Re: DIY Liverock

[littleman]

in the process of making DIY liverock using this recipe I found. It costs only about 9cents a pound to make. Will post results.

http://diy-doityourself.blogspot.com/2007/05/making-live-rock.html

[bac]

sounds nice but it takes more then 9 cents a pounds to make it happen . I have been doing it for 2 years now. just count in the set up, the fact that you can not by things in small bags and time you put into it.

[bac]

go to see more on diy rock take look(youtube how to make nano reef rock )

[Vincenzo.]

from what ive read is you really need is the right concrete. and you can go nuts. when you do some up, deff post some pics.

[littleman]

Not looking to buy the DIY rock I know it is available, why would I spend $3-$4 LB when it is inexpensive to make myself.

[bigdaddylovin]

sounds nice but it takes more then 9 cents a pounds to make it happen . I have been doing it for 2 years now. just count in the set up, the fact that you can not by things in small bags and time you put into it.

when it is a DIY (DO IT YOURSELF) project you don't really count your time sense it is a hobby and all.You only count your time when you are doing it as a business and need to make a profit. If this is the case then it is not a DIY project you are simply going to your LFS to pay to much for something you could do your self.

[bac]

What these guys are saying is, if you are handy ,it can be done. That is what this part of forum is all about. (doing it yourself) but then you take the the risk , right.                      If not, there are places to get this rock and save money, but more then that, save the reefs and the carbon footprint.                                                                                                      I beleave most of us already have manmade rock, we just don't know it because we call it live rock. It has been farmed in holding tanks for years to create the life we see on it . Some is rock that has been collected or mined and farmed in the same way.                            I hope less has been coming from the reefs and more is from farms like this .                        In the same way coral should come from farms or frags , not the reefs. As for our fish we have work to do , but I have seen great things here on O.V.A.S. . In that way ,we will be like our freshwater friends too and breed the fish we get for our hobby.                              So go for it , do your home work first . I have found many recipes and the cheep ones are not always the best . Most of all the  curing is important and can take two months or more.                                                            I will being doing my part and with a friend mark , to bring man made rock to ottawa which I have insurance for doing this (the other part the cost they don't tell you )to save the reefs
  I am working on taking it farther to farming the live rock too, but this will time.

[bac]

ps I love your tank 5620

[bac]

thanks , i would like to do my part , another one to look at on youtube is (garfclip 05 basicrockmaking ) for those who want give it a try,or if i can help. I have not tried all of these yet , when I do i will write to tell it here .

[fishsticks]

I think diy is the way to go it is cheap and less stress on our ocean I have found nice pieces and enjoy how I can custom my own tank to excactly how I want it to look.

[charlie]

Guy`s this thread has been cleaned up of all the marketing & where to buy recommendations, please let`s keep it as per the OP desire

Reply #4 on: Yesterday at 03:43:10 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic 

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Not looking to buy the DIY rock I know it is available, why would I spend $3-$4 LB when it is inexpensive to make myself.

Any others can post in the "classifieds Looking for "
Thanks

[bigdaddylovin]

here is an easier and quicker way to make the rock than the link posted above, the 3 ingredients you need can be purchased local with no trouble and if you don't count your time can be made for well under a $1 per pound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPebEdEoMA

[RoninMantis]

EEE i don t think rock salt is the way to go on that video..

[bac]

youtube is great for things like this. I herd of rock salt being used from az  over a year ago but a different cement. I liked ed's use and timing of the salt in the mix.
      I have herd of white portland used on many other sites, worth a look at.
Many ways to get to the same place and the diy people show us new ones.  Try things like this on a small tank not your good one, good luck.                                                                 
      p.s. charlie sorry about the marketing ,not what I was on for.  bac

[bigdaddylovin]

EEE i don t think rock salt is the way to go on that video..

If you read more about the use of the rock salt it helps with the cure time and the salt will dissolve as the rock is being cured which will make the rock even more porous.

[RoninMantis]

I also heard that rock salt can also take it longer in curing and also chemicaly not as good , if the diy ro break in ur tank and has a piece of  rock salt that was in beded in it , it can poison ur tank. Like real live rock it can also break  just as easly........   

[bigdaddylovin]

in your expert opinion what should be used to make the rock or should we all give up and buy it.

[RoninMantis]

how about we all sit down and talk about over a cup of joes!!!
Littleman and bigdaddy we can meet maybe swaop mixes then..

[redbelly]

You can still make your own rock by all means. Using home depo cement can take longer to cure than other blends, thats all.
Just be sure its FULLY cured before you add it to you tank.
There are several other hobbiests here in to that have made teir own rock and are very happy with it.

We recently tested a diy rock made by someones else. They thought it was cured but when we put it in water it raised the ph to 10.5 overnight!
This is exactly what you want to avoid. If this was added to your tank it could wipe it out. Hand held ph meteres are readily available though and cheap so regularily testing this is not hard, dont get scared off because of this.

