DIY rock with VIDEO tutorial and Q/A - Page 3

marinerfr · 09/16/2010, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

No... when you get a new test kit check it and then I'll be able to help you more.

ok thanx for ur patience

Greenmaster · 09/16/2010, 10:09 AM

No problem, when do you think you will get that new test kit?

Matrajeous · 09/16/2010, 04:26 PM

I had a question for smoothing out the rock as well, do you have to use such a large amount of crushed oyster shells or can you play with the ratio's of sand cement and salt to get like an all sand stone? or will that make your structures waaaay unstable??? awsome job by the way!

Matt

Greenmaster · 09/16/2010, 05:20 PM

With all sand and no shell you will end up with a heavy, not very porous rock... it will also take a lot longer for them to become PH stable.

marinerfr · 09/17/2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

No problem, when do you think you will get that new test kit?

ok tested today and PH was at 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!ahhhh

Greenmaster · 09/17/2010, 01:59 PM

what is your tap water at? Also what kind of cement did you use?

beachorama · 09/17/2010, 06:01 PM

Hey Mr. Green,

I have a used 40 breeder that I'm planning for my first FOWLR.

Can I cure the DIY rock in the tank until it has all leached out? (or should I cure it in separate plastic tubs.)

Do you see any problems with curing it in the tank itself?

Of course I will change out the water and add sand...etc. when curing is complete.

Thanks!!!

Greenmaster · 09/17/2010, 07:04 PM

Curing in the tank will be fine... if you have something to help with water movement in the tank that will help a lot as well. Also the frequency that you change the water will affect how fast the rocks will cure.

beachorama · 09/17/2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

Curing in the tank will be fine... if you have something to help with water movement in the tank that will help a lot as well. Also the frequency that you change the water will affect how fast the rocks will cure.

OK, cool.

Would a Hang on Whisper filter be good (I'm sure a powerhead would be better though.)

* Oh!!! One more question... Do I need to cure the rock in Saltwater or can I cure it in freshwater for a SW tank? *

Thanks again!!!

Greenmaster · 09/17/2010, 07:41 PM

You don't need to have the filters in. The hang on would be better then nothing but as you said the powerhead would be better. You can cure it in fresh water to begin with... once the PH is stable you will then have to cure it the rest of the way in SW. When you get to the SW phase though you could change the water once every 3-10 days depending on how the PH is doing.

beachorama · 09/17/2010, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

You don't need to have the filters in. The hang on would be better then nothing but as you said the powerhead would be better. You can cure it in fresh water to begin with... once the PH is stable you will then have to cure it the rest of the way in SW. When you get to the SW phase though you could change the water once every 3-10 days depending on how the PH is doing.

Great...awesome info!!!

Thanks Greenman!

marinerfr · 09/18/2010, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

what is your tap water at? Also what kind of cement did you use?

my water is at 8 and i used portland cement type 1

Greenmaster · 09/19/2010, 01:11 AM

12... that's a high PH... that's like bleach... That's 10,000 times the PH it's supposed to be. Are you sure?

marinerfr · 09/19/2010, 10:51 AM

ya i dont understand wats hapening i used rock salt, crushed oyster shell from the feed store and portland cement type 1

Greenmaster · 09/19/2010, 01:21 PM

Maybe your cement is too thick and will take longer to clear... I would drain all the water fill it up again. Do you have a water softener? If you do have one, I would try to get water prior to going into your softener (usually outside taps are not on the softener).

marinerfr · 09/19/2010, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

Maybe your cement is too thick and will take longer to clear... I would drain all the water fill it up again. Do you have a water softener? If you do have one, I would try to get water prior to going into your softener (usually outside taps are not on the softener).

no i dont have a softener. I ve been using the outside hose.....ya i noticed it has a little more cement in tha rock....idk wat to do ready to give up

