Creating Your Own Live rock...

[apassmore]

I have been reading alot of forums and I have a few questions.

Why dont more people (If this is possible), take sand based cement and some Crushed coral or other "dead" rock and create a cool base and structures with caves and holes and stuff. Then seed the rock with only a few pounds(or a third of what they would get) and let the live rock seed the structures of rock that you designed?

It will take a while but if your in this hobby arent you going to keep the tank for a while anyways? Wouldnt it be cool to see how the whole process plays out etc? This would be ALOT Cheaper right and also you would have alot better looking reef the way you want it. I personally think people are paying way too much money.

Also I dont understand why people pay for sooo much "live" sand when they can just seed it with a few lbs.

Also I see the debate with 'silicite' sand and the 'argonite' sand. If silicate sand creates more algae why not put in some snails or something to eat the algae? wouldnt this be enough?

??

 

[mrrrkva]

!st, snails cant keep up with that much algae created by silicate, but some people have luck with it.
2nd You can create your own rock, Just make sure it cures. It can really spike your PH, Make sure you cure for a long time
3rd I agree with teh Live sand. You just need a little. Southdown is the way to go on your sand bed

 

[WarOrks15]

well for makeing your own live rock some people do this but you have to let it sit in water for liek 6 month becasue the ph is way to high and would kill every thing in the tank. or maybe it is some thing else in the cement that is bad. but i do know that some people do this but it takes a lot of time for it to be able to go in to the tank.

 

[steve-s]

Why dont more people (If this is possible), take sand based cement and some Crushed coral or other "dead" rock and create a cool base and structures with caves and holes and stuff. Then seed the rock with only a few pounds(or a third of what they would get) and let the live rock seed the structures of rock that you designed?

They do actually. It's called >>Aragocrete<< Some of us (like me) are just too lazy, that and you don't get the cool hitchikers that LR provided unless you buy a small amount to seed the biodiversity.

Also I dont understand why people pay for sooo much "live" sand when they can just seed it with a few lbs.

Same answer, some do some don't. For the most part LS is a waste of money no matter why you are buying it unless there is nothing else to introduce macro fauna. Even then, I would suggest something like >>Garf Grunge<< or from >>LR.com<<

Also I see the debate with 'silicite' sand and the 'argonite' sand. If silicate sand creates more algae why not put in some snails or something to eat the algae? wouldnt this be enough?

This is mostly misunderstood. Silica itself will not cause algae issues, silcates do. One does not necessarily mean the other and Silica sand rarely if ever contains silicates any more or less than aragonite sand will. The main concern with most Silica sands is they will generally have a higher amount of impurities. Playsands being one of the better choices.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Anemoneman]

Silica sand rarely if ever contains silicates any more or less than aragonite sand will.

True statement. Silica sand is the same thing as quartz. It woun't dissolve in your aqaurium in a million years (more or less).

 

[BillyZ]

the other advantages to argonite sand of silica sand in a SW aquarium are that the argonite sand works as a good PH buffer and the argonite sand generaly has softer/rounder edges than the silica sand. the edge only matter to the fauna (copepods) that live in the sand band. It is easier to have a more diverse sand bed with argonite sand then with silica sand.

and there are asthetic reasons as well... I like the brither white sand than the typical baige/yellow silica sand.

 

[Hara]

well for makeing your own live rock some people do this but you have to let it sit in water for liek 6 month becasue the ph is way to high and would kill every thing in the tank

Actually, there are ways around this...check out the garf site. A vinegar bath helps this tremendously

 

[bound_for_obx]

Check out: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6279/RaiseCementRock.html

 

[ellisz]

I made some and cured it in water for more than 3 month. PH was still off the chart so I gave up. I still have the rock soI might try the vinegar treatment.

I threw away about 45 lbs of Portland Cement too