DIY Rock recipes?
- Thread starter thedeper
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Try Garf for a recipe. To me it's the curing time(months) that is the big drawback for making your own rock and it's ugly as sin until it starts to get covered with life.
i've got some that I've acquired in a rock buy from a fellow reefer--it's ok; personnally, I like the regular live rock. The homemade stuff doesn't seem to be as pourous, less little holes and crevices, corraline takes forever to spread (and I don't know why that is), just that kinda thing--one advantage-you can make your rock as big/small as you want and in the shape you want too.
The DIY rock has pros and cons. The pros are it is cheap, probably 10-15 cent a pound. Do not have to worry about some predator coming out of the rock and terrorizing your tank. You can determine the shape and size of the rock. I have made cave rock and arched rock. You can add rock without creating a mini cycle. I have great coraline growth on my DYI rocks. The negative is the cure time from the actual making of the rock to the time you are able to put in your tank. This process can and will take months, until the concrete curing process is over. During that process the concrete omits high range Ph which could and would play havoc in your tank. Perfecting the rock to make it porous, can be rather dense. Again it will take longer to become live once in tank in relation to real live rock. I am sure I could come up with more pros and cons if I had the time. But GARF and RC are great sites to research.
Here are a few shots of my rock. Toward the bottom right with 2 lage holes is the cave rock. Plus arch in center of first picture is a large busted up cave rock. The rock above my regal tang is man made. Probably 25-30% of my rock is DIY. I use white portland cement, crushed oyster shells and usually sand. I make porous by mixing dry, and sometimes using pasta shells for holes.
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Here are a few shots of my rock. Toward the bottom right with 2 lage holes is the cave rock. Plus arch in center of first picture is a large busted up cave rock. The rock above my regal tang is man made. Probably 25-30% of my rock is DIY. I use white portland cement, crushed oyster shells and usually sand. I make porous by mixing dry, and sometimes using pasta shells for holes.
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skriz
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If you make your rock early, the cure time is not really an issue. While you get the rest of your tank ready and get it running it's cycle, you're almost done with your diy rock.
Anyway, there is a massive thread on RC going over the recipes. The recipes improve as the thread goes along...it's looooooooooong thread though! Garf is a great site too.
Anyway, there is a massive thread on RC going over the recipes. The recipes improve as the thread goes along...it's looooooooooong thread though! Garf is a great site too.
Thanks guys, I personally don't enjoy man made all that much either but I want to do some custom aquascaping and to be able to control what my next tank looks like.
It would be nice to grab some of that Totoka rock if anywhere knows where to get that for cheap haha.
It would be nice to grab some of that Totoka rock if anywhere knows where to get that for cheap haha.