Greenmaster · 09/20/2010, 05:46 AM

Now that you can test I would change the water every 3 days and test every time before I empty the water so I could see how much/if it's dropping every water change. I would do that 3 or four times before I give up

marinerfr · 09/20/2010, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

Now that you can test I would change the water every 3 days and test every time before I empty the water so I could see how much/if it's dropping every water change. I would do that 3 or four times before I give up

ok i will try that and let u know

lordofthereef · 09/20/2010, 09:13 AM

I made something very similar to this about six months back (never saw the vids until today but sort of wish I did since I was going by blind faith when making the stuff). There seem to be a lot of questions about pH, so I thought I would share my own experience. I made about 200 lbs of rock and cured it in a 100g rubbermaid tote (that I bought to make a fuge out of). The pH is almost pointless to sit there and measure early on. Just keep the stuff soaking. If you don't want to change your water out frequently, a splash of muriatic acid will drop the pH nicely (literally just a splash). I got the idea on the forums here from some "reef chemists" (Randy was one of them), so I felt pretty safe in doing so. In my experience there was a lot of precipitate, most likely because I didn't frequently change the water (I was also using RO water because our tap water is just terrible). Once I stopped seeing precipitate, I started testing for pH again. I probably left things curing for nearly four months, but there are no longer any pH swings. The recipe I used was nearly identical to the one I see here, minus the rock salt. The rock I made turned out plenty porous. I do suppose the added porosity may be beneficial, but this rock turns out way more porous than any natural rock I have really ever seen even without the rock salt addition.

marinerfr · 09/20/2010, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordofthereef

I made something very similar to this about six months back (never saw the vids until today but sort of wish I did since I was going by blind faith when making the stuff). There seem to be a lot of questions about pH, so I thought I would share my own experience. I made about 200 lbs of rock and cured it in a 100g rubbermaid tote (that I bought to make a fuge out of). The pH is almost pointless to sit there and measure early on. Just keep the stuff soaking. If you don't want to change your water out frequently, a splash of muriatic acid will drop the pH nicely (literally just a splash). I got the idea on the forums here from some "reef chemists" (Randy was one of them), so I felt pretty safe in doing so. In my experience there was a lot of precipitate, most likely because I didn't frequently change the water (I was also using RO water because our tap water is just terrible). Once I stopped seeing precipitate, I started testing for pH again. I probably left things curing for nearly four months, but there are no longer any pH swings. The recipe I used was nearly identical to the one I see here, minus the rock salt. The rock I made turned out plenty porous. I do suppose the added porosity may be beneficial, but this rock turns out way more porous than any natural rock I have really ever seen even without the rock salt addition.

were can i find muriatic acid???? and how long should i let it sit in it?

Greenmaster · 09/20/2010, 11:23 PM

You would add a splash... I don't know if acetic acid is okay or not (white vinegar has it at 5% and pickling vinegar at 7%) But a cup of that will lower your PH too.

marinerfr · 09/20/2010, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

You would add a splash... I don't know if acetic acid is okay or not (white vinegar has it at 5% and pickling vinegar at 7%) But a cup of that will lower your PH too.

green master i have concerns plz look in the thread diy rock questions someone is telling me my rock is useless and it will harm my tank wana get ur opinion its on the last page thanx

Greenmaster · 09/21/2010, 06:05 AM

The funny thing is he told you to do the same thing as I did about 40 minutes later lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncleof6

Cook um longer, try some white vinegar. Basically either the pH will drop or it won't...

Did you wash your oyster shell prior to using it? not that it's a big deal...

I still say bring the PH down and monitor the rise in PH, the rinse repeat. For a few weeks, posting your results and then I can give you better advice.

marinerfr · 09/21/2010, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenmaster

The funny thing is he told you to do the same thing as I did about 40 minutes later lol.
Did you wash your oyster shell prior to using it? not that it's a big deal...

I still say bring the PH down and monitor the rise in PH, the rinse repeat. For a few weeks, posting your results and then I can give you better advice.

idk the weird thing was wen i tried rinsing the first bag of oyster shells some of the water would just repeatdly turn mily white ?i bought it at a feed store

Greenmaster · 09/22/2010, 09:08 AM

Same thing happened with mine. But I continued to wash till it got clear. Just keep me updated on water parameters and what you have done to adjust them. (I just added some more vinegar to my tank last night)

