Home made reef rocks

[Pat_13]

I have been making these for some time now and guess I did not post any information about them.

 

You can check out the pictures at: Reeftraders.org

 

Let me know what you think.

Edited September 19, 2006 by Pat_13

[rocko918]

Pat- Nice looking rocks.

 

when you going to join?

[Caribbean Jake]

nice Pat, looks great

I suggets you talk to Craig a.k.a. Gatortailale and see if you want to make a presentation of your rocks on the next WAMAS meeting. Kind of a marketing forum for you and an information affair for all other WAMAS members.

[Jenny]

Hey Pat,

 

Those look nice!

I made some using cement and rock salt. The salt was supposed to make it lighter but they still weigh a freakin ton. Also the ones I formed didn't look so hot but when I gave up... the cement and salt I left in the bucket looks great! Go figure.

 

Did you do 1:1 cement and crushed coral? What did you use to form them?

I want to give it another try and yours look great! I'll try doing it your way.

 

Thanks!

Jenny

[jason the filter freak]

Anyone know how well these work? Seems if some one had large curing vats, like rubbermaid bins that you would circulate your main tank water though, you could make quite a bit of money creating custom shaped LR

[Pat_13]

Thanks Rocko918, maybe soon.

 

Thanks CJake, I don't know if that many people would be interested in learning about it but if there is enough interest I might.

 

Jenny thanks. Yes they are heavy, they are rocks The overflow cover weighs a ton. 1C:4CC and I free form them except for the overflow cover which I did used a form. It takes some practice to learn how to work with it for more complex rocks.

 

Jason, it works great! I have coralline growing on them in under a month, pods hide in it, and coral grows on it with no problems. They just blend in with the other rocks with no hitchhikers. Just look at the last tank shot and see if you can tell how many are real and how many are home made.

 

BTW, you can't kure (term used to bring ph down, not curing the cement) in your tank.

[rrubberbandman]

Pat- Nice looking rocks.

 

when you going to joi

[jwildman]

Think there are a plenty of people who would be interested in hearing about this. Just my opinion

 

John

 

 

Thanks Rocko918, maybe soon.

 

Thanks CJake, I don't know if that many people would be interested in learning about it but if there is enough interest I might.

 

Jenny thanks. Yes they are heavy, they are rocks The overflow cover weighs a ton. 1C:4CC and I free form them except for the overflow cover which I did used a form. It takes some practice to learn how to work with it for more complex rocks.

 

Jason, it works great! I have coralline growing on them in under a month, pods hide in it, and coral grows on it with no problems. They just blend in with the other rocks with no hitchhikers. Just look at the last tank shot and see if you can tell how many are real and how many are home made.

 

BTW, you can't kure (term used to bring ph down, not curing the cement) in your tank.

[Pat_13]

Think there are a plenty of people who would be interested in hearing about this. Just my opinion

 

John

Thanks,

I have been thinking about giving a short speech and also maybe having a class if there is interest. How would I go about speaking at your next meeting?

[HowardofNOVA]

I've done a few LR DIY makes and have turned out pretty cool, but will do what mother nature does from here on out.

If your interested, actually making them is fun, but the 2-4 months it takes for them to cure sucks!

 

Mix 5 parts Aragonite Crush Coral with 1 part Portland Cement.

Get a box with dry sand in to make the molds and as you pour the mix in, put the dry sand where you want holes, caves, valleys, legs etc to be at after you wash out the sand.

 

The best way to do it is make them as tripods to keep off the sand bed as much as possible.

 

Let dry completely for 2-3 days BEFORE you touch them again. After trying, put in a nearby small stream for a couple of months. Then put in a 5g bucket and change water every other day.

 

Your goal is to get the same alkalinity levels with rocks in water and without. Rocks Cured!

 

 

......or you can watch for sellout deals for $2-$5 a pound! :wink:

[gsedlack]

Mix 5 parts Aragonite Crush Coral with 1 part Portland Cement.

 

I used a similar recipe but I used crushed Oyster shells from Booth Feeds. The rock is very porous. I would only buy a small box of cement mix since a little goes a long way. And yes,it does take a VERY long time to cure.

[Pat_13]

I will be having a class with demo and DIY on Sun. Oct 29.

[dhoch]

An announcment has been added as well as a calendar event.

 

Dave

[Pat_13]

Just a reminder for anyone who has not sighed up yet, the class will be this Sunday.

 

Please sign up at: Reeftraders.org

[rooroo]

I really really wish I could make it to the class, but I've got kiddy birthday parties to attend sunday. I did find the directions online and am going to try to make some when I finally have a free weekend. I love the low environmental impact man made rocks have, so I doubt I'll buy another piece of live rock if mine turn out ok.

[Pat_13]

I have a few others that will not be able to make it, so I may have another one if it doesn't get too cold. I will post if I have another.