Jump to content

Black live rock?

gmubeach

By gmubeach,
in Do It Yourself

 Share

Recommended Posts

gmubeach Legendary Reefer

gmubeach

Ok my fiance and I are getting married ... I have a gorgous fish tank now, its white.... she wants to join the dark side of life and have an all black fish tank... the only part I havn't figure out is the rock... Can I even make black rock or paint white rock or something to that affect ... do they sell black cement ... please anything would be appracite don't feel like any idea is too stupid or already thought of I have a year so no rush on this build

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jon Lazar Oracle Reefer

Jon Lazar

I would investigate using a dye like Rit. You could try soaking your LR in it, or mix the powder into the cement for DIY LR. You'd have to do your own research on what it's made of, how it might affect your tank, and whether it would color the rock enough. Expect the rock to become less black though as it's overgrown with coralline algae and other encrusting critters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gmubeach Legendary Reefer

gmubeach

  • Author

RIT is code for what so I can search it... I know its going to turn purple anyway but she wants it all to look the same.... I will check and see whats in it ... keep on posting

Link to comment
Share on other sites
zygote2k Neptune Reefer

zygote2k

When I worked for a pond company back in the day, we mixed our own concrete colors using dye. The problem with dyed concrete is that when the concrete cures, the lime tends to lighten the color up substantially. I would think in a reef tank with higher alkalinity than a FW pond, this might be more of an issue. You might even find that the dye leaches into the water and might be harmful to the inhabitants.

 

If you really want to go black, try black lava rock- just rinse it thoroughly before use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Happyfeet Master Reefer

Happyfeet

tell her to get another hobby. this is a colorful one and meant to be that way.

Bwahahaha :clap:

 

A thought- you could make your own rock using black sand and black pond foam using molds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Coral Hind Neptune Reefer

Coral Hind

(edited)

Sakrete makes a "charcoal" colored additive. It cost $6 for a one pound bag at Home Depot.

 

MFG Brand Name : Sakrete

MFG Part # : 65075002

Edited by Coral Hind
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dcreefer Master Reefer

dcreefer

Check with "Paul b". Paul gives the following steps for base rock... Go with a PVC skeleton wrapped in screen lined with concrete and rolled in black sand...it's almost too easy. :biggrin:

 

We are going to try a couple of different techniques to build base rock in June and I'll be posting pics as we go along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Origami Neptune Reefer

Origami

RIT is code for what so I can search it... I know its going to turn purple anyway but she wants it all to look the same.... I will check and see whats in it ... keep on posting

 

Not that I'm advocating using Rit dye, but just want to respond to Troy's question. Troy, Rit is a brand of fabric dye. You can often see it on the shelf in your grocery store near the laundry detergent. See http://www.ritdye.com/home.lasso for more info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
truestelf Reefer

truestelf

im sure you can find a dye on the internet to do it, but it will probably leech into the tank and may be harmful to things in it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BowieReefer84 Oracle Reefer

BowieReefer84

Idea. . . . .superglue is ok for our tanks . . . black sand exists in nature . . . .Cover rock in glue and then coat it in black sand like dipping a piece of chicken in egg wash and bread crumbs? You did say, "please anything would be appracite don't feel like any idea is too stupid." Might want to get the glue by the gallon...haha

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flowerseller Oracle Reefer

flowerseller

Wouldn't black rock just turn into purple, brown, and green rock as the algae covers it?

Are you implying this is ultimatly a colorful hobby anyway? smile.gif

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Happyfeet Master Reefer

Happyfeet

The super glue would seal the pores which would reduce any benefit for nitrate reduction.

 

I'm not so sure, so long as the glue isn't too viscous I think it would only seal up the smaller pours, but the added sand coating would more than make up for that by increasing the overall surface area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Coral Hind Neptune Reefer

Coral Hind

Are you implying this is ultimatly a colorful hobby anyway? smile.gif

 

 

 

Absolutely a colorful hobby. I said all kinds of colorful words this morning when I realized I left the RO unit running all night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
trockafella Oracle Reefer

trockafella

Absolutely a colorful hobby. I said all kinds of colorful words this morning when I realized I left the RO unit running all night.

 

 

ohh that blows... Done that to many times to count, and I use all those vibrant words each time.!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
trockafella Oracle Reefer

trockafella

Whats the point of the black rocks anyways..? I understand that what she wants, but is there something thats trying to be accomplished..? Arent you just going to cover the rocks with coral..? Or i suppose you could just do a tank full of black sun corals.. Im sure you can find black plastic or fake rocks..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BowieReefer84 Oracle Reefer

BowieReefer84

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10868/product.web use some superglue gel and a brush to get the gravel on the rock.

Then, use some regular "thin" superglue and a spray bottle to get some sand on top to add some more texture.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/233/product.web

 

I am not sure how long the tank would take to cycle if you do this to the rock. My guess is a long long time.

 

I would carry the theme with using the black sand as your substrate and cover the back wall in superglue and then cover that in sand before filling the tank. Maybe do the back and sides . . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites
firerbta Hatchling

firerbta

tell her to get another hobby. this is a colorful one and meant to be that way.

 

I know its colorful. Thats why I wanted as much black as I can to make everything stand out. Don't know about the rock, just wanted to see if we can do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gmubeach Legendary Reefer

gmubeach

  • Author

flowersellers be nice:) The hobby isn't about making fun of people its about trying tnew things Troy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jon Lazar Oracle Reefer

Jon Lazar

If you had a refugium large enough to hold all the live rock you need for denitrification, you wouldn't have to use functional LR in your display at all. Put your LR somewhere else and you can do most of the ideas about that wouldn't work with "real" live rock.

 

You could also make your display tank "rockwork" out of fiberglass cloth and resin over a hollow framework, and dye or paint it whatever color you want. It would be messy to build and tough to make look right, and you'd want some way to prevent the water inside from going stagnant, but it could be done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gmubeach Legendary Reefer

gmubeach

  • Author

Hmm or put a huge frag rack in black on diffrent levels with pvc and have the rock in the sump... Need to figure out how much sump I need and how much will fit... Anyway Shes very excited!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...