AQUARIUM DRYROCK TOO EXPENSIVE? : try these DIY ROCK shapes!!
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- čas přidán 22. 09. 2023
- RIFT LAKE CICHLID KEEPERS/REEF AQUARISTS - starting a new tank and can't afford new rock? Follow along and learn to make your own aquarium rock shapes.
Thanks to Frenzy Fish Feeds for their support of this channel.
Use the discount code: AUSSIEAQUARIST at checkout for 10% off your order.
Hell yeah! I made some DIY rock years ago turned out pretty good.
some tips/ ideas you can use PVC to make holes/caves etc.
also use straws to pock the rock to creat deep holes for small critters.
where is the curing video? would love to watch it!
I must admit I didn’t get to finishing that video. I referenced it, in a Palau video, as I pulled the rocks out, but probably should go back and rectify that
They turned out pretty well mate. Having the salt dissolve to leave cavities is particularly cool.
Cheers Gil
Not my original idea , but I’m happy to steal it!
Very impressed with how these turned out!
Thanks Pseudechis
I think once they are incorporated into the aquascape I have in mind. They’ll perfectly blend right in
Just finished my first batch for a new 275g and all I can say is Incredible. I used crushed coral, live sand, Portland cement and chunks of rock salt. I made shapes I'd never dreamed of having after getting tips from your video...I can't wait for the salt to dissolve and see how porous it is. Live aquaria eat your heart out. Great video, very informative. Cheers!
That’s fantastic! Well done. A couple of tips: if you used true live sand, the bacterial life may die off from the cement, or the freshwater soak. I guess you could do a saltwater soak, but if you’re using artificial seawater, it might cost a bit, as you need to dump and refill the soaking tub, every few days initially.
If you live by the coast or a saltwater river, you could find a secluded safe spot and put the rock in a crate with a rope to soak. That would maintain the bacterial load, and season it with wild strains. I did that at my local marina
Very good video thanks.
You’re very welcome, I’m glad you got something out of it
Excellent, thank you!
Thank you for checking the video out!
Great video as always! Very excited to follow this build
Mate I’m excited to start this build. I just got the official go ahead from my wife this past weekend!
Fantastic, they look so good and pretty easy to do. I'm going to have fun giving it a go.Also will put that massive bag of perlite i got to use now LOL
That’s the go David! Give it a go. My best advice is to be eratic with your application of the mix…. It’ll give a more natural look
Fantastic work
Thanks Tony
Are you going to have a go at it?
This is so freaking cool! I definitely want to try this, thank you for all the great DIY content, it is so appreciated!❤❤❤
You’re welcome! Have a crack, it’s really easy to do.
Awesome build. Didn’t even know it was a thing. I’m thinking about getting into saltwater and if I go off the deep end I could see myself trying this
Go for it. If you think you want to try something new, just do it. Life’s too short to not have some fun!
This was an awesome episode. So cool. Thanks for sharing. 👏💯✌️
Thanks for your support! Where abouts are you in this little world of ours?
@@australianaquarist the East Coast of the USA. North Carolina.
I thought you may have been in the USA! It’s a great thing how CZcams connects people across the big ponds!
@@australianaquarist most definitely. I love it. I have family in Australia actually though. Have yet to make a trip there though. One day for sure.
@queencityreefs only 18 hours on a plane, and then free accommodation! Where are your family living?
Another Great video mate! Thanks for sharing, I still got boxes of dry coral from old tanks I pulled down in the past, I will never get rid of it, you never know when you might need it again.
I thought you were going to offer them to me for a sec!!
@@australianaquarist I've had many ask me for it in the past, have you ever tried pumice stone? I've used it as a filler before, I know there is a lot of that down that way, I know how hard it can be to get coral these days, it took me a long time to collect it up, I used to know a bloke in whole sale that would give me all the left overs cheap he was local to me so I would forever hit him up, it's amazing how much you can use in a large setup.
Awesome video 👏!!!! Just want to know if the same can be used for the cichlid tank
Yes. Many years back I used this in my tanganikan cichlid display. Just soak the rock in freshwater, and keep changing the bath water until the pH drops to 8.4 ish. It’ll be over 9 at first. Alternatively, I’ve put rock in a freshwater creek nearby to leach excess hydroxides- no need to for water changes.
