JasonJones Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 There has been a lot of interest in learning how to make your own rock or rock wall so we have decided to put a class together. I understand it's very last minute. We will be putting together a full write up on the process for those who can't attend. If you plan on attending and would like to make your own rock, you will need to bring some supplies. I think we have enough of the rock mixture, Theresa correct me if I am wrong, but we do not have enough containers or sand for everyone to make their rock in. I usually use a rubbermaid type tub with 3-4" of sand in the bottom. This allows you to shape your rock. If you want to make a rock wall, my best suggestion is to bring the tank if you want it built in or make a mold of the size you want the wall out of cardboard. Just use a flat piece on the bottom and make a 2-3" lip all the way around. If you have any questions please post them here. Also, if you are planning on attending just let us know here as well so we can have a count. The walls we will be making for demonstration purposes will be similar to Theresa's shown in the diy rockwall thread in the diy section. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Jason thanks for putting this together. Please post the date as I do not want a conflict with our next meeting. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Sorry thought the date was on the subtitle, having to do this on my phone. The date is tomorrow, 24 Feb at 7:30 at Theresa's house. I do not have the address handy so you can contact her for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 im gonna be there for sure. ill get some bags of sand. (i think i saw a vid with someone using regular playsand?) i also have a couple rubbermaid tubs laying around here somewhere ill bring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 im gonna be there for sure. ill get some bags of sand. (i think i saw a vid with someone using regular playsand?) i also have a couple rubbermaid tubs laying around here somewhere ill bring. Corey, I was going to try to go by Dave (Prof.), but he does not get home until after 5, which I don't have time to go then. He has sugar sand for 1.00 a pound. That would be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 are you sure? i can get a 50 lb bag for like 6 dollars at Lowe's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 The Lowes sand is generally silica based. There is some debate whether it will leach silicates into the water feeding algae, but this seems to be settled that it probably won't. I doubt the sand Theresa is getting is silica based. Just an FYI. I would probably use the silica sand but using an aragonite based sand would be better because of its buffering properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 the all purpose sand has silicates. the play sand doesnt because it is for kids sand boxes and i guess they dont put silicates in the play sand because kids eat it or something. i know i did the playsand is only a dollar difference than the all purpose anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 nevermind!! i just searched for it and found out that playsand DOES contain silica. dang it. ok, so how many pounds of sugar sand would we need for each container? ill help out with that since i will not be buying any of the playsand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Corey would you be able to pick it up? I will help pay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Corey would you be able to pick it up? I will help pay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 yeah, when and where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 and how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 If you are just using it for the containers, I think the play sand is fine. Very little of it will be transferred onto the rocks. I would just use the good sand for the actual sand that goes into the rock mixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Dave's address is 1305 collinwood west. This is off Braker that deadends at Dessau. Dave's phone is 619-8247 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Dave gets home after 5 just call him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 how much sugar sand should i get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Jason, how much sand should we get? BTW, I found the hydraulic cement...yea..... I have both kinds of cement and lots of crushed oyster shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Depends on what you are using it for. If you are using it only for the rock, I would think 10lbs would be plenty. If you are using it for everything, I would get the same size as a bag of sand from Lowes, not sure what that weighs. I completely forgot I have a 40lb box of sugar sand from marco rocks I am not using. I can just bring it if you want to save yourself the trip. Same price and I know its aragonite sand. As for how much, I think it depends on if anyone else is coming and what we will be doing. If we are just making a few rocks, it won't take much. If we are going to be doing a lot, I would say 25lbs of sand for rocks and maybe double that for the containers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 i will get a couple 50 lb bags of playsand for the forming of the rocks. and the sugar sand ill pay for what we use if you dont mind bringing it. can bring some smaller containers so that it wont take as much sand to fill the bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Hey Jason I have a question. How long does it take for the rocks to set up so that you can put them into your tank? Also do you have to soak the rock in water to harden it up? I saw a video where the person used Portland cement, crushed oyster shells and crushed rock salt. He said that he soaks the rock for about 3 months and changes out the water every other day. Whats your thoughts on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 With portland it will take a few months to cure. We are trying hydraulic cement, which cures in a couple of weeks, tonight to see how it does. I think that will make the process much better. You leave the rock out for 4 weeks and just keep it moist, not soaked in water, and then put it in water for a month or more to actually cure the cement when using portland cement. His explanation sounds right on for portland mixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 So do I just make the rock and pull it out of the sand once it hardens a bit? Also how do I keep it just moist? Do I spray it everyday with a spray bottle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 I kept the rocks in a zip lock bag with a moist paper towel in there. For my wall I just left it in the bin with moist sand and put moist paper towels over it and left it sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Cool thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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