used to glue LR together to make a arch?

 

[Guest]

Epoxy works great. comes in white, black, pink and red. There also is green and grey...

Here is a link to Marine Depot...

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_miscellaneous_epoxy.asp?ast=&key=

 

[Brenden]

I had recommended that to him also timbo. I was hoping someone would chime in with standard epoxy from lowes is safe?...and cheaper.

 

[mykpoz]

That was recommended to me, as others have used it for years without any effects, and the packaging is spot on to many of the brands in the LFS

 

[Guest]

That is a good question.. JB Weld is great stuff and cures under water.. I do notice that when using it on outside/vehicle maint... it smells heavy on the sulfur side.. I haven't talked to anyone wh has used it...

 

[swissfish]

You can use the epoxy from HD, it's a stick wich you have to cut and then mix it between your fingers. I think it's caled marine epoxy comes in a tube and shows some kind of pool repair on the picture on the outside.
I love that stuff!

 

[Jermz79]

I use the same stuff too! I can't remeber the name for the life of me right now, but I now that you acn find it in the paint section at HD ... right in front of the paint counter!

and swissfish is correct it has a picture of a hand repairing a pool on the front and the package is kind of blueish/green colored!

Good Stuff!

 

[vertex]

hey ChazYork,

others are right about the epoxy stuff. As for the rock building, I've made over 100lb of my own rocks now and it is a great way to go. Use crushed oyster shell though, not aragonite as it is WAY WAY cheaper (like $10 for 100lb at a farm supply store) and much more porous. I've done 5 or six batches now and am always abel to build the structures I want. I've broke a few but not many.

You do need serious patience though. (to cure and to become coraline encrusted) I've got a 30 g and a 60 gallon tank running and have bought less than 20lbs of live rock even though they have about 120 lbs total.