DIY Live Rock Recipes? - Page 11

dakar · #**251** 03/21/2006, 08:39 PM

Moved some things around a bit, so the links posted earlier (which I can't seem to edit) should point to;
a thread with some great examples is
http://www.captivereefing.com/showthread.php?t=702
and more pics at
http://www.captivereefing.ws/album_cat.php?cat_id=75

moses13 · #**252** 03/23/2006, 12:24 PM

Are those rocks made with a mold or free-hand?

dakar · #**253** 03/23/2006, 11:06 PM

Some of those pictured were said to be part molded and part free-hand. Some really great looking pieces.. I've tried to duplicate some of the pieces free hand with lmited success.

moses13 · #**254** 03/24/2006, 01:01 PM

Yeah, its difficult to replicate 3 dimensions with free hand style. Some of my favorite pieces are ones that i've built with a layered approach, but ends up being a lot of work for each piece that way

speckled trout · #**255** 03/24/2006, 01:09 PM

These are some that I ended up letting one of my friends have. He saw them when they were curing and convinced me to let him have them. I have some more that are curing in the river right now. They are large, about 14" to 15" wide. He is put them in his 250g at the top of his artifical reef.

I also made a rock wall that is composed of 4 panels that will fit side-by-side to fit inside of our school's 55g tank. When assembled, it will cover the back wall and should make it very realistic looking. I can't wait to get it in there and covered with coralline. I'll post pics when it's finished curing in the river. I'll probably pull them out this weekend since they've already cured for 14 weeks.

psycho_clown · #**256** 03/24/2006, 04:20 PM

speckled trout those are great. i really like them i still would love to give it a try.

hmott · #**257** 03/24/2006, 04:41 PM

speckled trout that is some of the best I have ever seen.. give some details on how you did it please.

that left one looks like a huge piece of real live rock.

speckled trout · #**258** 03/24/2006, 05:22 PM

I promise to give some more details and step by step pics after the weekend. I'll try to outline the process in detail. It's not really that hard. It just requires a little thinking in "reverse" or inside out. Heck ,I'll figure out how to word it later. Got to go fishing, right now. See ya'll next week.

lousybreed · #**259** 03/25/2006, 11:25 PM

those were the best I have seen....does anyone have any pics of some established tanks with DIY live rock??????? we have gotta see some soon!

ItsMee · #**260** 03/26/2006, 10:55 AM

Im excited to hear your process and ratio recipe speckled trout...how would you rate your rock in terms of pourisity on a scale of 1-10, 10 being insanely porous? How would you rate your rock in terms of strength on a scale of 1-10, 10 being like a cinder block?

speckled trout · #**261** 03/27/2006, 09:01 AM

The pieces that your looking at in the above pics aren't porous at all. They were meant to be purely "decorative" and will occupy the top of the "reef". I couldn't make them that porous because of the delicate shapes that I was trying to create.

I wouldn't say that they're that strong, either. Strength isn't necessary because they aren't going to have to support anything heavier than coralline algae and some encrusting species of coral. I would say that they're about as hard to break as real "live rock", though. You have to want to break them to get them to crack!

Now, the "base rocks" that I make to support all the other rocks are designed to be quite strong. I don't expect to them to break anytime soon. The ones that I have in my tank have been in there for 2 years and are doing the job nicely. They, on the other hand, are quite porous. They take a little while to drain if you have to remove one of them from the tank for any reason. On a scale of one to ten, some would be around an 7 and the ones your looking at above would probably be a 2. Remember though, the ones your looking at above aren't for biological filtration, they're my attempt to make it look a little more realistic.

hmott · #**262** 03/27/2006, 10:43 AM

weekend is over.. do we get a blow-by-blow on how ya do it? I'm waiting to get my supplies for your list, I love those rocks.

speckled trout · #**263** 03/27/2006, 12:54 PM

Hold your horses!

I was extremely busy over the weekend. Yeah right, I was fishing!

I am going to try and post pics along with directions. A pic, as you know, is worth a thousand words. Hopefully, I'll be able to get busy on this project(pics of the steps), today after work. I'll try to be as helpful as possible with your questions.

Equipment/Supplies
1. Optional - crushed oyster shell - make sure you clean it pretty good, crushed coral can be used as a substitute.
2. Optional - crushed coral - different sizes will help you create a variety of textures in your finished pieces.
3. Container to create the rocks . I usually use an old styrofoam box that LFS use to ship fish. Any fairly solid box or container will work, though. The main consideration is using a container that is large enough to handle the size of the rock(s) your creating. I have also used old coolers and wooden homemade boxes. Anything cheap and sturdy!

