Reef Balls & Reef Cakes
- Thread starter BigAl07
- Start date
goldenmean
Well-Known Member
Wow! Very Nice AL!
I especially like the way the shells are built into the cake. That will make some really nice homes for some of your critters.
Looks like that small ball would fit right over the top of the cake.
I especially like the way the shells are built into the cake. That will make some really nice homes for some of your critters.
Looks like that small ball would fit right over the top of the cake.
I'm glad you think so Jeff. It's funny you say that... I think that the top layer of the reef cake IS a small reef ball made out of 3 individual pieces.
Supposedly from their FULL SIZE Reef Balls and Reef Cake information the Cakes are designed for crustacean (crab & lobster) habitats (they prefer cave type dwellings) and the balls are for fish and other swimming dwellings.
Jason25
Active Member
:LOL: Yeah yours came in bro!! I'll shoot you a PM shortly
Sounds good but you had best hurry up I think I might be going to the LFS today and you know what that means, lol I will be on a time out for sure when I get home from there. No hurry, thanks Al.
panmanmatt
Well-Known Member
I want Al's balls!!!!!
Where's my balls, Al?
Those cakes are actually smaller than I thought they would be.
I actually saw them being made on "Dirty Jobs" the other night. I told my GF, "those are Al's balls that I am getting". You should've seen the look I got.
Where's my balls, Al?
Those cakes are actually smaller than I thought they would be.
I actually saw them being made on "Dirty Jobs" the other night. I told my GF, "those are Al's balls that I am getting". You should've seen the look I got.
panmanmatt
Well-Known Member
Np, Al. I was just busting your.....well, balls.
When ever you get them ordered is fine.
When ever you get them ordered is fine.
mps9506
Well-Known Member
pour some vinegar on it to see if it fizzes
That's easy enough. What does fizz vs No fizz tell me?
Oh ok... I don't think they would be hard to "make" but I think the "hard" part would be the "chemical" part of it. I don't know or claim to know all the details but it's not just a "masonry" mix like we would use on our porch/side walks. It's designed for the reef balls and is much more "inert" due to this advancement. I'll do the "Fizz-Test" when I get home tonight and let you know.
mps9506
Well-Known Member
Oh ok... I don't think they would be hard to "make" but I think the "hard" part would be the "chemical" part of it. I don't know or claim to know all the details but it's not just a "masonry" mix like we would use on our porch/side walks. It's designed for the reef balls and is much more "inert" due to this advancement. I'll do the "Fizz-Test" when I get home tonight and let you know.
yeppers... my thoughts are it probably has a similar make up to the homemade live rock that was popular a few years back. there is a nice formula for this on GARF's site. Here is a DIY thread at seahorse.org
Diy Live Rock - Seahorse.org
Totally safe for aquarium use after curing...
Check out this link of some Real World Reef Balls in use all over the world...
Photos that can't be classified by location
and this one for general Reef Balls in action . . .
Random Nice Pictures Folder
Photos that can't be classified by location
and this one for general Reef Balls in action . . .
Random Nice Pictures Folder
I did the "White Vinegar" test. It fizzed some at first but very little fizzing really. So I flipped it over and used and equal amount of RO/DI water on it and it fizzed the same amount. My assumption (warning label goes here) is that the actual fizzing I heard and noticed was merely the porous cement absorbing any liquid applied to it. Just to be sure I did it with 2 others to make sure I wasn't missing something. There's no actual fizzing or bubbles at all other than water being absorbed.
Am I correct in assuming the "reaction" you were anticipating would be more of foamy milky fizzing?
mps9506
Well-Known Member
Get palmful of aragonite out of your tank and pour some vinegar on it and you can compare for yourself... Hard to verbally explain these things without photos
At least at my vocabulary level
I've also only done it with sand, not on rock... so not sure what it would look like exactly
Try this link for sample pictures:
Substrate Options
Ok I compared to aragonite and also some quality base rock I have sitting around ready to go into my tank. Then after seeing the reaction (was sure what it is supposed to look like) I went back to the Reef Balls. It's the same "fuzz" on all three items. Maybe the Reef Balls to a lesser extent but a definite fizziness. I was able to more accurate see it by finding a "dip" in the surface of the rock and reef ball and allow the vinegar to pool there. This created a dramatic difference between just water "seeping in" and a true chemical reaction. I guess earlier I wasn't allowing it to "sit" on the surface long enough. But once I had an idea of what to look for it looks and sounds much different.
So what IS this telling us? Is the reaction a GOOD thing or BAD thing?
So what IS this telling us? Is the reaction a GOOD thing or BAD thing?
Hey Mike.. they are so cheap I don't know if it's worth the time to mix up the mix to make one myself. Plus it's pretty cool having a "model" of the ones that are being used all over the world to help rebuild the natural reefs.
CNN was at the factory last week and did a bunch of taping of the process. They are supposed to air the show in January. Once I know the date I'll post it back.
There are two LFS's here that are now going to be carrying these for local reefers.
Here's a pic of some reef balls and reef cakes after a short time in the reef. Notice the corals starting to take over and encrust on the surface.
(These are FULL size Reef Balls & Cakes)
http://www.reefball.org/newfrontpage/smallsizes.jpg
CNN was at the factory last week and did a bunch of taping of the process. They are supposed to air the show in January. Once I know the date I'll post it back.
There are two LFS's here that are now going to be carrying these for local reefers.
Here's a pic of some reef balls and reef cakes after a short time in the reef. Notice the corals starting to take over and encrust on the surface.
(These are FULL size Reef Balls & Cakes)
http://www.reefball.org/newfrontpage/smallsizes.jpg