Hi and a little help from a new member

Hi
I am interested in setting up a saltwater tank and have begun to process of buying stuff. I have done a lot of research and as a result have a question to ask the more experienced members.
I was about to build my own live rock when I discovered a urethan based set of products called Smooth-cast. The following URL demonstrates the process.

Custom Aquariums - Live Rock Made With Aquarium Safe Materials

The question is, has anyone used this method? If so, any issues arise; was a curing time necessary; did the end result achieve the look and feel of a live reef?

I would like to try this method which will cost about $125. Although a little more expensive than using concrete has many advantages: no curing time, light weight, no real experimenting in the mixing, only the creative side and that finally painting. The video makes the process look straight forward.

I will be doing a 55 g reef tank. I have the sand, lights, pumps, filters so it is time for the rock.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

BE

 

Welcome to 3Reef!

I have never personally tried that method, but I was wondering why you would prefer fake rock over the real thing?

I know that live rock can be very expensive, but there are much cheaper ways to achieve the same result. What I did was bought 1-2 smaller pieces of live rock and then bought the rest as dry rock for only $2 per lb. Then you just wait during the cycle and the dry rock becomes live rock.

It takes a little longer, but is much cheaper and you aren't harvesting the rock from the reefs, since the dry rock comes from in-shore quarries.

I would also think that the fake rock would not have the same bio filtration power as it has less surface area, due to the fact that it isn't porous.

 

You'd be better off with Bulk Reef Supplys dry Pukani

 

+100 to this.

I just got 100# of it in a couple days ago. I wish I had spent the money on it for my first setup and been done with it. I will never go back to normal Fiji rock.


As far as the OP goes, I have never done any concrete rockwork, but from what I understand, it is a very long process to cure. I am patient, but not that patient. Hopefully your urethane option will work well, but i have never heard of it.

 

If I had not got other rock before I checked this out, its surely the route I would have went. you will always need some life rock for seeding, but that pukani rock is some sweet rock, when I upgrade to a 65 or 90, you can bet I will top off the bigger tank with this stuff.

 

I am not an experienced aquarist by any means, so take this with a grain of salt, but here are my thoughts:

First off, I don't buy into the turning dry rock into live rock. The only way to do this is if it is placed in the ocean and left there for years! There is no substitution for the real thing! However, depending on the tank's purpose, you may not need all, or even any, live rock.

Moving on, I have no experience with making synthetic rocks, however I am all for trying new things! If everyone always did what worked and nothing else, we wouldn't even have the internet. That being said, dry rocks are a very good option that should be cheaper for you. I was very happy with the dry rocks from reefrocks.net. For $1.70/lb, I don't think you can beat it.

I like you am just setting up a tank. I feel I also have done a lot of research. One thing that I have found is that it is a lot more work than I ever thought just to get the tank up and running! I have a sump though, which adds a ton of work, but you did not list one. So it may all come down to how ambitious you are. One more thing to stew on, is any painted/coated decor in a SW tank will fade over time. So even if it looks great for the first few months or year, it may not after that. On the other hand the dry rocks that become covered in algae look as natural as it gets

Good luck, and if you do decide to do it make sure to post the results!

 

I don't think you understand what the term "live rock" implies. Dry rock will become "live rock" under most circumstances and it is a huge biological filter for an aquarium. I would definitely start with dry rock.

 

I do know what "live rock" implies (or rather should imply); rock from the ocean that has innumerable organisms living both in and on it. Placing actual dry rock on or near dry rock will only transfer the algae and some mobile invertebrates. I agree that dry rock still provides the biological filtering that live rock does, but it does not give you the diverse life that live rock provides. Again, depending on your tank purpose, you may not need this diverse life.

And I don't mean to start an argument, I just don't believe they are one and the same!

 

hi and welcome

 

Welcome to 3reef