Chuck's 150 Gallon Reef Project

[ChuckG]

NEED SOME INPUT:

I have tons of live rock. More than enough to set this system up. Call me crazy, but I'm considering making my own rock for several reasons.

1) I can make the rock formation the way I want to make it.
2) It will be dead and so I don't have to worry about any kind of time frame with it.
3) I think it would be easier to attempt to aquascape this way rather than trying to keep my live rock wet while I drill and form the entire "masterpiece".

Down side. It would take longer to get this system up and running since its first mission would be to cure the homemade rock. It would also leave me probably 3-400 lbs of live rock that I would need to sell.

Thoughts - Suggestions gladly accepted.

[phlounder]

Hey Chuck, looks pretty good! I think you will be happy with it like it is. You will probably be able to easily conceal those bulkheads with rock. I think it will look very slick.

I agree that you made things more difficult on yourself by setting the tank on the stand already. I did the same thing and it is a major PITA working on the bottom of the tank now. You will have the added pain of trying to get that overflow on the back while the tank is in the vertical position. Would have been very easy with it laying down.

[ChuckG]

I totally agree but what's done is done. I'd rather press through the pain than take more risks of moving the thing again. When we dead lifted this thing off of the floor I could see how easy it would have been for an accident to happen. At this point, I don't want to take any more chances.

[phlounder]

Originally Posted by ChuckG

NEED SOME INPUT:

I have tons of live rock. More than enough to set this system up. Call me crazy, but I'm considering making my own rock for several reasons.

1) I can make the rock formation the way I want to make it.
2) It will be dead and so I don't have to worry about any kind of time frame with it.
3) I think it would be easier to attempt to aquascape this way rather than trying to keep my live rock wet while I drill and form the entire "masterpiece".

Down side. It would take longer to get this system up and running since its first mission would be to cure the homemade rock. It would also leave me probably 3-400 lbs of live rock that I would need to sell.

Thoughts - Suggestions gladly accepted.

Your spiritual advisor here... I think it is a little late in the game now to start thinking about making your own rock. I have never done it, mostly because I just don't have the patience to wait while the freshly made rock cures. You will set your project back by weeks, if not months while you soak the aragocrete rocks. Then you will have to wait again until the rock is colonized by sufficient bacteria.

I am pretty sure you can figure out how to do some nice aquascaping with the rock you have and won't even have to wait for it to cure. That would be my vote anyway.

[Paramecium]

TCMAS : Articles : Aquascaping Your Tank - Part 1
TCMAS : Articles : Aquascaping Your Tank - Part 2


Use your current rock, if you make your own, we will be continuing this thread in 6-9 months.

[ChuckG]

My main concern is that if I use the live rock I have now that it will be left out of the water too long playing around with it and I'll kill most of the good stuff on it anyway.

I'll sleep on it. Even though it's my day off tomorrow, I'm working.

[phlounder]

Man, they ship that stuff from half way across the world in damp newspaper. I don't think there is any way you are going to render it useless by having it out of water for a few minutes - or hours even.

[Tangboy]

The way I see it, you could always sell me 45 pounds or so and that would only leave you about 255-355 pounds of LR left to sell! Sorry I got a kick out of it

Hmm making your own rock would be very nice if you had the time and patience, which many people do not. Why not toss your live rock in a bunch of 55 gallon trash cans with power heads right next the tank, fill tank up with some good water and then pull a piece out and put it in the tank? Or are you wanting to have all the rock placed BEFORE the water goes in? Just getting a better picture of the situation.

[RonnieM]

Hey Chuck I am all for you using your old LR as well.
There is a local reefer down my way that had is rock and Corals out of the water for 5-6 hours while he drilled and tiewrapped his rocks together. He had zero troubles with the LR or corals.
He suggested to me if I ever did it to use a damp towel or papertowels to keep the rocks moist. I think a spray bottle with SW would work well too for keeping the rocks moist.
Your project is comming along nicely can't wait to see it up and running. Awesome DIY skills man, hats off to ya

[ChuckG]

Originally Posted by Tangboy

The way I see it, you could always sell me 45 pounds or so and that would only leave you about 255-355 pounds of LR left to sell! Sorry I got a kick out of it

Hmm making your own rock would be very nice if you had the time and patience, which many people do not. Why not toss your live rock in a bunch of 55 gallon trash cans with power heads right next the tank, fill tank up with some good water and then pull a piece out and put it in the tank? Or are you wanting to have all the rock placed BEFORE the water goes in? Just getting a better picture of the situation.

I actually will end up with rock to sell more than likely when I'm done. When the time for the aquascaping comes the tank needs to be empty. I'll be drilling holes in rocks and connecting things with acrylic rods.

OK OK - I'll use my own LR. Papertowels and a spray bottle to keep things moist.
Actually - the "box of rags" from Home Depot is great. I think that's what it's called anyway. Looks like papertowels but doesn't fall apart like papertowels.

I'm shooting for NEXT Sunday for the aquascaping. I'll need this weekend to plumb the tank.