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swiftra 
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Joined: February 06 2006
Location: Ogden
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 Topic: Agarocrete
Posted: February 06 2010 at 9:33pm |
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So long time lurker no much of a poster but figured I would ask the question. Been reading up on agarocrete from the garf website sounds like a good idea for a winter project. Just was curious if anybody has tried making this themselves? What kind of luck you had? Good ideas or bad ideas? Any feedback much appreciated.
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paleohead
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Joined: October 31 2009
Location: Rock Springs, W
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Posted: February 07 2010 at 8:26am |
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We have made a good amount of our own in days past. The main thing is you can get what shapes and sizes you specifically need. If you have access to a creek this is the perfect place to "cycle" this rock to lower the PH. Some type of driveway salt is the best additive to create spaces in the rock, or it is the best we used. You can also color your mix if you want to!
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Collecting for the public to see!
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swiftra
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Posted: February 07 2010 at 9:30am |
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Are you talking about ice melt? Also any bad effects when it went into your tanks?
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If you make it idiot proof, someone will find a better idiot!
Well 100g crashed when I moved it. Starting a 50g cube now.
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paleohead
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Posted: February 07 2010 at 1:02pm |
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Ice melt or Ice Cream rock salt either one, depends on what size holes you want in your rock. We always left it in a flowing creek for a couple of months or so and never had any ill effects at all. Just put a piece or two in a 5 gallon bucket and check the PH and Salinity before it goes into your tank. Put it in a creek because it was free, flowing and no water changes.
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Mark Peterson
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Joined: June 19 2002
Location: Murray
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Posted: February 08 2010 at 12:06pm |
I assume you know about Utah Rock discussed here: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244
With good quality porous lightweight Utah Rock/LBTR I never had the need to make Aragocrete.
I did try a bucket of Aragocrete someone else had made but even after 3 months in a stream it still burned coral in the tank placed near it so I had to discard the entire pile. That was a bad batch. Lots of good Aragocrete has been made and used over the last 10 or so years. A member of the WMAS that had worked at a brick company came up with a formulation that was so porous, water flowed right through it. Now that was great Aragocrete.
I have a large pile of the best quality Utah Rock available in the Murray area. Simply call the number below to arrange to go check it out.
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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swiftra
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Posted: February 11 2010 at 10:37am |
Thanks for the info Mark. Yeah I have read about the Utah rock here on the board but was a little worried about going and looking for some with all this snow on the ground. Mud and snow and little car don't usually mix. So curious what it is about the aragocrete that would burn your corals? Did they add something to it? Also how much would you charge me for the Utah rock? Might be very interested in it, if nothing else it will save me a lot of time in the curing process. 
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If you make it idiot proof, someone will find a better idiot!
Well 100g crashed when I moved it. Starting a 50g cube now.
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Nano_Reefer
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Posted: February 16 2010 at 9:31pm |
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If you do decide to go with the agrocrete, do not buy it from GARF. This is a very expensive and risky way to go. You can use concrete mix from Home depot.
The curing process is long no matter which way you go, and needs to be done due to the PH being so high.
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Mad Dawg
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Posted: February 17 2010 at 12:38am |
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@swiftra
Mark has a bunch of Utah rock stockpiled in Murray where you wouldn't have to take your little car off-road.
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Todd
14g nano mixed reef project
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