DIY Live Rock - by Ed

This is a video about how I make DIY rocks for my aquarium. Basically you use three ingredients: 3 parts crushed oyster shells, 1 part white portland cement #1-2, and 2 parts rock salt. Mix and mold. Cure the cement in cold water. Then to make it live, cycle it with a live rock from a friends aquarium of the local fish store.

To make sure the rocks don't fall apart the water to cement ratio (weight ratio) should be about 1 part water, 2 parts cement. Too much water severely weakens the cement.

Before putting the rock in an established tank, test the pH of the water the cement has been curing in to make sure that the rock won't raise the pH of your system. The pH of the curing water should have a salinity at of very near 0 (SG of 1), and the pH should be no higher than the pH of your tank, but preferably lower.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• DIY
• Live
• Rock
• fiji
• tonga
• branch
• how
• to
• make
• base

[hollabacknow8557]

I got another question I notice you said you use... Oyster shells , cement, and salt and mix it together....and you last it in the sand to sculp...well I saw another video also that use the same thing as you but they said to add carib aragonite sand to the mixture is that right? They said they mix oyster shell,cement,aragonite sand and mix all that..then add rock salt

[eddiekern]

@hollabacknow8557 It is not needed, and it is expensive where I live. If you want to add calcium based sand then it will help a bit with adhesion. But it is not needed if you mix the cement carefully with a ratio of 1 part cement, about 0.4 - 0.5 parts water.

[hollabacknow8557]

All I have in the tank now is the salt...and the sand nothing and I put the stuff in the tank to kill the chlorine and bad stuff in tap water..someone said after I make the rock from scratch after it hardens I can just put it in the tank and let it cycle since its no fish in it anyway is that right or wrong?

[eddiekern]

@hollabacknow8557 You want to cure the rock in fresh water. And you want to change the water out regularly until the salt content in the water evens out, or goes to zero.

Also "curing the rock" can mean two things.

1) curing cement - letting the cement harden. (which is very alkaline)

2) curing live rock - Letting good bacteria grow on it.

You need to "cure the cement" (and dissolve the salt) before you should "cure the live rock".

[eddiekern]

@hollabacknow8557 (Part 2) - When you cure the cement you want to do that in freshwater. When you cure the live rock you want to do that in salt water.

So ... You want to let the cement harden and rock salt dissolve in fresh water and you want to let good stuff grow oin your rock in salt water. So when you you go to "cure the live rock" you can do that in your new salt water tank.

(the whole curing confusion is because the English language uses the same word for both processes)

[hollabacknow8557]

are you saying you can use white portland #1 to do this or does it have to be hydraulic cement?

[eddiekern]

@hollabacknow8557 I used Type I/II. Type II cement is moderately sulfate resistant, and since it will be in a salt water tank you want sulfate resistance, so make sure the cement is type I/II, type II, or Type V (high sulfate resistance). As you have probably figured out the color doesn't really matter.

[Jruberti]

How hard do you think it would be to make one Large piece around 16x6x7 inches?

[1aPPro]

I NEED HELP lol. I am using type 1 white portland cement, play sand in the box,extra course water softener salt, and crushed coral and something else I forget the name but its a mixture of shells because I cant find oyster shell anywhere.I have tried several times but nothing comes out like yours.Its winter in texas but has only been getting down to the 40's(dont know if this effects anything).I let my rock sit for 24 hrs and it still crumbles. I have no idea what im doing wrong. please help.

[mar123430]

listen your not getting it cure your rock in a bucket container in water for 2 weeks each day take out water put in clean water check your ph on your water make sure it drops cause if you throw that rock in just like that say bye bye to your fish do it right even when you buy live rock from your local pet store you should cure it same with drift wood

[unlockwall]

thank you this looks so nice 

[Asianleful]

How do I seed the rock?