DIY base rock...a la Garf

a lot of appartments allow for small tank just not large ones because of the water damage they can cause

 

Knowing the mess I make all the time. Don't know if I had a rental if I would allow a renter to have one or not. I guess I'm a hypocrite.:-(

 

they can cause a lot of damage water is bad enough if you dont get it cleaned up fast enough but salt water is far worse

 

yea, i make a mess just about every time i work on mine as well, but then again i have lanoleium on a concrete slab, so, all i need is a towel to clean up...

so i'm getting ready to start my second batch of home made rocks, and i wanted to do something different this time, i'm still gonna do the portland cement and rock salt, but i wanted to incorperate some crushed oyster shell or sometihng into it this time.. but i called the local feed store, (tractor supply) and they only sell it in 5lb bags.. and thats for like $6, seems kinda steep to me...

ideas where else i could look local?

 

Im not saying that Im an advocate for aquariums in rentals, im just saying that it should have been disclosed before the lease was signed. If it wasn't, it is grounds to terminate the lease without penalty.

 

i agree 100%

 

Sucks about the aquarium ban, Eddie! At least she caught you before you spent a lot of money on a setup! You can just keep making rocks, and save them up for when you get your own place.

I know most apts don't allow fishtanks larger than maybe 20-40g. And if you're renting a house/townhouse, I'd be a worried landlord, too, in case of water damage. I would at least let you have a tank *if* you paid an extra month's deposit just in case of damage.

Thanks everyone for reassurances about the salt thing

 

no one knows where i can look for larger qty. of crushed oyster shells?
or alternative materials?

 

Have you tried the feed stores? That's where I have heard people are getting them. I think they come in 100lb bags.

 

please refer to my post:

Yesterday, 02:57 PM

 

Found it. Sorry I missed it the first time around. FYI the forum updates time based on time zone for each user and yesterday only made sense yesterday. Maybe just use the quote next time. I looked around quite a bit and this was the first reasonably priced bag I could find. I am not familiar with the seller, but I hope this helps. Good Luck!

 

ok, now thats what i'm talking about.. thats exactly what i was looking for...
and a fine price, i'd pay that and be happy about it... except.......

OMFGIH!!! the shipping is insane..UPS Ground, 2009-07-03$34.48

holy crap, i mean i know its 40lbs, but dang... the shipping is $10 more than what i'm buying...

gotta keep looking i guess....

 

word. I think your best bet will be to get it local just cause of the weight. Even if you pay more for it, it's still less than LR and if you buy local, you can have it today!

 

yea, thats just dissapointing, i mean i called the local feed store, but at $6 for 5lbs, i'm gonna go broke in a hurry.. i guess what i could do would be to make the internal structrure of the rock the same as i did before, only cement and rock salt, and then when i'm making my "molds" line them with this stuff, so that its all over the surface, but not wasted on the inside..

that may be what i have to do..

 

I think you are best to mix it thoroughly. I would either call some further feed stores, wait for it to go on sale, or pony up and pay the shipping to an online vendor.

 

really? you think that having it mixed inside will really make that much diff?

i was really looking to use it as much as a looks thing as i was a chemestry thing, so i didnt see the need for it to be inside...

i mean it works out to just over a buck a pound, so its not that bad really, i guess i'm just suffering from some sticker shock on the shipping for now...

 

oh so i went on break and called one of the LFS, and i found out that they actually do have 40lb bags of crushed coral for $32.99.

so, thats what i'll do... i'll just get me a bag of that and mix it in with the salt and cement when i make my next batch...

 

I went to my nearest feed store today and picked up a 40lb bag of crushed clam shells for $13. Also picked up a 40lb bag of aragonite for shaping it. Now I just have to find the right rock salt. I should have asked while at the feed store, but I got there 7 min before closing, so i was rushing. I'll ask them tomorrow.

Would the big blue bag of Morton White Crystal water softener salt work, or might it have chemicals? The yellow and green bags have chemicals, but supposedly the blue one doesn't.....it says it's 99.5% pure salt. These bags are readily available at walmart, which is closer to us than the feed store. Any ideas?

 

Nice! Good find. Congrats!

I would think they would be fine, because you can drink softened water, but I would check with your hardware store first to see if you can find rock salt there before you make your final decision.

 

the big 40lb blue bag is what i used, someone showed me the msds sheet for the blue bag, so it should be good to go.

i got mine at homedepot for like $5... and yes, it was with the water softner stuff, and i saw the yellow bags and stuff, but i knew that the blue was the safe one.