Diy base rock
I know some of you want to know about making rocks so heres the basic's for what is needed to make plenty of rock. its really quite easy. the down side is the time it takes to water cure it before it is introduced into your tank. to keep with the Reef Central lingo I will refer to this as the Kure so it isnt confused with curing your liverock. the Kure refers to the time it takes to leach the lime out of the cement. its a loong thread but, i highly recommend reading it from the last split at least. lots and lots of good info. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1286738&perpage=25&pagenumber=1 My basic recipe uses portland cement type I II
this cool new sand i found
and a bit of perlite to lighten the rock a bit.
my basic mix is about 1:3:2-3 cement/sand/perlite
i add them all to the mixing bucket (i use a bus tub from a restaurant) and mix them well before i add any water
after they are mixed well SLOWLY add water. you dont yant to add too much. moist,crumbly, and barely sticking together is what youre going for. if its not sticking together well add a splash more water. i tend to go a bit wet and it seems to be fine.
i dont have a pic of it yet, but i'll take one next batch.
Then i decide what i want to use as a form so i dont get lots of flat bottomed turds. i have a few 5g bottles to use for forms but i like to just plop them out on the table. i have about 4" of sand and conc rubble on the table so i push that where i want it and make caves and such. its kinda like a miniature sandbox.
after the plopping i usually cover them with sand, it doesnt really hide the concrete, but it makes me feel better.
when youre done casting them cover your rocks with some plastic so they dont dry out.. After setting up and hardening for 24 hours they can be moved. so when you cast them make sure you dont need the space for a day. i've thought about using plywood squares but i dont really have the need to go that wild. soon, but not yet.
anyways, after you move them to wherever they are going to "harden" for a few weeks 3-4 is best, cover them with plastic and keep them warm and moist . i use black trash bags cut up and a 2x10 shelf in my shed to let them sit on. i am searching for the parts to make a fridge steamer and eliminate this step. (if you have an upright drapery steamer that you want to part with call me!!!)
(imagine black bags over everything)
then you wait,
and wait
and wait
then after you wait for as long as you can, 28 days is best to achieve maximum strength(as far as we're concerned) and the ph will naturally lower a few points too. then you add your fancy new rocks into a bucket of fresh water and begin the Kure (leaching of the lime). the hotter you can make the water the better. i keep my kuring bin close to 90*. the warmer the water the faster the leach. its a good idea to have some flow in there too. i just have a cheezy fountain pump, but it works well.
then you wait. i change the water in my bin every other day. thats the spendy part. water aint cheap, but i have a well so its much cheaper for me to run the pump once in a while vs. pay PID.
then you wait
after the PH falls below 8.4 it is safe to add into your tank. It is highlyrecommended to soak your rocks in old tank water and then -*test*-('") accordingly just to be on the safe side. but thats about it, start to finish is about 3 months or so, and the cost is relatively cheap. somewhere around .25-.50 lb not counting water or time.
Now go out there and make some rocks!!
:peace: :punk: :peace: :punk: :peace: :punk: :peace:
I know some of you want to know about making rocks so heres the basic's for what is needed to make plenty of rock. its really quite easy. the down side is the time it takes to water cure it before it is introduced into your tank. to keep with the Reef Central lingo I will refer to this as the Kure so it isnt confused with curing your liverock. the Kure refers to the time it takes to leach the lime out of the cement. its a loong thread but, i highly recommend reading it from the last split at least. lots and lots of good info. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1286738&perpage=25&pagenumber=1 My basic recipe uses portland cement type I II
this cool new sand i found
and a bit of perlite to lighten the rock a bit.
my basic mix is about 1:3:2-3 cement/sand/perlite
i add them all to the mixing bucket (i use a bus tub from a restaurant) and mix them well before i add any water
after they are mixed well SLOWLY add water. you dont yant to add too much. moist,crumbly, and barely sticking together is what youre going for. if its not sticking together well add a splash more water. i tend to go a bit wet and it seems to be fine.
i dont have a pic of it yet, but i'll take one next batch.
Then i decide what i want to use as a form so i dont get lots of flat bottomed turds. i have a few 5g bottles to use for forms but i like to just plop them out on the table. i have about 4" of sand and conc rubble on the table so i push that where i want it and make caves and such. its kinda like a miniature sandbox.
after the plopping i usually cover them with sand, it doesnt really hide the concrete, but it makes me feel better.
when youre done casting them cover your rocks with some plastic so they dont dry out.. After setting up and hardening for 24 hours they can be moved. so when you cast them make sure you dont need the space for a day. i've thought about using plywood squares but i dont really have the need to go that wild. soon, but not yet.
anyways, after you move them to wherever they are going to "harden" for a few weeks 3-4 is best, cover them with plastic and keep them warm and moist . i use black trash bags cut up and a 2x10 shelf in my shed to let them sit on. i am searching for the parts to make a fridge steamer and eliminate this step. (if you have an upright drapery steamer that you want to part with call me!!!)
(imagine black bags over everything)
then you wait,
and wait
and wait
then after you wait for as long as you can, 28 days is best to achieve maximum strength(as far as we're concerned) and the ph will naturally lower a few points too. then you add your fancy new rocks into a bucket of fresh water and begin the Kure (leaching of the lime). the hotter you can make the water the better. i keep my kuring bin close to 90*. the warmer the water the faster the leach. its a good idea to have some flow in there too. i just have a cheezy fountain pump, but it works well.
then you wait. i change the water in my bin every other day. thats the spendy part. water aint cheap, but i have a well so its much cheaper for me to run the pump once in a while vs. pay PID.
then you wait
after the PH falls below 8.4 it is safe to add into your tank. It is highlyrecommended to soak your rocks in old tank water and then -*test*-('") accordingly just to be on the safe side. but thats about it, start to finish is about 3 months or so, and the cost is relatively cheap. somewhere around .25-.50 lb not counting water or time.
Now go out there and make some rocks!!
:peace: :punk: :peace: :punk: :peace: :punk: :peace:
