Diy live rock-components

so, i got a quote for my 75g drilled witha 1.5" for 180$(thanks for the advice to those who replied) and now i'm going to acquire live rock. the lfs has some (LOTS actually) on sale for 3.99/lb but it doesnt look to have any real life on it even tho its in water which is being circulated. since time isnt really an issue, i wil try my hand at diy live rock(this also allows the wifey to be involved because she is artsy and would like to have a sculpture in the tank so she would feel emotion towards the tank which, im hoping, would allow me some liberty with the cash flow). i have found a source for aragonite and cement which i understand are the essential components. i have also read that adding PVC shavings promotes coralline algae growth and that rock salt causes the rock to me more porous. so for the actual questions! has anyone used these components? how were the results? how did u make the pvc shavings? what rock salt did you use(i was thinking either salt for water softeners or for de-icing)? what ratios did you use?

 

There is a good thread alread made by Matt Rogers it goes into great detail and looks fun! This should be all you need!

http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/my-diy-rock-29433.html