DIY base rock...a la Garf

[project5k]

i havent actually tried to take any measurements on mine, just cause theres no point before the 1 month point. Cement takes up to 30 days to fully cure, perhaps not that long in these smaller chunks, but still, there is the possibility that there is that chemical reaction going on deep inside the rocks.. so i'm not gonna chance it. Not to mention that the salt that is way deep inside, is gonna take a good long while to disolve cause theres just not THAT much water flow through the structure of the rock.

my suggestion is to put a small powerhead in the tub if you can to keep the water moving, cause once the salt is gone, you sill want to try and leach out as much of the lime as you can.

just soaking will work, but i think that moving water will do a much better job of making the new rock safe.

 

[mng777777]

Not 100% sure, but I don't think lime leaches out, so much as it absorbs things. I have read posts that say that it absorbs everything in water that is of any value, leaving the calcium, pH, magnesium, etc, levels out of range.

 

[project5k]

that could very well be right, i really have no idea on the chemistry... i had just heard that the lime caused the problems.. too bad i didnt pay attention during chemistry classes...

 

[mng777777]

point being that I am not sure that you can ever overcome the effects of the lime. I was actually very curious about the long term effect of using this type of rock for that reason. I guess as usual the solution is probably to perform frequent tests and water changes.

 

[project5k]

well since i've put my first batch in the tank, i havent seen any changes in my water parameters.. now i suppose its possible that somehow its affecting the trace elements, but regular water changes should help take care of that...

 

[mng777777]

good! I look forward to your pics

 

[project5k]

just check my showcase thread, i keep putting pics in there...

 

[dcantucson]

Anyone care for a Limeade? :mrgreen:

 

[project5k]

well, this comming weekend will be weekend #3, so i guess i'm getting close to that time where i need to start thinking about testing the soak water and see if i'm still getting salt out, and what the ph looks like to see if this stuff is calming down yet...

 

[project5k]

had some stuff going on and so i missed out on testing this weekend.. I'll try and start that this weekend.

oh, and in other developments, I HAVE PURPLE CORALINE ALGAE GROWING ON MY FIRST BATCH OF HOME MADE ROCKS IN THE TANK!!!!

so, um, yea, i'm kinda happy about that.. hehehehehe :D

 

[bjohanson1234]

It'll look like the rest of your rocks soon :bounce:

 

[project5k]

I hope so, and with that second batch about to come out of the cure tanks, maybe i can finally have enough pounds of rock in my tank...

 

[wontonflip]

Good job, p5k! I think mine should be ready. But since they're for my 125g, They'll be sitting dry for a while. Maybe I'll just keep soaking them for a li'l while longer. Will they become too weak if I let them dry out? I probably won't be using them for another 6 months, while getting the 125 all prepared.

 

[dcantucson]

Great job project5k
Your going to have to change your name to project4k now, since your saving $$ on the DIY rock! :lol:

 

[project5k]

If they have been soaking for about a month, then at this point, wet or dry I would think that they are the same strength.. The chemistry that’s going on inside should be fully completed by now, so I can’t really see any advantage to keeping them wet.

The one thing that I would do before I take them out of the curing/washing tubs, is I would check the ph of your water, and then ph of the water in the bins, after the rocks have been sitting stagnant for a few hours. If the ph of the water in the bins is lower than the water coming out of the tap, then I would personally soak them longer, because it would seem to me that the rocks are still having an effect o the water, and thus are not neutral yet. Just my thinking on it though...

One thing that I read was to "pre-cure" the home made rocks in your old water(the water you normally throw away after a water change) supposedly this helps to pre-seed this "base" rock or dead rock that we're making.

I have a noticeable amount of purple growth on my first batch so; I’m thinking that this is going to work out awesome.

Oh, yea, changing my name to 4k wouldn’t really work, that name isn’t about $$ it’s about how many ideas of things that I want to do, or have started and haven’t finished. It’s a little embarrassing, but I still have the original "5K" trike in my barn that’s not finished. and I started that a year before we bought this house, and that was 5 years ago, and I’m still not done(money, time, family, new salt fish tank) I could list excuses for hours...

 

[bjohanson1234]

I think I am going to have to try making a small batch of this rock and seeing who it works out

Brian

 

[wontonflip]

I think I am going to have to try making a small batch of this rock and seeing who it works out

Brian

Make sure to post your progress! We love to hear how others did, and if you make mistakes, share with us so we can all learn :)

Trial and error!!

Hey project...post pics of the new rock in the tank!

 

[project5k]

well i don't know WHO its gonna work out, but if it tries to work me out, it better bring its sack lunch and a couple friends!

hehehe so far, mine has worked out wonderfully, this last bach i figured out that it was 130lbs before all the rock salt was disolved, so using that and guessing that i'll end up with something like 100 lbs of usable rock, i figured that it costs me about $1/lb to make, including a little something for my time...

if i could sell it, i would sell it for like $2 to $3/lb. and i have the pictures to prove that purple corraline algae will grow on it within a couple months...

 

[project5k]

hehe, i got sniped... do you mean the new new rock, or the first batch of man made rock i did?

 

[bjohanson1234]

:grumble: damn typing dislexia of mine