[winston199]

It is nice to see that some people still suport the diy side of the hobby I have posted a couple of projects in the past and this looks to be another intresting project in the future if anyone has anything constructive to say or intresting to read they should post the info for us to read.

[Hookup]

I DIY all the time... 

I think that DIY rock is awesome.. in the new tank I'm planning on using it/making it to maybe even hide the closed loop pipes... and to make interesting and thin rock work...

[5620]

I am also very interested in trying this DIY project. It is always more rewarding showing your tank and being able to say I made that as this is a hobby,  instead of saying I purchased it at a LFS (IMO) not to mention the money that can be saved in making this yourself. I will have to do some research and give this one a try when work slows down. 80 hrs a week at work sure dosen't leave anytime for DIY.

[littleman]

RoninMantis you invited me for "a cup of Joe" when and where? It could be an interesting time!

[RoninMantis]

ok I would love to go for a cup of joe with you and  bac aswell . When would u like to go and where ! =
Always like to talk reef and have some goodies .

[Vincenzo.]

remember if you want to. when you make your cement rock, in a bunch of locations stick in metal dowels and take out so you will have a hole's when dried. and later you can very securely attack pieces together with the same sized dowels. you can make very interesting rock forms this way.

iSUPPORT
diy!!

vince

[RossW]

Count me in too please!

ok I would love to go for a cup of joe with you and  bac aswell . When would u like to go and where ! =
Always like to talk reef and have some goodies .

[bitterman]

I'm interested in this also.


Bruce

[RoxyDog]

I'd like to learn more about this too.  Maybe it could be a workshop next year or something.

But for now, come to the BBQ and discuss it there!  hehe 

[az]

#1 Thorite Cement

[Hookup]

You should ignore the bad on this site and take the good... there is good on here... lots of it... be a shame to see people walk away is all i'm saying...

[Vincenzo.]

has this diy rock been made yet? i want to see some pics. please and thanks,
vince

[fischkopp]

Please stay on topic folks, this is a DIY discussion.

The DIY rock gathering sounds like a very good idea to me.

[bitterman]

has this diy rock been made yet? i want to see some pics. please and thanks,
vince

I have a piece of DIY rock in my sons 50 gallon. Its the arches piece in the center right of this pic http://ovas.ca/gallery/531_14_05_09_7_05_02.JPG

Not sure were it came from as I purchased the rock out a someone else's tank.

Bruce

[fishsticks]

What are the best ingredients to make the D.I.Y rock?

[bitterman]

What are the best ingredients to make the D.I.Y rock?

Read the article/link in the first post. http://diy-doityourself.blogspot.com/2007/05/making-live-rock.html

Some people use aragonite instead of oyster shell though. or a mixture of both.  Also people mix salt in the mix as it dissolves as the rock cures to make the rock more pouris

So many people use so many different mixes.

Here is more info on the garf site http://www.garf.org/MPegs/AragocreteArch.shtml

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/printthread.php?s=9162b638982eea30a42ea1ccb252633b&threadid=617445&perpage=332


Bruce

[Hookup]

found this link/thread on RC.  I've linked to the page you want to start reading about the cement/mix rock...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=730564&perpage=25&pagenumber=27

[winston199]

I think there are many people in town that would love to give this project a try but are looking for someone local that has had success in making rock with no ill effect on there tank.There is lots of info. to read up on without re posting the same info. over and over.If anyone local would like to share there out come I think many of us would appreciate whatever you are willing to share.

This is not posted to cause trouble just looking for first hand info or no info.

many thanks for any good info. posted 

[nissannx]

i have about 30 pounds of diy rock that i amde in my tank. it is over 1 year old now and purple. no harm to my tank no losses of anything or fish deaths. made it the way i want to work with my tank. i also have about 50 pounds of real live rock also

[winston199]

will you share the products you used

[nissannx]

the cement was purchased at home depot. it is the 30 minute set concret not the rapid post but the other one. and i used play sand to make the molds for the concrete. i didnt use oyster shells as some have used. i also let the concret soak in water for 3 weeks changing the fresh water daily. then a week soaking in salt water. I've made 3 batches to get it to look the way i wanted. i also made frag plugs from it also.

[winston199]

thanks

white portlan cement?

so it only took 4 weeks for the ph to get under control and tank ready?

[fishsticks]

That sounds good think my week-end is booked playing in my kids sandbox (LOL)

[fishdaddy]

my question is most DIY doesn't look real Walt Smith stuff  does.
how does he make it look so....picked from the sea??
When i first got in the hobby i could not tell one from the other now i can but it is still hard.

