DIY rock

[MurseBS]

So I have been researching about this DIY rock and I decided Im going for it. Today im picking up portland cement, oyster shell, and rock salt for this. Now my question is once ready to cure, can you add vinegar to the water to aid in the curing since the vinegar is acidic and the cement is alkalotic?

 

[Jeepguy242]

adding vinegar might disolve a little more than you want it too, but it sounds like it should work

 

[Wy Renegade]

I wouldn't add vinegar. Its acidic enough that it will actually dissolve the aragonite.

 

[Paul_N]

I wouldn't add vinegar. Its acidic enough that it will actually dissolve the aragonite.

+1

The ph of vinegar is like 3. We run the ph in our calcium reactors at 6.5 to break down the calcium media.

 

[NautilusQ]

Tagging along. So how can we actually wash the Aragocrete of impurities that may leech later or sooner? I've read low alkali cement is used by some but kinda difficult to find.

 

[MurseBS]

I know thats y they use portland cement, its less alkalitic

 

[Wy Renegade]

Tagging along. So how can we actually wash the Aragocrete of impurities that may leech later or sooner? I've read low alkali cement is used by some but kinda difficult to find.

Most people wash it by soaking in a tub of freshwater and doing frequent water changes till alkalinity drops to normal. If you have only a small volume of water, some people place the rock in their toilet tank so the water changes every time the toilet is flushed.

 

[MurseBS]

lol i am a guy and the world is my toilet but i dont think my neighbors would enjoy the smell.

 

[Wy Renegade]

lol i am a guy and the world is my toilet but i dont think my neighbors would enjoy the smell.

Shouldn't smell that bad - you don't have any decomp going on or anything, you're just curing the rock with freshwater. You might get a cement smell, but other than that, I really don't know what would smell.

 

[MurseBS]

the smell of urinating outside... was trying to be funny. But im no comedian so o well. Im just gonna use tubs. My place is all bills paid with rest so i never have a water bill... or electric.

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Most people wash it by soaking in a tub of freshwater and doing frequent water changes till alkalinity drops to normal. If you have only a small volume of water, some people place the rock in their toilet tank so the water changes every time the toilet is flushed.

Very cool concept Wy and sounds like the perfect way to do it. Now can you talk the misses into letting me put cement in the back of the toilet to cure so i can put it into my tank for live rock....sounds normal to us but ummm thats a tough sell lol!

 

[Wy Renegade]

Very cool concept Wy and sounds like the perfect way to do it. Now can you talk the misses into letting me put cement in the back of the toilet to cure so i can put it into my tank for live rock....sounds normal to us but ummm thats a tough sell lol!

LOL indeed. FYI, you will get some fallout of sand from the aragonite composition. I have to replace the O-ring on my tank here soon, and noticed the other day when I was looking that I still have a little sand from curing some of mine.

the smell of urinating outside... was trying to be funny. But im no comedian so o well. Im just gonna use tubs. My place is all bills paid with rest so i never have a water bill... or electric.

Sorry, didn't get it I guess.

 

[NautilusQ]

I'm always apprehensive to use cement/aragocrete for aquascaping just because of chemical that may leech later on. However, I just stumbled (internet) a large scale coral/ fish trader and they're using cement as for tank..the whole tank! So, as long you cycle / wash them completely seems completely safe then. I would use, maybe if possible, the waste water from RODI, since I'm just wasting them?

 

[Wy Renegade]

I'm always apprehensive to use cement/aragocrete for aquascaping just because of chemical that may leech later on. However, I just stumbled (internet) a large scale coral/ fish trader and they're using cement as for tank..the whole tank! So, as long you cycle / wash them completely seems completely safe then. I would use, maybe if possible, the waste water from RODI, since I'm just wasting them?

Yes, soaking is key, but so is the type of cement that you use. Portland cement is highly recommended, because it doesn't contain anything you need to worry about except the lime (lime = alkalinity). So you have to soak it long enough for alkalinity leaching to equal zero, which sometimes takes a very loooonnnng time. I can't imagine how long it took them to cure that tank. I do know that one of the tanks of the month on another site actually had cement blocks as part of the aquascape.

 

[NautilusQ]

Thanks guys for this thread. Now I'm comfortable getting my hand dirty making aragocrete!