Neon Reefer Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 So I am starting my DIY project of building rock columns from a DIY mold. I will be making 6" X 12" columns that can be connected together w/ PVC pipe to make any height in 12" increments. The mold is made from a 12" section of 6" PVC pipe. Added to that are 12" sections of 3/4" pvc pipe that was split in length to create 12" lengths of half pipe. These half pipes were added to the inside of the 6" pipe with the cut sides laying to the inside of the pipe. They fit so that the last one in place locks them all in with no adhesives. This mold will be set on top of a piece of acrylic to form the bottom will pouring the aggregate mix. The recipe for the aggregate mix for this project is: 2 parts type 1 Portland white cement, 2 parts reef sand, 2 parts crushed coral, 2 parts rock salt and 2 parts 1/2" glass fiber strands, and utilizing enough water to make an oatmeal consistency with the salt added at the end of mix to prevent melting. The idea is once the cement cures and the rock salt melts out, it will leave a rock like porous structure with a neutral affect on the aquarium. To accomplish this I will need to let the poured mold sit overnight and remove mold 24 hours after pouring. The then green blanks will air cure for 72 hours for full strength. The green blanks will then be placed in a fresh water bath for days to weeks to accomplish a 7.5 pH and a salt reading of 0.0. Once this is accomplished then the fully cured blanks can begin their normal process in the saltwater bath with organics introduced to begin the cycling process of becoming live rock. I will begin adding pictures of the process in the coming days ...stay tuned for updates Any comments are welcomed. Andre' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FluxCapacitor Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 I'm following along and will be interested to see how it turns out. I was thinking of trying to make my own magnetic rocks for the back of the tank instead of gluing a bunch of rocks together or making "piles" of rocks that lean against glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted August 1, 2016 Author Share Posted August 1, 2016 Mold is a 12" section of 6" PVC pipe filled with 12" sections of 3/4' PVC pipe split on my table saw. Rocrete column mix is 3 parts white Portland cement, 3 parts crushed coral and 3 parts aragonite reef sand mixed with enough water to make a loose oatmeal consistency. Then add 1 part 3/4" fiberglass strands and at very end 3 parts rock salt crystals and mix in. I removed tape from on end of mold and placed this end down on a smooth flat surface (plastic cutting board, held a 16" section of 1 1/2" PVC pipe in the center and filled and packed mixture halfway up mold and then removed the tape at top and finished filling. I then immediately filled the 1 1/2" pipe in center of mold with salt and removed pipe by pulling and gently tapping so the salt would fall out into the center of mold. Once this blank is dried overnight I remove from mold and let dry for 73 hours to harden Once hardened I will place in RO water and change frequently until pH drops to 7.5 and all salt has meted away. This will create a very porous density with a hollow core tube. Should have the end affect of ancient reef rock. Each blank weights approx. 20 lbs when complete and I will be using 8 columns x 20 lbs each or 160 lbs total. I'll get back to you with more after the RO soak. Andre' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 Wow, not at all what I expected to see from reading the title. Pretty neat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasReef Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 These columns rock! Can't wait to see them in tank. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FluxCapacitor Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Yep, they look nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FluxCapacitor Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Are you willing to sell one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 Lets see how they look and perform after I get them cured before we sell one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FluxCapacitor Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Ok, sounds good... let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 So I have all (8)columns soaking in fresh water right now and the pH and salt levels are off the scale after 4 x 40 gal water changes. Cant wait for the numbers to start falling. Ill keep updating weekly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarleyGuy Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 This is pretty interesting, I can't wait to see the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 Been a few weeks now and finally the pH has come down to < 8.0 and salt is at 0.0 I did a fresh water hose down and allowed to sun dry. I started the saltwater curing process as I would for new rock. 20 gals of sump water + 1 scoop of sand as well as 10 gals of new saltwater and 1 small table shrimp. Place in sealed container with heater at 90F and a circulation pump. Wait three weeks add one more small pureed table shrimp. Wait three weeks and add to tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centex99 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 What's the update? It's been the 6 weeks+! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarleyGuy Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Quick question, this is a cool idea, but what type of look are you trying to put together? Are you trying to get a sunken ancient city type of look, hide plumbing, or something else? Will you mix in other standard live rock pieces? If you only have columns I would think it would make coral placement a little tough. (although I'd love to have one of these to cover in GSP ...). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 Here is a final update on this project. I love these columns The RockCrete I made is about as perfect as I could have imagined Works great and makes great base rock for corals. Here's a pic after a few months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.