Go

[Arty Morty]

Hey Ho,

The LR they make over at GARF http://www.garf.org/LEONELS/rock.html

Does it work? I mean once it has alge growth and all that, can it be used to replace actual LR?
And if so, how do you make it "LIVE"?
________
Vaporizer wiki (http://vaporizerwiki.com)

[Skimmerking]

Hey there i have made about 70 lbs of LR and it was worth it if you hav a big tank and need to full out the tank....

It's really easy and had fun making it. the coraline grew great on it it looks just like live rock and it live from the life that lives in the rock the worms and pods inside the rock. the more pourous the better.]
anything can work if you ahve the righttools to make it ....


MIke

[Canadian Man]

Got some in my 230g tank as well. Looks great after a few month's. I have about 25% diy rock and 75% live rock.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Would you guys still recommend it over base rock? I'd think base rock would work out to the same price, maybe a bit cheaper than the DIY live rock. I'm trying it right now and I find the rock just stays damp for to long, I've left it for a few days now in the container and it's still dampish, it doesn't dry out until it's out of the styrofoam box... I guess I should try a couple different methods still...

Doug

[tkhawaja]

There are really only two main advantages to making Aragocrete(tm). Take less live rock from the ocean preserving a natural resource and you can create exactly the shapes you want to do a fully customized aquascape. Check out this link for a photo essay (http://www.mywhitecourt.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album04) of my efforts.

[Canadian Man]

The only thing I didn't like about my cement rock was that it took about 6 month's for the ph of the curing water to come down.

Oh on the plus side I made some cool shaped ones. Like one to cover my overflow :cool:

[BCOrchidGuy]

6 Months??? Geez what I read was about 6 weeks... that's just not good...

I think I'll stick with base rock and a concrete drill to make it more porous.

Doug

[tkhawaja]

I did a white vinegar bath for a few days then let the rock cure in normal water for about two weeks. I changed the water every day. Have not had any problems with PH at all. I believe the cement you use also makes a big difference in how long it takes to properly cure the rock. The easiest thing would be to get base rock which will eventually populate from your live rock. About the same time it will take you Aragocrete rock to populate.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Thats what I was thinking, and base rock is about the same price as aragonite,.... it's what I'm going to try..

Doug

[whaase]

I don't want to sound ignorant, but, what is "base rock"? Tufa?

Walter

[BCOrchidGuy]

base rock is, well.. live rock that died.. it's sun bleached, white, no growth... http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/shopping/jalstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=cs-rrock

Doug

[whaase]

Makes sense. Thanks :biggrin:

Walter

[StirCrazy]

base rock is, well.. live rock that died.. it's sun bleached, white, no growth... http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/shopping/jalstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=cs-rrock

Doug

that base rock at J&L is mined from old petrafied reefs that are land based now.. not from the ocean. it is more dence and less pourous than real live rock and a lot harder.

Steve

[LostMind]

I picked up a bunch of base rock from JL. I dont think it needs much drilling or work to make it more porous... seems pretty decently porous to me....

I've only had this rock in my sump a few days..

[sleeman]

I've got 50 lbs of base rock in my tank. It has been in for about a month and a half now and the coraline is starting to take hold. Kinda funny actually, my live rock is growing a small amount of hair and the base rock has none. I too found the base rock to be just as porus as live rock. I had one piece that was fairly solid except for a couple of 1 inch holes through it. It is a favorite of the percs to swim through. I made rock prior to this. I cured it for a bout a month, and the PH was still above my test kit. I also read some posts, that there may be other elements that leech from the conrete. I think it was on reefcentral, but can't remember. Knowing what I know now, I would just buy the base rock unless I was trying to fill a particluar area and need a specific shape. Hope this helps.

Al

[BCOrchidGuy]

yeah Al, I believe the big thing is the concrete that's used. I've been on web sites etc for different concrete companies and their Low Alk concrete is all fairly similar but they do have some differences. (not cheap either). If I had known then what I know now, I could have saved $50 on that bag of concrete... Oh well, maybe I'll make alot of plugs for frags..

Doug

[sleeman]

I hear you. I still have 50 lbs of oyster shell and 3/4 of a bag of concrete = about 1000 years worth of plugs.

Cheers,

Al

[BCOrchidGuy]

lol, maybe wendell can take it off your hand he's been making plugs.

Doug

[psiico]

I got a small 4 kg bag of white portland cement for $12, I guess I got lucky. My curing took about 4 weeks. I only made 10 pounds as a test. I kept the pieces in a 5 gallon bucket in my bathroom, each time I had to flush I dumped the water in the toilet and refilled the bucket. So a couple or three times a day. I really like the little caves I made in it, and so do my critters. I definately will make more.