DIY Rock Tutorial/Info Thread (Rocks, walls, floors, etc.)

[prsnlty]

That's looks to be his returns. And the overflow is shown in the first photo at the end.

@prsnlty your tank looks amazing. I'm about to give this a try but one question is, due to the cement is the rock very heavy?

Correct and thank you

To answer your question... the rock is heavier the less porus you make it. Also. My overflows are actually kind of ligh as they're made of 6" pvc pipe, coated with netting then layered with rock mix not quite an inch thick. This is pretty much true for the return column as well. Only I made the mix more dense with more sand because i needed it to fill in the narrow ridges better.

I had promised to do a diy on it but you know how life goes... still hoping to find the time lol

 

[tupes]

Thanks for responding. I definitely understand how life can put a hold on things.

 

[reef123456]

I have flat sheet of man made reef rock, what is the best way to glue it firmly on top of other rocks?

 

[prsnlty]

There are a few things you can do. 1st, are the other rocks already in the tank? If not you can drill holes and dowel them together (this way you can take apart later if needed) or you can use reef epoxy (aquastik) or jb water weld or both wet or dry.

 

[prsnlty]

There are several videos on YouTube that show how to do this as well.

Question; have you cycled your man made rock? If not, you should probably do that 1st.

 

[reef123456]

its from an establisted tank. got broken down, I took the rock home. building up my 12 x 3 x 3 oceanic duo over flow. got it for 3k

 

[West1]

Awesome thread and those DIY pillars are superb!

 

[prsnlty]

Awesome thread and those DIY pillars are superb!

Thank you I love them too!

 

[s2nhle]

Great site. I am current working on my aquascape for my new tank.

 

[TherealplexiG]

Has anyone tried food color dyes for making rocks purple? I saw BRS had a video with some kinda purple dry rocks. So i assumed they would be using some dye which is FDA approved.

 

[prsnlty]

Being that I also cook and understand food dye, I would not attempt it. Have you ever eaten or drank something that turned your tongue that color? Food dye will bleed into your system. Not that it could be dangerous (we really don't know) but would be sucked up by everything including your tanks seals and sand bed.

 

[artreef]

sharing my rockworks

 

[prsnlty]

sharing my rockworks

VERY NICE !!!

 

[revhtree]

sharing my rockworks

You need to start a new thread so everyone can see your cool aquascape! It gets lost in here.

 

[West1]

When doing DYI LR on the floor, do you need to put a liner or can you put it right on the glass?

 

[prsnlty]

When doing DYI LR on the floor, do you need to put a liner or can you put it right on the glass?

It's no different than how you would natural reef rock. I do it both ways it just depends on the pieces and if I am doing a sand bed or not. With sand beds I like to stripe the glass bottom with silicone to make is anti slip, then once dry add the rock then sand bed. This helps keep your rock from moving. There are also other ways.

 

[TherealplexiG]

Being that I also cook and understand food dye, I would not attempt it. Have you ever eaten or drank something that turned your tongue that color? Food dye will bleed into your system. Not that it could be dangerous (we really don't know) but would be sucked up by everything incl

Then is there a way the rocks could be coloured without loosing the porosity?

 

[prsnlty]

Yes there are concrete pigments that you can purchase online or home stores. However I personally don't trust them. But if WELL cured it might be fine.

 

[West1]

It's no different than how you would natural reef rock. I do it both ways it just depends on the pieces and if I am doing a sand bed or not. With sand beds I like to stripe the glass bottom with silicone to make is anti slip, then once dry add the rock then sand bed. This helps keep your rock from moving. There are also other ways.

Im sorry, I asked incorrectly. When you do a diy ground with the diy LR process, do you place a thin liner between the glass and cement or can you place the cement on the entire bottom pane?
Im planning to do a 3D background and the bottom pane just so it's not an actual bare bottom. Im guessing 1/4" thick at max for the bottom.

 

[s2nhle]

sharing my rockworks

Wow, that is awesome. thank you for sharing.