Very cool method. How “light” are they ? Is there any negative effects to perlite or diy rock ins reef tank? How long do you soak for before you use in a tank with coral?
I generally soak them for minimum of a month/ which has correlated generally with the time duration of my tank construction. I did once use them only after 2 weeks soaking , and didn’t see any noticeable pH spike in the system, though it was a 1500 litre water volume. In regards to weight…. I guess it depends on the amount of perlite you use. I haven’t weighed them , but as an idea, a rock the size of a shoebox, I can easily lift with one hand. I recently installed them into my new giant build and fixed them to the support structure at only one or two points.
czcams.com/video/rytE6OBH4aQ/video.htmlsi=hAwpllYC5_QSKUX9
So far non-obvious negative effects. I did a bit of reading on perlite, and when found that it is used in beer filtration, I felt that it should be safe for use !
Cheers
Thanks for the info! I’m playing with the idea of a “floating” scape for my next tank and researching ways to make it light e long to float off the back glass
@ReefDudes nice! I feel that you would be only limited by the strength of the magnets, used to secure the rocks to the back ( if that’s your approach). Ideally you would have a way to mechanically fix the rocks to the rear wall, but of course, this is the limitation of glass aquariums. Some sort of internal “ false” wall made from acrylic or pvc, would allow epoxy bonding the rock to the wall, however then you’ve got the issue of bonding the false wall to the actual glass wall behind it.
Possibly, strategically counterbalancing the projected lightweight rock, with heavier pieces low and somewhat counter weighted to the rear direction, would be simpler, but not quite the “floating “ aesthetic.
Круто
Hi Adam, out of curiosity, do you feel there would be any benefit in using RO water over standard tap water in the leeching process? Also, what was the specific cement that you use?
No , not really. As long as your source water isn’t crazy in heavy metals or phosphate, I don’t see a problem. Of course, water with a high pH would reduce the ability of it to leach the excess hydroxides out of the rock, however that is rare in Australia ( maybe South Australia?).
The cement was just the Off White cement from Bunnings.
awesome tanks you have there where in Australia are you based
I’m in Coffs Harbour NSW
quick question, would perlite leaks any chemical on reef tank that would affect corals? Thanks in advance
I looked into perlite, and naturally there’s no mention of its use in aquariums. It is however used in beer filtering, so being food safe I decided to give it a go.
They turned out great! Do you know what the go is with using cement oxides to colour the concrete? I’m assuming leaching will causes some kind of toxicity or some nutrient imbalance issues?
Hey Kyle
I have thought about the colour oxides in the past, which are synthetic iron oxides, but I’ve been worried about heavy metal contaminants and so haven’t gone further. I find the biofilms, sponges and coralline colours the rocks up naturally, fairly quickly anyhow. Is it for freshwater or saltwater , that you are thinking about?
An easier way is using plumbers foam spray and after it sets, dip it in concrete or paint them. Very light and cheap.
Hi Flipper
Yep, I’ve done that method also. The only downside is that they aren’t porous, and don’t contribute to the biological stability of the filtration. I’ve also found that urchins, bristleworms, blennys, pufferfish, triggers , etc take chunks out of the foam. The rocks then start to look shabby and degrade as water penetrates the closed cell structure. I use the spray foam to help when holding rocks in aquascaping and to fill voids around caves etc. I think the spray foam method would be ok in many freshwater setups, without plecos etc
@@australianaquarist thanks for the reply and the information.
Can you use this method for freshwater? I have a 75g cichlid tank.
Absolutely. You still need to leach the excess hydroxides out of the rock, by soaking it in freshwater (rinse and repeat) for a few weeks. Test the pH of the bath water, and when it comes down ( from around 9 initially) to 8.2-8.4 - Malawi vs tanganika) it’s good to go
Where do you buy products you mentioned? Perlite, Course salt, Shell grit? Also, did you finish curing of rocks video? Thanks in advance
I buy them from my rural supply store- either elders or Norco. You could find shell grit at private pet stores, perlite is at Bunnings but only in small bags, and coarse rock salt at the supermarket. Obviously it’s cheaper and the bags are bigger if you go through something like a rural store.
I’m going to bite the bullet and try a saltwater tank up here in Alice Springs 😊
Do it John
Do you have a LFS in Alice that can get stock in for you?
@@australianaquarist unfortunately not, but I can get fish sent down from Darwin
*promosm*