09/16/2010, 10:09 AM	#52
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	No problem, when do you think you will get that new test kit? __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/16/2010, 05:20 PM	#54
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	With all sand and no shell you will end up with a heavy, not very porous rock... it will also take a lot longer for them to become PH stable. __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/17/2010, 01:59 PM	#56
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	what is your tap water at? Also what kind of cement did you use? __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/17/2010, 07:04 PM	#58
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	Curing in the tank will be fine... if you have something to help with water movement in the tank that will help a lot as well. Also the frequency that you change the water will affect how fast the rocks will cure. __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/17/2010, 07:41 PM	#60
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	You don't need to have the filters in. The hang on would be better then nothing but as you said the powerhead would be better. You can cure it in fresh water to begin with... once the PH is stable you will then have to cure it the rest of the way in SW. When you get to the SW phase though you could change the water once every 3-10 days depending on how the PH is doing. __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/16/2010, 04:26 PM	#53
Matrajeous Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Ny Posts: 83	I had a question for smoothing out the rock as well, do you have to use such a large amount of crushed oyster shells or can you play with the ratio's of sand cement and salt to get like an all sand stone? or will that make your structures waaaay unstable??? awsome job by the way! Matt

09/17/2010, 06:01 PM	#57
beachorama Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 19	Hey Mr. Green, I have a used 40 breeder that I'm planning for my first FOWLR. Can I cure the DIY rock in the tank until it has all leached out? (or should I cure it in separate plastic tubs.) Do you see any problems with curing it in the tank itself? Of course I will change out the water and add sand...etc. when curing is complete. Thanks!!!

09/19/2010, 01:11 AM	#63
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	12... that's a high PH... that's like bleach... That's 10,000 times the PH it's supposed to be. Are you sure? __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/19/2010, 10:51 AM	#64
marinerfr Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 221	ya i dont understand wats hapening i used rock salt, crushed oyster shell from the feed store and portland cement type 1

09/19/2010, 01:21 PM	#65
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	Maybe your cement is too thick and will take longer to clear... I would drain all the water fill it up again. Do you have a water softener? If you do have one, I would try to get water prior to going into your softener (usually outside taps are not on the softener). __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/20/2010, 05:46 AM	#67
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	Now that you can test I would change the water every 3 days and test every time before I empty the water so I could see how much/if it's dropping every water change. I would do that 3 or four times before I give up __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/20/2010, 09:13 AM	#69
lordofthereef One reef to rule them all Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Leominster, MA Posts: 5,299	I made something very similar to this about six months back (never saw the vids until today but sort of wish I did since I was going by blind faith when making the stuff). There seem to be a lot of questions about pH, so I thought I would share my own experience. I made about 200 lbs of rock and cured it in a 100g rubbermaid tote (that I bought to make a fuge out of). The pH is almost pointless to sit there and measure early on. Just keep the stuff soaking. If you don't want to change your water out frequently, a splash of muriatic acid will drop the pH nicely (literally just a splash). I got the idea on the forums here from some "reef chemists" (Randy was one of them), so I felt pretty safe in doing so. In my experience there was a lot of precipitate, most likely because I didn't frequently change the water (I was also using RO water because our tap water is just terrible). Once I stopped seeing precipitate, I started testing for pH again. I probably left things curing for nearly four months, but there are no longer any pH swings. The recipe I used was nearly identical to the one I see here, minus the rock salt. The rock I made turned out plenty porous. I do suppose the added porosity may be beneficial, but this rock turns out way more porous than any natural rock I have really ever seen even without the rock salt addition. __________________ "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself" ~ Josh Billings Visit My Home page for current build thread (click my user name and select "Visit LordoftheReef's Homepage" in the drop down menu!

09/20/2010, 11:23 PM	#71
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	You would add a splash... I don't know if acetic acid is okay or not (white vinegar has it at 5% and pickling vinegar at 7%) But a cup of that will lower your PH too. __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

09/22/2010, 09:08 AM	#75
Greenmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 700	Same thing happened with mine. But I continued to wash till it got clear. Just keep me updated on water parameters and what you have done to adjust them. (I just added some more vinegar to my tank last night) __________________ If you want to follow my 320g tall tank build/experiment click the search at the top of the page type in "320g" select "Search Titles Only" then click search. The "320g build/journey/experiment :-)" with more then one page is the one you want. Current Tank Info: 320g Build in progress

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