As long as it's the crystals and not the pellets
DIY Rock Tutorial/Info Thread (Rocks, walls, floors, etc.)
- Thread starter Electrobes
- Start date
- Tagged users None
reptileguy112
Active Member
I'm trying out the 1C:2P:1.5A recipe, it looks great but also very fragile like it would crumble in my hands. When I first started doing diy rock I thought the cement was supposed to be the main rock not just the glue and I also used ice cream salt.
How did it go?
reptileguy112
Active Member
I made about 15 lbs or so. It looks reals bump and it absorbs water like a sponge so it is a really efficient bio filter and it looks good. I left it in the sin when I took it out of the sand it it hardened more. How come it grew little white crystal things in the aquarium? My red slime already took advantage of it!
Cjsanders757
Active Member
Did you cure it first???
reptileguy112
Active Member
I thought you only had to cure base rock.
reptileguy112
Active Member
Shortly after adding my flame scallop died.
I use water softener crystal salt. When I take my rock from the sand I generally let it sit one day. Then I soak it in a 5g bucket of Rodi to disolve the salt (which creates the holes). Then off to the cure tank. Changing water daily the 1st week, every other day the 2nd week then wait for the pH to tell me when to change it. If the pH is over 8.4 change it. Kepp doing so until it stays at 8.4 steadily for 2 weeks. If you didn't cure the rock then it can get dangerously high in your tank.
reptileguy112
Active Member
Well I guess that is my problem. I tested the Ph last week and it was 9.2 last time I adding diy rock (about 4 months ago I think) it killed my other flame scallop and I recently got a new one and killed it again....
So what are your plans?
reptileguy112
Active Member
My plants are to just keep the newer rocks in a container with freshwater for 3 weeks (or until the ph is okay) and do 100% water changes every day.
That's a good idea 
Nature's pH is 8.4. Concrete mix averages around 11. Concrete leaches it out and that is the sole point of curing the rock.
Nature's pH is 8.4. Concrete mix averages around 11. Concrete leaches it out and that is the sole point of curing the rock.
The point of curing the rock is to seep out the alk. Never heard of low alk cement.
My DIY rock that's been in my tank since October of 2014 and has not once leached high alk. My alk stays steady at 9.5 (where I keep it)
He used it. Where did you get it?I can never get my rocks to be that porous, I must have my mixture too wet. do you just make little droplets of cement or just throw it on there in big globs?
also I found if you use the low alkaline Portland I/II it has a pre-"kure" pH of about 8.6, I have made rocks for 3 of my reef tanks and this is the last tank I did about 2 years ago (still running the tank today). The first day after filling with fresh tap water the pH was 8.6, after an overnight soak I drained the tank and filled it with RO/DI water and added salt, when I tested the tank the pH was 8.4, and after a quick bacteria cycle I moved over my corals from my previous tank. In another tank I added a 40lb DIY rock into a 55g reef tank and there was no pH flux at all. Also I'm using a pH probe and calibrated meter for testing. The other great thing about the low "pH" cement is that you can get it on your skin with no (for me anyways) reaction unlike the high pH Portland cement. The only issue seems to be curing time and cured strength, it takes 2-3 times longer to get a good solid cure, and sometimes the mix just dose not cure right and turns into powder with any good bit of pressure.
Portland type 1 and 2 are what should be used anyhow. You can get grey color from home depot or lowes but most cement company's that are local to you will sell it in white. Don't count on it being in the 8 range however. That depends on the company that created it. Mine in white was 10.
It leeches out anyway. It does not return. The only way I can see there being a problem with this is if you didn't properly cure it. You must cure this rock until the pH reading reads 8.4 and stays that way at least two weeks
Similar threads
