DYI - Rock

Grassman

Grassman

Reefing newb
Not sure how many threads there are on this but thought I'd share my first attempt on making some Live Rock with everyone.

Mixture;
1 part portland cement. (I'm using #10 gray)
2 parts coarse salt (More or less depending on how porus I want to make it.)
3 parts crushed coral

Here's some pics of everything for those that love pics.

Play Sand with water added to form molds & molding tote. 64L tote. Play sand $8 for 2 bags. Tote on sale for $3.
172-PlaySand-MoldTote.jpg



1/2" drill to hold may cement mixer and the 5 gallon pail I'm mixing in.
171-Drill-Mixer-MixingPail.jpg



Florida Crushed Coral. 40lbs for $40.00
170-Ing-CrushedCoral.jpg



Portland #10 Gray Cement. $13 for 40kg (88lbs).
169-Ing-PortlandCement.jpg



RODI Water. $2 a jug. Protective Gloves $5.
166-Ing-RODIWater.jpg



18 Gallon Curing tote. On sale $5.
167-CuringTote.jpg



As anyone who lives in Canada knows you can't DYI anything without a Tim Horton's Coffee. $1.52
168-Ing-TimmiesCoffee.jpg


Now to make my molds and mix the mixture. More pics to come a little later.
 
Okay. My coffee is gone and the mixture is drying for 24 - 48 hours. Not sure how long I'll wait. Every article I read had a different time on it.

I added some water to make the play sand moldable. (Not sure if that's a word or not but I'm using it. LOL!)
173-Molds.jpg



Here's what I'm measuring with. I was going to use a measuring cup, but thought Kim would kill me and use this stuff to hide my body with. Take note of the clean new carpet. I got this if you wreck it I'll hurt you look from Kim when I started bringing everything in.
174-MeasuringDish.jpg



6 Parts Crushed Coral.
175-6PartsCoral.jpg



2 1/2 Parts salt. It took the whole box and I wasn't going to make a trip to the grocery store to get more. I'll get 2 boxes for my next batch.
176-2andapartssalt.jpg



2 Parts Cement.
177-2PartsCement.jpg



And like everytime I mix cement or grout or mortar I make it a little too wet. I used 2 and a 1/4 parts water. Next time I'll use 1 3/4 parts and add a little til it's stiff.
178-MixingIt.jpg



I put on my gloves and hand scooped it into the mold. I didn't make enough but that's ok cause I can break off the part I didn't get to complete.
179-Pouredinmolds.jpg



I put a lid on the tote so maybe it'll cure faster since it is a little cool in the basement.
180-Waiting.jpg


Now for the boring part. Waiting. I'll post more when I take it out of the molds and put it in water to finish curing and lowering the pH.

I got out the shop-vac and cleaned everything up. I did the entire floor to clean up the cedar shavings from the rabbits too. I got a big kiss from Kim when she came down to inspect my handy work. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to sample some of the cookies she baking. :D
 
dcantucson said:
Looking forward to seeing your rocks!
Click to expand...

You and me both. I was trying to make a big cave with an archway above it but didn't have enough mix. I'm hoping the bottom is flat enough so it'll sit on the egg crates. I posted some of it wet and poured into the mold. I'll add more in a day or 2 when I take it out.
 
Tristan said:
that's pretty cool. how long does it take for a rock to become live when you introduce it to your live ones?
Click to expand...

That I'm not sure of. I know it'll be about a month or more before I can put it in my tank as the pH will be sky high and I have to leech it out. I borrowed a little powerhead from Lyle for that. I`m going to need to pick up more water tomorrow. I only have 6 gallons left and still have to do my water changes in my tanks.
 
I took my rock out yesterday and it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I think the mixture was too wet because I had sand stuck to it, and the piece looked like crap. I think I'll add and extra scoop of crushed oster shells if I can find some. The gray cement doesn't look too bad but...that's all I can get in Canada. I'll post pictures tomorrow.
 
Here's the picture of my trial run making my own rock. I wanted to make a cave with an arch on top and didn't mix up enough. You can see where the sand stuck to the rock. The mixture was too wet, and I was impatient. I'm going to add crushed oysters to the mixture next time.
181-RockFailure1.jpg
 
looks great :D

I missed this thread! I'd have told you to avoid using the play sand. I was going to use it on my garf rock, but it was suggested to stay away from it because they have silicates that attract algae. So i never used it, and switched to aragonite. Just be sure to get as much of the play sand off as possible before putting it in.

Plus I like the look of the rock w/ the extra aragonite stuck to it :)
 
wontonflip said:
looks great :D

I missed this thread! I'd have told you to avoid using the play sand. I was going to use it on my garf rock, but it was suggested to stay away from it because they have silicates that attract algae. So i never used it, and switched to aragonite. Just be sure to get as much of the play sand off as possible before putting it in.

Plus I like the look of the rock w/ the extra aragonite stuck to it :)
Click to expand...

That piece made it's way to the dumpster at work today. I picked up some oyster shell to try mixing with the crushed coral and we'll see how that looks. Thanks for the advice on the play sand. I'll give it a toss on the laneway so you don't slip on the ice.
 
OMG I didn't mean ditch the rock LOL!

But bettter safe than sorry. I still have my bag of play sand in the bag in my backyard :D Sorry I did not catch this thread sooner.
 
wontonflip said:
OMG I didn't mean ditch the rock LOL!

But bettter safe than sorry. I still have my bag of play sand in the bag in my backyard :D Sorry I did not catch this thread sooner.
Click to expand...

I didn't get rid of it because of your post. I didn't like the way it looked and had way too much sand stuck to it.
 
I tried a second round of making rock. I used the same formula as above but went half crushed coral and half crushed oyster shells. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it. I used normal substrate as a mold. It is way to dark gry for my liking. i think I'll just buy some as the eco-reef rock dug from an old coral bed is only $150 of 50 lbs.
 

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