Home made concrete rocks

[mook1178]

When I was in the hobby about 15 years ago, there was a push to make your own rocks from shells, sand and concrete. Did anybody do this? Are you still using the rocks? How did it work out?

Just curiosity. I had thought about doing it years ago and even tried a few times, but never had strong rocks. Seems like it fell out of place during my absence from the hobby.

 

[Fish Fan]

Member @Paul B did this and has a write up on it. I believe he is happy with the result, and I believe they are still in use some years after he made them:

Build your own rock for practically free

Make your own rock When the hobby started there was no live rock for sale, as a matter of fact, there wasn’t even dead rock for sale. We used dead, white bleached pieces of coral to decorate our tanks and we bought that in a furniture store because no one yet had salt water fish so LFSs...

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck!

 

[Fish Styx]

@tbrown makes his own aragocrete rocks, too.

 

[exnisstech]

I think @tbrown has made some of his scapes but I'm not sure of the material he used.

I think Paul b has also used some old bottles in an interesting way IIRC

 

[mook1178]

Thanks. i will have to read that write up, but seems like if done properly, no long term issues creep up if it is still in their tanks

 

[tbrown]

When I was in the hobby about 15 years ago, there was a push to make your own rocks from shells, sand and concrete. Did anybody do this? Are you still using the rocks? How did it work out?

Just curiosity. I had thought about doing it years ago and even tried a few times, but never had strong rocks. Seems like it fell out of place during my absence from the hobby.

Cement, not concrete. Portland is the best.

 

[tbrown]

I made rocks and racks both. This is the post for how I built the racks with egg crate for form.

Build Thread - 125 - Took Forever But Here It is!

Yep. I told her that the box is full of live animals. She said I can expect it tomorrow. I said "What good is a box full of dead animals?" Exactly. I've had those conversations with shippers. One of the reasons i hate ordering.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I remember reading those threads in RC. I actually did try it, and I do still have some of those rocks. Some are dry for my next project, but a few are in my tanks completely encrusted in coral.

A pic of the rock is below, I used too much water in my mix resulting in a flat rock, kind of a fail actually. But still good for base rock, and they look good enough when covered in coral.

 

[tbrown]

Not a recent picture BUT 90% of these rocks are Aragocrete rocks made by me:

 

[Razvan]

I have always had concrete-only rockscapes. SPS have never seemed to mind.

 

[Razvan]

Latest

 

[Paul B]

About a third of my rocks are DIY concrete over bent PVC pipes, some have been in my tank for decades.

This one is about 2' long and it is just a bunch of real rock cemented together



Another "rock" cemented from small pieces.



Live bottles.



Small PVC rock