well my dad and i are planing to make some diy lr. i was wondering if anyone had some helpful hints or instursctions. i read the thing on about.com. and if anyone wants to comeover and help just pm. and u can also get some of it when it is done.
diy live rock
- Thread starter blind1993
- Start date
my plan is to add it around march or when school ends so i get the time to moniter the tank. i would prefer to give it like an 8 month time. i am going to have it in freash water for 4 months and then 2 months in salt. then 1 month with other lr to seed it. then finally add it to my tank slowly( like 10 pounds every other day or so.) to make sure it will be stable.
For the T I M E and money spent on making homemade live rock, see if you can locate some old cheap (once) oramental coral, or dead live rock..... Run an ad on Craigslist for it in the WANTED section......
I bought a mixed lot of fish crap off craigslist, skimmer, pump, heaters,etc.... part of the deal was that I had to take it all...... about 50 pounds of Dead live rock sat at my back door for two months before Tony gave me the idea to cycle it and use it.
I have a friend in Kennesaw that has dead live rock sitting under her porch
from a tank die off 10 years ago....... Its probably more common than you'd think as sooner or later much of the live rock people buy will end up as dead........ eventually (kinda depressing, huh?). And like most communitys, trash pick up regards dead live rock the same as concrete, and wont pick it up. That avenue would be worth looking into rather than waiting 6 months to use completely homemade live rock.........
Just a thought
I bought a mixed lot of fish crap off craigslist, skimmer, pump, heaters,etc.... part of the deal was that I had to take it all...... about 50 pounds of Dead live rock sat at my back door for two months before Tony gave me the idea to cycle it and use it.
I have a friend in Kennesaw that has dead live rock sitting under her porch
from a tank die off 10 years ago....... Its probably more common than you'd think as sooner or later much of the live rock people buy will end up as dead........ eventually (kinda depressing, huh?). And like most communitys, trash pick up regards dead live rock the same as concrete, and wont pick it up. That avenue would be worth looking into rather than waiting 6 months to use completely homemade live rock.........
Just a thought
With my cultured rock I can make shapes that you cannot get with going out and buying bundled base rock or cheap rock online. I have a cave, arches, fish shaped rock, ones with a flat bottom. I make holes to plug in frags. Sometime I just make a plain old rock.
i am not useing those links because they are kind confuszeing and i couldnt find it on garf even with the link. i am useing that one and the one on about.com
my dad and i plan on doing this on saturday so if anyone wants to come and see us do it i think my dad will let you. just remem to bring all the things u will need. and i am planing on makeing about 100lbs for my tank. with about 1 big 2ft cave and then just a slope on the other 2 ft.
my dad and i plan on doing this on saturday so if anyone wants to come and see us do it i think my dad will let you. just remem to bring all the things u will need. and i am planing on makeing about 100lbs for my tank. with about 1 big 2ft cave and then just a slope on the other 2 ft.
ok thz dawgdude. i think ill do the ballon thing. also another thing that i got from what you said what about make a tunnel with those long ballons. iwill try to make a video of some of it and the rest with pics. lets just see. it will be hard since we wont have anyone to hold the camera.also what kind of gloves should i use? the latex kind or the dishwashing kind. i also found a site that has a numbered format of instuctions but some of them are wrong but i fixed that. ill make a video of me just shapeing them and stuff andpics of the cureing it seems easier
Also make a tunnel from forming damp sand. I usually make my rock in a sand bed, just form an long rounded (hump) and that is your form. In making a cave rock you can use a rubber glove. Might be something as a reefer that you can come across quicker. The fingers in the glove make great holes in the cave. The thinner the pour the longer you let it set in form. At least 48 hours. After 24 hours when you lift the rock parts of it will probably break off. No fun, then it becomes rubble, or break it up and it becomes apart of your next rock. "waste not want not".
ok ill do all of those things. i dont know about saturday anymore. i have a doc appointment and then a party at my house but ill see. also i am getting the whole house painted is there anything that is bad in the air that can do something to the tank. it is all covered in plastic.