4. Container to mix cement/shell/crushed coral. I usually use a five gallon bucket that can easily be rinsed out before the cement sets up.
5. Shovel/Hoe to help mix and stir the cement.
6. Small gardener's hand shovel or a big spoon to use when "pouring" the rock. I also use my hands. Note: Some people are sensitive to cement and should wear gloves. I'm not, so I don't use any. I find that using my fingers lets me control the application of the wet mixture as I create the rock pieces.
7. Gloves - if you've got sensitive skin.
8. Water hose with nozzle to control flow of water when mixing cement.
9. Type I/II Low alkali Portland's Cement. One bag will go a long way. Make sure to close it up tightly after using it or moisture will ruin the rest of the bag. High humidity has ruined several of mine. It makes them set up on the inside of the bag ruining them.
10. Enough crushed oyster shell/crushed coral/ or sand to adequately fill the box that you intend on creating rocks inside of. You will use this to create caves, tunnels, and support the wet cement as you "build" your creation. This crushed oyster shell/crushed coral/ or sand isn't going to become your rocks. It's necessary to create your "mold" as your working.
11. A bucket to contain the extra crushed oyster shell/crushed coral/ or sand inside of as your creating your rocks. This will be your supply for creating your temporary "mold". You'll take what you need as you need it from this container and add it to your "growing" mold for creating your rock. You'll be able to re-use this again to make more rocks in the future.

I can't think of anything else you'll need else at this moment. Well, I have to go back to work, so I'll update this later.

doody · #**264** 03/28/2006, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by speckled trout
Here's a couple of old pics of some rocks that I made for a friend. They are supported by legs that protrude through the gravel to keep the structure from toppling when his gobie goes to work! They also support the structure and allow it to sit slightly off the bottom permitting circulation underneath the rock structures.

They've been posted before, so you may have seen them already.

You say these have been posted. Could you tell us where?

speckled trout · #**265** 03/28/2006, 09:40 AM

I posted the ones above on an earlier thread about DIY Rocks. I don't remember the actual name of the thread.

Here's a pic of some recently cured rock panels that I made for our school's 55g aquarium. I made them so that I could insert them behind the other rocks to create a more realistic backdrop.

Unfortunately, yesterday it was drizzling when I left work. I wasn't able to work on any more rocks. Hopefully, today it'll be dry and I'll have some more pics to post.

Here's another shot of some of the other recently cured pieces that'll be going to some of my friends.

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doody · #**266** 03/28/2006, 09:50 AM

Thanks, I searched all your posts and found them. Now to read and sort through them to get what I need

moses13 · #**267** 03/28/2006, 10:58 AM

Can you elaborate on your method of creating the intricate branching rocks?

speckled trout · #**268** 03/28/2006, 11:19 AM

I'll try to post up some helpful pics later. I wasn't able to work on any rocks because it was drizzling yesterday. I was planning on documenting the process step-by-step with pics and some description of the actual process. Bad thing is I don't get off work until after 4 and it gets dark at 6:45. That doesn't leave me a lot of time, but I'll try again this afternoon.
Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

speckled trout · #**269** 03/28/2006, 12:08 PM

I have plans to take a bunch of my cured rock out into the Gulf of Mexico this summer. I'm going to place it in large crates, so that it can become encrusted with marine life. These are plastic crates that are made very similar to milk crates and should allow lots of light and water to flow through them. My plans are to give it several months and then retrieve it. Lots of different types of feather dusters and even coralline algae should be inhabiting the rock by then. Anyways, that's my plan.

speckled trout · #**270** 03/28/2006, 12:22 PM

Creating the branchs isn't really that hard. It just takes a little extra time and planning when making the rock. I try to have a mental picture of what I want the finished structure to look like before I actually start making it.

First, try to envision or even draw what you want the finished piece to look like. Consider your existing rock when your doing this because you will probably want to incorporate it into your layout of your "reef" along with the homemade rocks.

Also, know your tank's dimensions. If you don't, you might end up making a piece that doesn't fit your tank. How your going to place these rocks and how your other rocks will be used with them is extremely important before making any new rock. You've got to have a plan!

-More to come

speckled trout · #**271** 03/28/2006, 02:30 PM

Well crud! It's raining(pouring) again and supposed to be raining throughout tomorrow. I can't make rocks in the rain, so my step by step pics may have to wait a little longer. Sorry.

By the way, we're in the middle of a terrible drought, so I shouldn't be complaining. We haven't any appreciable amount of rain since way back in last year. A burn ban has been in effect for a long time. This is very unusual for this area this early in the year and we're way below what we should have had for rainfall.

psycho_clown · #**272** 03/29/2006, 12:00 AM

trout can't wait. i got a freind that has a bayou behnd his house would that water be alright to cure it? water moves pretty fast. but in louisana so not that clean looking pretty muddy looking

Roland Jacques · #**273** 03/29/2006, 01:13 AM

how about color can i put ny kind of dye in the mix? like a tan color

hmott · #**274** 03/29/2006, 08:45 AM

can't wait.. speckled trout.

speckled trout · #**275** 03/29/2006, 12:50 PM

Okay, I'm gonna try to do this during my lunch. I might not finish so have patience. Also, it was raining yesterday and a little difficult to take pics and play with cement at the same time.