DIY base rock...a la Garf

I believe you first have to keep curing until the ph in the water that it's in is stable and if you've put rock salt, of course you have to make sure allt he salt has been dissolved. After that, it's just a matter of making it live. I've already got plans to buy a big plastic kiddie pool to put in my backyard to cure it and then to make them live.

Question, though, Eddie....so the rock salte dissolves after curing, but what about the rock salt that's mixed inside the rock? If pieces of the rock break of, wouldn't the rock salt that was inside the rock leach out?
 
The salt breaks down and dissolves into the water, that is what makes the rock porous. I would suggest placing the newly made rock into a tub with freshwater and a power head or two. I would make it as turbulent as possible, and change the water every day. Just before you change the water each day, check it for salinity. I would leave it in the freshwater for a day or two longer than it takes to show 0 salt. Then assuming you are setting up a new tank, place all of it into the new tank, with salt water and your real LR to seed it and let it go. You aren't going to experience a big cycle like you would with natural LR. You will just need to leave the FLR (fake LR) in the new tank for several weeks or a couple of months for the beneficial bacteria to grow before you start stocking. I would also double check the salinity before stocking just to be safe.
 
wontonflip said:
Question, though, Eddie....so the rock salte dissolves after curing, but what about the rock salt that's mixed inside the rock? If pieces of the rock break of, wouldn't the rock salt that was inside the rock leach out?
Click to expand...

The rock is porous enough that most if not all of the rock salt, even inside, dissolves. The video doesn't really do the rock justice for how quickly the water penetrates.

You can cure it in tap water. I just play with the water from the garden hose in the garage. I use a promitive method to test that salinity of the water, since I'm starting from the ground up, I haven't gotten a refractometer yet, so I just dip my finger and give it a taste. I have read that the cement should cure in the fresh water for at least a week. But to be safe test the pH before keeping any critters to the rock.
 
Last edited:
Eddiekern-
Thank you so much for sharing that recipe and video with us. It seems simple enough and one can make the size of rock that they need. Great for larger tanks which need larger pieces. Any problems with leaching of any chemicals? Has anyone used this recipe and created a lot of rock and used it long term?
 
Wontonflip wrote: "Question, though, Eddie....so the rock salte dissolves after curing, but what about the rock salt that's mixed inside the rock? If pieces of the rock break of, wouldn't the rock salt that was inside the rock leach out?"

I think that the FLR is porous enough for water to "soak" into it or through it, where the water then dissolves the rock salt. That's one reason you have to let it soak for days, changing the water daily. Concrete is somewhat porous by nature.
 
The only thing to worry about is whether or not the cement has fully cured. Once it has cured you're good to go (test the pH of the water they are curing in). Cement has been used in reef tanks without a problem in the past. The oyster shells have been used by other aquarists. I don't imagine they leech anything since they are ... well, oyster shells. Also mng7 mentioned to make sure the salinity is close to zero before indroducing them into an established system.
 
Eddie have you thought of doing as a side line business? People could order different sizes, shapes, etc... The industry doesn't that to us now. Could be a money maker?
 
It would definitely save a lot of money. I need to make enough for a 125g. Plus I'd get to make the shapes according to how I want the aquascaping to look. This is gonna be fun!! I'm picking up the ingredients the next 2 weeks. I'll keep you guys posted.
 

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