base rock

[315hottuna61]

i am making base rock and have 20-30 lbs. curing under water. i would like any comments from anyone that has experience in doing the same.

 

[BL1]

Message wontonflip, she made the base rock in her tank a while back.

 

[Ocho]

Have you had any luck in curing - making your own live rocks? Iam just starting in the saltwater field and was wondering why I could not do it myself.

 

[315hottuna61]

Baserock is easy and ( fun?) to make, but don't believe anyone that tells you it can be cured quickly. It took me 3 months to cure mine .Just make sure the PH ic correct. If you want my formula - shoot me a PM. there also are numerous videos on u tube.

 

[Ocho]

I would like to know how you cured yours? I bought some to put in my tank to start my tank. Will the live rock cure my othe rockes in the tank after a while?

 

[Bifferwine]

The live rock will "cure" your dry rock over time. The stuff on the live rock will eventually colonize the dry rock.

 

[315hottuna61]

if your " dry rock" is freshly made then you cannot introduce it into a live tank. It must be stored by itself in water ( tap water is fine ) and new water should be added periodically ( preferabaly with a powerhead to circulate) and the PH checked until it is correct ( 7.5 + or - ). This process probably will take 2 or 3 months.

 

[moncapitane]

315hottuna61, what do you mean by freshly made? Like its dry rock and you want to create it into dry rock?

 

[slwedge71]

315hottuna61, what do you mean by freshly made? Like its dry rock and you want to create it into dry rock?

Here, go to this link. It will give you an idea on how to make your own base rock and what they are talking about, minus the curing of the rock in water.

http://www.garf.org/MPegs/AragocreteArch.shtml
making base rock

 

[moncapitane]

Did not know one could make their own. I get it now. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[slwedge71]

No problem, just trying to help

 

[315hottuna61]

Check out the link that Slwedge included, that will give you a better understanding of what i was talking about.The big problem with making your own baserock is that it takes so damn long before it can be used in your display tank

 

[slwedge71]

I love that website. Only down side is it is so hard to navigate. I think the people got ahold of front page and just went crazy! :frustrat:

 

[LoveJC03]

Almost all the rock in our tank is diy rock that we made using this recipe on youtube:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPebEdEoMA]DIY Live Rock - by Ed - YouTube[/ame]

We have about 40lbs in our tank and after about 2 months maybe sooner or a little longer we have coralline starting to grow on it. We made some recently and it's curing outside. Our first batch took about 4 months to cure.

 

[wontonflip]

I'm about to put another batch of garf rocks in my tank. They were curing in tap water for around 3 months.

Just FYI for you guys who make your rocks w/ the salt -- those rocks should be on top, and not used as the base of a structure. They are not strong enough and you could end up with a cave-in. This last batch I made has no salt, so they'll be at the base of my structures.

Also rocks cure faster outdoors in the sun :) In winter, obviously you'll have to do it indoors. I did not put a powerhead in my tubs, either.

 

[315hottuna61]

+ 1 Wantonflip ,rocks made with salt are not strong

 

[ErinCahir]

*wontonflip