DIY Rock questions

H

harial

OK so I was wondering about how long it would take for the rock to cure. I have read about this on multiple sites and most say anywhere from 4 weeks to 8 weeks and then there are some who say that the amount of time needed is dependent on how long it takes to get the pH down to about 8 and that with more frequent water changes, you can actually reduce the time.

Is this right, because some sites have mentioned problems with chemicals leeching out and others don't mention this at all. Can I cut the curing time down by doing more frequent water changes?

thanks
Harial
 
Yes. It's going to be a month minimum but the more water changes you do the shorter it will be. With twice weekly changes your probably looking around 6 weeks or so but it does depend on a lot of different things.
 
Hi Harial,

I made some about a year ago and cured it for at least 3 months before putting it in my tank. It still leached... at least I believe it did. After putting in 15-20#, out of 40# total, in a 30gallon, many of my corals seemed to stop "thriving". I even lost a gsp, a few mushrooms, and a xenia. Some corals did fine and the fish didn't seem to have any problems with it, but I eventually pulled it out. I believe it may have been due to the density of the larger pieces I made. After removing it from the 30g, I heard a gasp and a faint "thank you" from a few of it's inhabitants. All the corals in that tank look 100% better and are now thriving since removing it. I moved it to another tank with a couple clowns and an anemone... no problems at all. My recommendation would be to not create large dense pieces.

BTW... I've since learned, that clowns don't usually host with condi anemones. Not to say that they wouldn't, I've seen them host to stranger corals, but I'm a rookie and the anemone was a cheap buy, and it sounded cool, and I didn't do my homework, etc etc...

:lol:

Good luck,
Steve
 
I'd be interested in the brands of materials you used to make your rocks? I haven't heard very many stories like that so I'd like to know what to warn people against.
 
hey Stevo, did you allow the rock become live before putting it in the tank? I don't see any coraline growth. It looks like it is merely baserock at the time of the picture but according to you, it had already been in another tank before being moved to that one.

Your animals might have suffered because of inadequate biological filtration with the rock not being live rock but just dead rock.

just a thought
 
I have made a couple of batches and used crushed oyster, dolomite, sand, and white concrete. I cured for at least 6 wks and have really not had any type of problems. Mine are completely covered in coraline (parts exposed to light at least) and now have feather dusters and sponges on them.

I would recommend keeping your mix pretty dry (makes it less dense) and don't make thick big pieces. Dont rush the curing process I wouldn't do less than 6 weeks w/ weekly water changes.
 
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