diy live rock

[thincat]

It's an acylic 65 gal tank with a 25g sump. I have not added the new rock yet.

 

[cofano32]

gotcha

 

[thekeyofb]

I have been soaking my diy rock since the end part of November 2008. I still get off the chart PH readings every week that I test it. What is the secret to curing the diy rock in 2 months? I do water changes once a week. Should I be using a heater? Should I do more water changes? Should I use white vinegar? Anyone have any ideas? I am prepared to wait as long as possible for it to cure properly, but I thought it would only take about 3 weeks to a month. Silly ME......lol

 

[Mike Hammer]

I have been soaking my diy rock since the end part of November 2008. I still get off the chart PH readings every week that I test it. What is the secret to curing the diy rock in 2 months? I do water changes once a week. Should I be using a heater? Should I do more water changes? Should I use white vinegar? Anyone have any ideas? I am prepared to wait as long as possible for it to cure properly, but I thought it would only take about 3 weeks to a month. Silly ME......lol

What is the pH high or Low? I'd assume it's high from the Calcium in the concrete. If it is I'd add some HCl to it to bring it down if you can get some. If not you need to change the water frequently. You have to get all of the soluble Calcium (lime) out of the concrete.

 

[thincat]

I tried all the the methods that you have stated. I think the trick is volume. I switched from a 5 gal bucket to a 55 gal and now my ph after a week is only ~8.2.
T.

 

[thekeyofb]

The pH is very high. I have them soaking in 5gal buckets. I don't have the space to place them in anything bigger. What chemicals are there on the market that would help me get all of the bad stuff out of my rock? What is HCI and where is it found?

 

[thincat]

HCI Hydrochloric Acid (spelling)
You can also use vinegar

 

[thekeyofb]

when using the HCI (Hydrochloric Acid), Do I have to soak the rock entirely in the HCI or do I mix the HCI with water? and if I mix it with water, what is the ratio that I should use?

 

[Mike Hammer]

I'd soak the pieces in fresh water first and change the water daily till you've gotten as much of the soluble lime and limestone out of the pieces before putting them into saltwater.

Then soak them in Saltwater and adjust the pH with Muriatic acid, that is HCl used to clean up masonry. Home Depot or Lowes will have it. I'm not sure about the Vinegar that is acetic acid and the by product is calcium acitate and I'm not sure if thats toxic to saltwater fish. The byproduct of the HCl will be Calcium Chloride which most tanks need calcium in solution and salt is sodium chloride so I'd think the chloride in solution wouldn't be a problem. Don't use a lot and be very careful with it.

The best is to soak a bunch in fresh water first.

 

[Mike Hammer]

when using the HCI (Hydrochloric Acid), Do I have to soak the rock entirely in the HCI or do I mix the HCI with water? and if I mix it with water, what is the ratio that I should use?

HCL will dissolve your concrete, you add it to the water in small quantities and watch the pH bring the solution down just below the desired operating value say a pH of 7 which by the way is a neutral pH. not acidic or caustic.

 

[thincat]

Mike's giving you good advice.
T.

 

[thincat]

Since I relocated my DIY rock from the 5g bucket to a half whiskey barrel,HomeDepot, my PH has dropped really fast. It is down to the7.9-8.2 range. I will soak it another week to be on the safe side. I think my problem was not enough volume to leach out the cement reactions that kept the ph very high.

 

[buddha_red]

any updates?

 

[thincat]

Yes, i've added the rock to my AQ with no rise in the tank PH. It seems that soaking it in a larger volume of water give the lime room to leach out.
Sorry no pictures, my camera is down.....

 

[jcmelski]

What was/is the total cost of your DIY rock?

 

[thincat]

A bag of oyster shells, ~$8.00. I had the rest of the stuff so I would estimate about a total cost of no more than $18 For 50# of rock

 

[jcmelski]

WOW! That's excellent. Way cheaper than buying LR.

 

[thincat]

Yes, but it took a few months so you need lots of patience. If you rush the project you could mess the whole thing up. so again...PATIENCE...please...