si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 I thought I would share my attempt at DIY coral rock. The Ingredients: I have made the rock molds in by pressing a real rock into damp sand to get the look of the real rock. In a bucket, I half filled it with oyster grit & sand and rinsed it 3-4 times to remove all the dust and dirty particles. Then I added 3-4 scoops of the cement and mixed. No water was needed because the rinsed oyster grit still held a lot of water. When Mixed together I had a few scoops of rock salt and mixed. I then took handfuls of the mixture and crumble it through my fingers and let it drop into the moulds. Patting it into the molds would have removed all the air and gaps in the mixture making it just look like a bit of concrete. So dropping it in loosely gave it a more random and natural look. Then I waited overnight before removing the rocks from the sand and rinsing them. They are still very soft so I had to be carefull not to break the thinner small rocks. After they sat for a week to cure hard, I soaked them in water for a few months to dissolve the rock salt. This made the rock more porous and soaked out any chemicals that leach from the concrete. Here is the first rock in my tank, covered in Green Star Polyps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishie123 Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 That's pretty cool! Long process but amazing! :gpo2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 I also made a heap more rock after this + a bunch of frag discs and zoa discs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 And this weekend I attempted making some tonga branches. Some of them cracked because they were still quite soft, after 48hrs in the sand, when I pulled them out. So I will just patch them up with more cement where I can or use some aqua knead-it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Man that is cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Nice, is the rock salt big pieces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Nice, is the rock salt big pieces? Have a look at the photos in the first post of the salt in my hand. It is only small. I would have liked to use bigger stuff but don't know where to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Have a look at the photos in the first post of the salt in my hand. It is only small. I would have liked to use bigger stuff but don't know where to find it. What does the rock salt do in this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 What does the rock salt do in this? Leaves holes in the rock once it dissolves for increased surface area and porosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Yes what Ira said. I would have used some coarser rock salt but could only find smaller normal grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Looks good in tank. Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 same salt i have been using, I would like some coarser stuff too I use coral rubble instead of oyster grit. and coral sand as I have a lot spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 I'd suspect that's probably a good size, I think you're probably better off with a larger number of small-medium voids rather than a smaller number of larger ones. More surface area with more smaller ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Aroganite sand would be the best to use but I didn't have any available. Oh and forgot to say, all of this can be made for less than $100. And I still have enough materials to make a couple more batches of rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 latest lot i did are pumice chip, waiting to see how it turns out after soaking for a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 That will make for some good live rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 Excellent idea, good job :thup: Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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