DIY live rock...

AndyP27

AndyP27

Member
I just made a few pieces of rock. I've been researching the DIY liverock for a while now. I made a test batch tonight to see how it holds up. I didn't use white portland cement, just the cheap grey portland cement from home depot. I'll post pics on Sunday if this was a success. If it does work, I'd be willing to share materials (sand and rubbermaids) with anyone in the area. If anyone has done this I'd appreciate info on where you got your supplies, in particular, 100% oyster shells. The stuff I got was chicken feed and didn't look like shells (99% calcium carbonate). It may never go in the tank. We'll see what happens. Any feedback is appreciated!
 
Id be interested in doing a shared materials sort of thing. Ive looked into it a little but think this would be an awesome way to hide those ugly frag plugs. Watching this thread closely!
 
I made the entire rock wall out of agrocrete or the DIY love rock. I also made some frag rock holders too. Pics are in my build thread and another DIY thread too. I've had the best luck with a sand/crushed coral mix and my batch using oyster shells turned out awful but I don't know why. For a lot of it I used rock salt as well for added porosity. Make SURE you cure it for at least a month and change to RO water once a week otherwise ph will skyrocket.
 
Overall I think I've made about 100-ish lbs. most of it for my rock wall and some other pieces as well.
 
Btw white Portland is the strongest and the fastest curing which is why it's recommended. Your stuff could still be ok but make dam sure the ph is stable before you add it to the tank. Also check the salinity as some cheaper concretes use salt as well.
 
I did read that about the white portland cement being stronger and faster curing. I may pick up a bag if I can find some. I'm not in any hurry to get it in the tank - planning on a few months in a trash can. I'll see how it looks tomorrow!!!
 
Another thing you need to check is the cured pH of the other cement. White Portland type 3 when cured has a stable pH of 7.8, most others is around 9 or much higher, so be very careful.
 
Been busy with non tank stuff no time for pics. I don't like the way this rock turned out. I'll see how it looks after a week in fresh water. The rock salt is still intact. I'm gunna find some white portland and 100% oyster shell. I'll get some pics on here sometime.
 
The rock salt will take over a month to fully dissolve inside and out.

What don't you like about the rock? Depending on the issue, I could probably find a solution. I've made almost every mistake possible! LOL

Personally, I didn't like the rock I made with oyster shells. My favorite rocks I used a mix of aragonite sand and crushed coral, which gave it a great mix of smooth and textured spots.

http://www.chicagoreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?6503-DIY-reef-rock

This has pics of my process and almost all my pieces. When I made the rock for my back wall and overflows, I didn't use salt for some of it because I wanted to be sure it would nice and flat on the back, since I used JB weld to adhere it.

I've made over 100 lbs, and about 70 lbs are useful, lol, so I've been there.
 
I just don't like the darker color and I didn't get very creative with the shapes...gunna try to do a batch this weekend. and get a little more creative. Do you let it dry outside of water for a while before going into the dissolving tank?
 
I let it dry for 24 after pouring before I put it into water. Also, keep the water stirred, even if its an air stone or something.
 
Also, the color is partially from the cement. If you don't use a white portland type 3 it'll always be a brown color after cured.
 
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