DIY Aragocrete Rock

[squidy]

Ok, I have been working on this for a couple of weeks now and have approximately 50 lbs made. This started with an 80 gal I scored on Craigslist for $30 and I wanted to explore making my own rock for both money and reef preservation reasons. I now have several people interested in purchasing some of the rock I have made so I am kinda under the gun to get the mixture figured out. I started using GARF’s recipe of 5:1, but my pieces ended up too brittle. So now I am experimenting with a 4:1 mix. I will also be curing in a 32 gal trashcan w/pump for circulation. I modified the trashcan with a ball valve for water changes. Here is what my current mix consist of:

1 part crushed oyster shell
3 parts CaribSea Aragonite Sugar size sand
1 part type 1 portland

I am molding the rock in 3 Styrofoam boxes of which 2 contain 4-5 inches of moist crushed oyster shell and the other is half full of moist play sand. I have found the play sand is better for more intricate designs and is more stable.
Below are various pictures of rock, Styrofoam boxes, and the trashcan.
Please feel free to offer any advice or ideas.

 

[MStratton]

How would the addition of lime effect the strength of the rock, and how would it effect the chemistry of your water?

 

[reef dummy]

Remember to let that stuff cure good before adding to aquarium. It will raise ph incredibly high. Nice looking pieces though, I never had the patience to try that myself.:whstlr:

 

[MStratton]

Another idea. What if you took a clipping from a ceader tree or some tree of the sort, and dipped it into a slurry of cement that was thin enough that you could actually dip it, let it dry, dip again until it was thick enough to handle being dipped into a heavy mixture of cement and then take it wet and cover it with your sand? I was thinking of trying this but if you are already in the process of experimenting you could let me know how it turns out and if it's successful, I get the credit and if it's a flop, well then, I can't believe you actually tried it.:dryer:

 

[squidy]

I have not researched lime. I also have not come across anyone using lime so thats a good question. I let the rock sit for a good 24 hours then remove and rinse. I just added a Seachem pH alert to my can to monitor. I am planning to cure 6-10 weeks. Here are some pics of a couple more pieces I just made. Ill post pics tomorrow of how they turn out.
The first pic is the mold in the oyster shell (didnt really show up on film).
Second is the dry mix.
Third is the wet mix.
Fourth are 2 pieces of rock. The one on the left is covered with oyster shell. The one on the right is kinda flat with a small stem.

 

[MStratton]

You may want to do some reading on mortar mixing. Mortar is made of portland, sand and lime. Varying the ratios give you the different grades of Mortar.

 

[squidy]

Ok, today I removed the rock from the molds and rinsed them. Here are pictures of how they turned out. I was playing around with making a tunnel in one of the smaller pieces and it actually worked, lol. I put a pile of dry crushed oyster shell on some of the cement and covered it with more cement. Once setup, I just rinsed out the oyster shell leaving an empty void. So now I either need to halt my operation here or go out and buy another trashcan for a second batch. Oh, decisions…decisions… I think Ill play around with one more piece utilizing the tunnel method and let these cure for a few weeks. This has been really fun diy project and I highly recommend anyone wanting to save a few bucks to give it a shot.

 

[Basile]

Cool stuff bro,

 

[squidy]

Thanks Basile!

So in my brainstorming of how to make my rock more porous, I started thinking about adding either crushed or small chunks of lava rock. I currently have a couple of lava rock cave pieces in my tank so it seems to be reef safe. Any ideas or thoughts?

 

[MStratton]

I read somewhere where someone was using rice crispys and macarony noodles. Said they would disolve out and leave holes. I was thinking you could use a large straw or tube full of fine sand. Push the tube through with something loose covering the end and as you pull it back out use a welding rod or something to make sure the sand pushes out to fill the void.

 

[MStratton]

I wonder if ice would stay frozen long enough to do any good. What about chunks of rock salt?

 

[MStratton]

Here is a link to some links I found that has some great stuff on making rocks.

DIY Live Rock/Aragocrete?

This one has some really cool stuff

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaver...ementRock.html

 

[Rhodes19]

I've made about 200 lbs of rock so far for my 180. My first batch was made from aragonite but after paying $35 for a 15 lbs bag I switched to crushed oyster shell at about $8 per 50 lbs bag. I also used large salt crystals with some of the rock. So far so good. The aragocrete and the first batch of oyster shell are in my 29 gallon (after curing) and seems to be doing well. The rest is still curing. The only problem I have is the city water has a ph of 9 becasue of all the old lead pipes still in use.

Here are some pics. Not much to look at but once they are covered in coraline algae and corals...... lsmile:

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Once I get them in the 180 I will either get some live rock to put in the 180 to get the home made stuff seeded with bacteria and coraline aglae or get some GARF Grunge to seed the tank.

 

[squidy]

Looks great Rhodes! I have had so much fun with this project. Here are a couple more pieces I made yesterday. These are more for base pieces to build on.
The ice idea is defiantly worth exploring. Added moisture would help the concrete harden. Ill give it a shot and get back to you guys.

 

[Basile]

very cool, you could post this in the rockwork thread if you like, thanks.

 

[squidy]

Basile, could you help me out? I cant seem to find the Rockwork thread. Where is it located?

 

[squidy]

Neverrmind. Found it!
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/general-reef-aquarium-discussion/44055-rockwork.html

"Pats herself on the back..."

 

[Rhodes19]

Thanks Squidy, I cant wait to get the stand done and the tank on it so I can start rock scaping.

 

[squidy]

Rhodes, I know the feeling. Did you check out Basiles RockWork thread? Might give additional ideas for scaping.

 

[Basile]

Rhodes, I know the feeling. Did you check out Basiles RockWork thread? Might give additional ideas for scaping.

hey squidy, check out my 65 g link tonight, i'm hooking up my tank today and my sculptures, can't wait to see the stalactite in the water. I'll post lots of pict today.Stay tuned.