Dry rock purple coloring

[ReefDreamz]

Has anyone used this product and if so what was your experience like? Good? Bad?

16oz Purple Reef Safe Colorant for DRY Rock (Aquascape Touch Up)

addictivereefkeeping.com

 

[Chrisv.]

Has anyone used this product and if so what was your experience like? Good? Bad?

16oz Purple Reef Safe Colorant for DRY Rock (Aquascape Touch Up)

addictivereefkeeping.com

I have not-- but i do trust ARC. On the other hand, they sell a really nice coralline algae booster product called helix that worked wonders to seed my tank. I'd honestly do that over painting the rocks.

 

[sfin52]

I have not-- but i do trust ARC. On the other hand, they sell a really nice coralline algae booster product called helix that worked wonders to seed my tank. I'd honestly do that over painting the rocks.

Why not get a trusted reefers scraping put in blender with a little sw turn into slurry pour into your tank.

 

[Jekyl]

Coloring of rocks is a gimic to charge more. After a few months they'll be a different color anyway.

 

[jcolliii]

I've used the black. Smelled like latex paint. I used it on really porous rock. Didn't seem to alter the porosity. It did smell like paint for over a week tho. No adverse reaction from corals after letting it dry, then soaking for a while before adding to the tank. I see nothing wrong with dying the rock. Helps that ugly stage where things are just uncool colors of brown and green.

 

[Sean Clark]

Time will be your friend and rock colorant. Save your money for livestock.

 

[jcolliii]

I like the purple colored stuff personally. It is nicer on the eyes in the interval from unseeded to coralline covered.

 

[ClownWrangler]

I just got 35 lbs of the black the other day to add to established tanks. I have done business with this company in the past and was satisfied. But this was not exactly what I was expecting. When I double checked after , their website does mention it is artificially colored, but the abbreviated Ebay description I originally saw did not make this very clear.

I have black aragonite substrate that is naturally black (Caribsea Arag-Alive Hawaiian black) that I have been using in tanks for over a year and its great, so I thought this would be similar material. But Its just white aragonite painted black.

This begs the question, is there real black araganite reef rock? I figured that it was volcanic rock of some sort since the rubble substrate is from Hawaii. But this is from Florida, so perhaps I should have known better.

It was packaged well. Rocks individually wrapped so they don't break apart during shipping to reveal white rock. No comlaints about it otherwise. I was only disappointed because I already had dry white rock I could have just colored myself.

 

[ClownWrangler]

I have not-- but i do trust ARC. On the other hand, they sell a really nice coralline algae booster product called helix that worked wonders to seed my tank. I'd honestly do that over painting the rocks.

So is this product just some sort of nutrient or does it contain live coraline? I have no problem establishing dull purple coraline. Its in all my tanks, but barely noticeable due to the color. I want to seed my tank with the type that is dark red.

 

[Chrisv.]

So is this product just some sort of nutrient or does it contain live coraline? I have no problem establishing dull purple coraline. Its in all my tanks, but barely noticeable due to the color. I want to seed my tank with the type that is dark red.

It's live coralline algae spores. They sell a pink version and a purple version. Each has a half dozen different strains in it and the idea is that one or two will work best in your tanks conditions.

The issue I have with the painted rock is that within the first few months, everything will be coated with algae of various classes anyway (including real coralline). With real coralline, you will actually discourage pest algae growth.

If there is a person in your area who has the color you want, you can always ask them for some scrapings to seed your tank.

 

[jft]

Ok I hate to burst anyones bubble but FOR the last 7 years I have painted my own rock using The liquitex line of paints, 7 years later NOT DISCOLORED NOT covered in algae and look JUST AS GOOD as the day I painted them. Bought various colors on Amazon cheaper than Michaels. I Have 40 years with marine tank I have NO issues with the tank. The key is to take ur time and let dry for 5 to 7 days. Its is labor intensive. I don t have urchins so NO rasping of the rocks. JUst my two cents, Good luck.

 

[Chrisv.]

Ok I hate to burst anyones bubble but FOR the last 7 years I have painted my own rock using The liquitex line of paints, 7 years later NOT DISCOLORED NOT covered in algae and look JUST AS GOOD as the day I painted them. Bought various colors on Amazon cheaper than Michaels. I Have 40 years with marine tank I have NO issues with the tank. The key is to take ur time and let dry for 5 to 7 days. Its is labor intensive. I don t have urchins so NO rasping of the rocks. JUst my two cents, Good luck.

Cool! Great to know that the synthetic option also works. I'm surprised that it doesn't grow algae on it.

 

[jft]

Cool! Great to know that the synthetic option also works. I'm surprised that it doesn't grow algae on it.

ur welcome

 

[Kevin@Nemos]

Ok I hate to burst anyones bubble but FOR the last 7 years I have painted my own rock using The liquitex line of paints, 7 years later NOT DISCOLORED NOT covered in algae and look JUST AS GOOD as the day I painted them. Bought various colors on Amazon cheaper than Michaels. I Have 40 years with marine tank I have NO issues with the tank. The key is to take ur time and let dry for 5 to 7 days. Its is labor intensive. I don t have urchins so NO rasping of the rocks. JUst my two cents, Good luck.

Can i see a picture of the rock? Im interested in trying that out.

 

[alann]

Ok I hate to burst anyones bubble but FOR the last 7 years I have painted my own rock using The liquitex line of paints, 7 years later NOT DISCOLORED NOT covered in algae and look JUST AS GOOD as the day I painted them. Bought various colors on Amazon cheaper than Michaels. I Have 40 years with marine tank I have NO issues with the tank. The key is to take ur time and let dry for 5 to 7 days. Its is labor intensive. I don t have urchins so NO rasping of the rocks. JUst my two cents, Good luck.

I'm also interested in seeing this. I don't think about the color of the rock too much, as I like to keep urchins and it gets covered in coralline or corals anyway, but painted rock seems very interesting if there's been no issues with the tank.

 

[tripdaddyx5]

Ok I hate to burst anyones bubble but FOR the last 7 years I have painted my own rock using The liquitex line of paints, 7 years later NOT DISCOLORED NOT covered in algae and look JUST AS GOOD as the day I painted them. Bought various colors on Amazon cheaper than Michaels. I Have 40 years with marine tank I have NO issues with the tank. The key is to take ur time and let dry for 5 to 7 days. Its is labor intensive. I don t have urchins so NO rasping of the rocks. JUst my two cents, Good luck.

JFT, I’m wondering if you could give the steps you take. Do you dilute the paint? If so, with what and at what ratio?

 

[Jekyl]

JFT, I’m wondering if you could give the steps you take. Do you dilute the paint? If so, with what and at what ratio?

Painting the rock will reduce how porous it is thus removing area for nitrifying bacteria. I don't see how doing so would be beneficial. If you don't want white rock, get live rock from a place like KP or gulfliverock

 

[exnisstech]

I've never really understood the need to paint rock.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

Why not get a trusted reefers scraping put in blender with a little sw turn into slurry pour into your tank.

I did this, and I went from white to purple rocks in 2 months. I was amazed how quickly the coralline took hold. It was only a few days later I started finding spots all over the place.

I had less than a teaspoon of coralline shavings, too. Did not take much.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

This is an older thread for sure, and 100% agree that painting rock to mimic the look of coralline algae is just silly.