DIY rock question

[ramz28]

I hope this is the right section. I am goin to be making rock ASAP. I have researched it and found al the info i need but i cant find "rock salt" or water softner salt anywhere. I kno alot of ppl on this forum are local any ideas where to get it? thanks

 

[Jzhou]

Its the same salt you use to melt Ice with. Just make sure to let it disolve and flush it out by storing it in freshwater for a month.

 

[Jzhou]

Also, in my experience, quick crete and crush coral seems to work the best for DIY rock.

 

[ramz28]

yea i was going to use portland cement and CC. My pops a contractor so i got bags of cement and i first set my tank up with CC and then just changed to a DSB. So regular ICE MELT works? i dont have to worry about the other chemicals in it?

 

[Jzhou]

You do, thats why you need to flush it out with tap water. Just cover it with water in a container and change that water everyday. Do it for a month or 2 so all the chemicals are washed out. I have also herd of people using epson salt.

 

[ramz28]

aight thanks good to know. yea i planed on leaveing it for months with a power head and changin the water daily. and whitestone is my old stomping grounds. lol

 

[Jzhou]

lol anytime, make sure to use white cement though. There is less impurities in it.

 

[KathyC]

Be very sure to test the pH of the rock before you add it to a tank with any living creatures in it!!

 

[ramz28]

so i did my first set of rocks FAIL!!
i did 1 part cement 3 parts CC and 3 parts salt waitied over 24hrs to pull it out of the sand and it fell apart lol.

 

[STHILL]

possibly to much salt and not enough cement, its to porus its just gonna crumble, just my 2 cents tho

 

[Jzhou]

way too much salt. When I make it I normally do a 1(cement), 2(crush coral/oyster shells), 1(salt). Use quick dry cement so that the salt doesn't have the chances to dissolve when the cement is still wet. Also to make water changes easier, put a bulkhead into a large trash can and put a valve into it. It makes changing the water as simple as just turning a valve and then adding water.

 

[Jzhou]

Are you making the rock to save on live rock cost or ar you doing it because you want specific shapes.

 

[ravi197699]

Home depot carry water softner salt. And its pretty cheap too

 

[ramz28]

@jzhou yea its a little of both. cheapest i found LR for is $6/lb. and its not always the most usefull shapes. yea i made a new batch 1 cement 1 water 3 CC 1 salt. looks promising.
@ravi I checked the local HD's salt 4 water softner is not a item carried by the borough HD's. i was told to check HD's further in LI or upstate where city water is not. i may try a HD near my job in hicksville

 

[Jzhou]

Lol just look at the market place. Or get dry base rock from petsolution. Its like 30lbs for 50 and if your order is over 100$ shipping is free. But I mostly make rock if I need certain shapes. Aside from that, I don't see how it saves much. Water bills are insane.

 

[ramz28]

all i have to say is DAMN wish i knew this b4 i turned my living room into a giant construction site banning the dogs and wife from the area. lol

 

[fishman1069]

I made a bunch of rock for base, when I first setup my tank. I used white Portland cement, agronite sand and Magnesium based rock salt. I soaked the stuff for at least 6 months tho and the ph never came down. I wound up adding it to the tank one piece at a time and had no probs. It did help with my Mg tho. In the first couple of months my coraline growth exploded!!! Good luck with it. Its definatly a cool way to make some interesting shapes

 

[saggese820]

I didnt use any salt and mine came out great, extremely porous. 1 part portland cement, 5 parts crushed coral. I personally wouldnt try any other mixture.