DIY Live Rock

[divedeep1689]

got a lot of pics coming up of my rocks in the two tanks my glass is dirty in the tank pictures a lot of brown spots everywhere lol i just kinda threw the rocks in i have a plan on how i want them arranged in my main tank when the time comes but i just kinda tossed as many as i could fit into this one and it looked pretty good lol not being aranged that is lol

 

[divedeep1689]

more coming

 

[divedeep1689]

some more pictures and one old shot to remind you wat the basic plan is for this base rock this will be on the bottom and my real live rock will be arranged neatly and stable on the top i have a plan to have the whole arch covered in some type of coral i am thinking zoanthus wat would you do? if i do zoanthus i am thinking on the watermellon color green and orange

 

[divedeep1689]

sorry pictures didnt post

 

[thincat]

Is that aiptasia I see on that rock..................................Just kidding
It's coming together really nice.

 

[divedeep1689]

thanks ANY ya know when i started my tank i had a aiptasia but i turned the rock over into the sand and waited a few weeks and turned it back over and gone! lol it worked for me wonder if anyone else has ever try it

 

[thincat]

How heavy is your rock? Looks a little on the heavy side. I think you might try a batch with a little more oyster shells in it to make it very light and the water will flow right through it.

 

[divedeep1689]

its actually pretty light to me i would weigh a piece for ya but i dont have a scale there is a few pieces from one batch that turned out kinda heavy but this is mainly going to be a base rock the rest of my real live rock will still be a part of rock work and about the water flowing through it if i put a hose on this full stream move the house away the water on the rock just soaks straight through the rock in like half a second it didnt misplace but about 2 and a half gallons when i put all of the rock into the 29 gal

 

[thincat]

That's great. It should be some nice rock.

 

[divedeep1689]

i hope so if not i am not out to much lol but i think it will be good tho if anything i will keep using it in my 29 gal and start that tank back up if i dont use it in my 55 but i like it so i think it will be in the 55 in a few months

 

[asudavew]

Looks good, cant wait to see pics in 3 or 4 months.

 

[divedeep1689]

me too lol but the ph shot up a little this morning not much but just a little

 

[thincat]

If it gets much higher just do a PWC to bring the levels down.

 

[BigSteve]

Off-White Cement???????

Hi Guys,

Just reading through as much info as possible before trying to make my own rock work. I doing a Malawi Mbuna tank but wanted white rock work. Problem is I can't seem to get any white quartz boulders or holey rock here in Brisbane QLD. Not under $20-$40 a piece that is and over my 6'x2'x2' tank that's a small fortune in rocks alone.

My question to everyone is... has anyone tried making rock work with off-white cement? I have no idea what the differences are between standard grey and off-white and can't find much online that refers to using it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[thincat]

I read this on white cement and only one thing bothers me. Here is the link I am refering to.
http://www.bluecirclesoutherncement.com.au/Images/BCSC_common/pdf/tech_data/Off%20White%20Cement%20Jan%202006.pdf
and this is the chemical I am refering to:

trace amounts of Hexavalent​

Chromium
I'll do some research on it and let you know.....

 

[thincat]

Here is more on it:
Safety and Health Topics: Hexavalent Chromium - Hazard Recognition
I guess only a test rock would tell the usabilty of the product. I will check if it used in regular Portand cement.

 

[thincat]

From what I have read on Portland cement does not contain that "Hexavalent Chromium. So I am at a lost to recomend that product.
Like I said, the only way is for you to do a test batch and see what happens. I would do it in another AQ.
The best to you.

 

[BigSteve]

Thanks TC,

Your time and effort is much appreciated. I will be doing a test batch in the next few week so I'll keep the board informed.

Regards,
Steve

 

[divedeep1689]

hey thincat looks like i might have to go back on wat i said and take the rocks back outside to soak for a longer time the ph in the rock tanks have got up to 8.8 or higher wat do ya think take em back out and soak again?

 

[divedeep1689]

ok i almost puked just now i took a rock out a small one one of my diy from one tank and smelled it ok no smell i figured a good way to see if it was being seeded was to kill any bacteria on it so i rinsed in hot tap water for like a sec and i smelled it again and i almost threw up on the spot!!!! i guess its seeded now huh just think about the smell i am going to get if you say i should let it soak again lol!!! oh wow!!