[bac]

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1138&id=1691874509&l=b7c3fc20bf
this is a link to look at rock it is on my facebook but you can get to it with this  the matriel is called emacc 588 c1   from morinbros. in nepean my first mix. layed up in sand
lots of purple

[5620]

"Bac" very nice looking rock!!! Do you use any hardener or additives to the rock mix you use?

[bac]

if we are talking about the purple ,no

[bac]

I will tell you something about s88, it is used to fix cement structures , you have all seen it before .  When you are on the highway going under a overpass and you see work being done. That is s88 they patch the holes with it, it is also used  in wet enviorments witch includes salty ones .
      It has the smell of the dentist office, so I am sure it has a plastic agent in it . It gets very hard and will bond to many things ,so it will mix with shell, coral and plastic .
      Fall back , it takes two days before you can move it after you made your peace . But it will cure faster, all of the test I did with this matrial were cured first in fresh water one week and then in salt for one month min.
       All this was done with no ph pin point , I learn from IndoPacific from Hawaii that I could tell it was cured by elge on the rock. I did not know of ovas at time ,to bad, could have saved time .
     As a mass media artist working matriels . I have worked for 29 years in museums and the arts. , I want to see some rock .

[winston199]

Thanks for the info. by far the most useful posted

[nissannx]

ki never really had high ph after i made the rock. i was more concerned making sure it wouldn't leeech anything. it was releasing a fine white substacnce that would stick to my pump so i gave it 4 weeks to stop and it did. make a dry mixture easier to shape. you will get the hang of it and can make it look like rock from the sea in no time. my first batch looked brutal and got tossed. take your time and play with it.

[bac]

 in reply 43#        I noticed I had the #,on product wrong it is emaco s88 ci  ( not  588 )

[fishsticks]

Thanks very useful info i'll try it out I bought all the equipment to start it up and looking foward to my results

[bac]

just  note , if you are using shell from the feed store make sure you wash it very good. There is still alot of the orster pieces left in it , you will lose about 1/3 of your bag to cleaning.

[bac]

hi people, I just to welcome man made rock. This will help us all feel better about having cement base rock with life rock in our tanks. Every little steep helps the reefs

   p.s. do print the findings from engineers finding papers, we would all be interested to see who signed of on this , i may even know them.

                                  again thanks

[5620]

Besides home depot or local building supply store where could the materials be purchased for the DIY Rock?

[bac]

5620 I would like to put a face to the name , i know you can make very nice cabentry .  by the my way name brian . I don't really know why we tag ourself's with these nicknames , but I kind like mine thought. i'm bac,,,cool ioi by mistake . over 800 viewed so far ,,,+ 10 for the reefs . I hope we will meet on 22 the forth monday of this month if I am right that is the next meeting. I want to pay my dues and like to sponser the club  I buy material from the place as ........( stay tuned for more tomorrow )

[bac]

so did anyone make rock yet and how it go

[bac]

here is a small experiment I have going with diy rock ,the rock was cured in freshwater for one week and set into a new saltwater setup on 5 /15 09 . the tank is a 40 gl with 30 gl sump ,prisam skimmer and 3 t5's on top. not special but here it is.
link ;http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=37396&l=a085448abf&id=1691874509

[Hookup]

So.... What is the experiment?

[bac]

I wanted to see how long it would take on a new tank set up,with all diy rock and some seeding to be ably to add life to the tank. Too, this will show the changes that take place and how long for the rock to color up.

[jimskoi]

here is a small experiment I have going with diy rock ,the rock was cured in freshwater for one week and set into a new saltwater setup on 5 /15 09 . the tank is a 40 gl with 30 gl sump ,prisam skimmer and 3 t5's on top. not special but here it is.
link ;http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=37396&l=a085448abf&id=1691874509

Great idea.

Please keep us posted.

[Hookup]

I wanted to see how long it would take on a new tank set up,with all diy rock and some seeding to be ably to add life to the tank. Too, this will show the changes that take place and how long for the rock to color up.

Cool... No live sand, or live rock as seed, just water, and DIY rock?

That's neat.

[winston199]

here is a small experiment I have going with diy rock ,the rock was cured in freshwater for one week and set into a new saltwater setup on 5 /15 09 . the tank is a 40 gl with 30 gl sump ,prisam skimmer and 3 t5's on top. not special but here it is.
link ;http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=37396&l=a085448abf&id=1691874509

cement takes close to 30 days to cure how can you cure it in one week?

[bac]

that is why I am doing this ,it will finish curing in the new tank , as the new tank is curing. Did you look at the dates with pictures,the set up started over a month ago,the rock has cured as did the tank. Washed sand just as you would to set up a new tank,not live sand. Seeding is done with a few small rocks from a older tank

[Hookup]

Very neat experiment...

Can you post your water-testing logs for the 30 days, or more?  I'm curious if anything we'd normally test for, Salinity, pH, Alk, Mg, Ca, No4, No3, Temp were affected during the curing process...

[bac]

I will do that, good idea