DIY Live Rock

Kendalls_reef

Kendalls_reef

New Member
hello fellow reefers!

i have recently discovered the art of making your own live rock and was wondering if anybody has done it before? i’ve seen various youtube videos, and have done research on the making of the “rock” but i wanted some personal opinions from you all.

i’m looking to make my own live rock structure for my tank, and i know it will take months before i can actually put it in the tank.

i’ve seen people use concrete, pond foam, and even clay! but i’m not sure what i should personally use? i really don’t want to use concrete as i know it tends to be really heavy and my tank may not be able to support a ton of concrete along the glass bottom. i already have four pieces of live rock in there, along with my fish, and inverts.

i have a station set up where i will be making the live rock, i just need opinions on what i should make it out of? i’m leaving more toward the clay, because i can form it into the shapes i want more. i believe that i would need some live sand to make the clay look more realistic and even “alive”. any tips or photos would be appreciated. thank you!
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
You can make your own rock. However concrete is a major component of almost all the recipies. This means that it's going to weigh about twice as much as regular live rock. This is ok since the tank will easily support the additional weight.

You may find this a lot more trouble than it's worth. Consider using dry base rock.
 
Kendalls_reef

Kendalls_reef

New Member
some people have told me that waterfall pond foam is great when it comes to constructing DIY “rock” backgrounds...


now i must decide. should i use Great Stuff black foam, or another brand? all say safe for fish and plants, and i have read tips on how to properly cure and introduce organisms to the foam. i think this is what i will use, as its supposed to be quicker, cheaper, and lightweight when it comes to building and constructing. it’s 100% reef safe, supposedly.

i will be creating cave structures and small pores in the rocks using a straw. the caves will be formed using an inflated balloon, which i will pop once the foam has completely dried. i will also use sand paper, or something else that’s rough to make the foam look more natural and ragged. since i already have fish in my tank, it will being cured in a different bucket, but the process is supposed to be much quicker when using foam.

i will post photos throughout the whole process.
 
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