anthony law Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 im thinking to make a rock formation out of cexmix with shells with the mix,for a marine tank. question 1 do you have to seal it 2 do you have to soak for a week or two before you add livestock to a tank. 3 has any one dune this before...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 im thinking to make a rock formation out of cexmix with shells with the mix,for a marine tank. question 1 do you have to seal it 2 do you have to soak for a week or two before you add livestock to a tank. 3 has any one dune this before...... No, you don't have to seal it, that would defeat most of the purpose of the rock. Yes, it's generally best to soak it for at least a few weeks, I think a couple months with frequent water changes is common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted November 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 so i can just make it put into tank and while the tank is maturing.cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef13 Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 If the rocks are not big you may get away with not sealing it. but the cemix definitly raises the ph in the water if unsealed for a long long time if there is alot of it found this out when building a background as i'm sure others have also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 A marine tank has a high pH anyway, often this is achieved by adding kalk which is basically builders lime or the same stuff as is coming out of your DIY rock. Coral rock or unsealed DIY is used in marine tanks because it is porous and has bacteria living deep in the rock (where the name "live rock" comes from) that converts nitrate to nitrogen gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted November 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 so you are saying im killing two stone at once then meaning it whould help with the blance of the tank fillter/kalk /ph then.cool if thats tha case why havnt other marine guys do the same as a base then. as it is $9 bag at bunnings.cheap base Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Some people do, but DIY rock just isn't as porous as the real stuff. Plus the pH buffering will be uncontrolled (you will have to keep a close eye in the levels). Lastly it's a temporary condition, sooner or later you will have to start adjusting your levels manually anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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