DIY Liverock

I've discovered, the absolute best DIY Recipe for LR...use the normal method of making liverock and use salt to make porous holes...read on to find out the whole process

Mix 6 parts Carib Sea(tm) aragonite sand with 1 part portland cement. I also add some plastic saw dust to the mixture for a texture. I also have found out that mixing in a little rock salt and then sprinkling some on the outer surface tends to make a nice porous rock for the finished product, try it for yourself, once the rock salt melts, the rock is left with a hole and you have a nice texture. If you have a pool supply shop near you, then you can buy salt pellets for Salt Generators which is a form of chlorinator. These pellets come in a range of sizes, but will definently be just as good as rock salt if not better. My father owns a pool store, so I have the salt pellets readily available for my use. So anyway take a box, preferrably a stryofoam box that you've received a shipment of fish in, fill with aragonite sand, the same that you made the mix from, dig trenches in the box to make the formations of the liverock, and pour your mix in and smoooth and round if you'd like, sprinkle some dry aragonite on top and let it dry for a few days. I soak the rocks in freshwater for a night, and then I soak them in white vinagar for 12-24 hours, and then rinse them with freshwater, but I have found out, that letting them sit in freshwater changed every day, for about 3 days fully cures them and can almost guarantee a nice cured rock. Make sure you frequently check the pH and make sure its at acceptible levels before adding it to your tank...keep changing the water until it has cured, or you can speed up the process by adding chemicals.

- Jared

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