Another DIY rock question

Curious if you could use plaster of paris instead of cement when making this rock? personlly I think plaster of paris would look better than cement and would be lighter.

 

i dont think so, it would eventually dissolve and would release a ton of harmful chemicals into the water. best to not deviate from the norm when dealing with something that can affect water quality so directly.

 

ohhh!! you know I been doing some reading on that topic and i heard of people using dental plaster, won't break down and is light.

 

i dont know, i would not trust it, maybe try it on a small tank with like a damsel or something.

 

So when making rock with cement, does the rock end up being very heavy as one would think it would?

 

Personally I'd only use a material that is calcium carbonate based.

Use crushed oyster shells and Portland cement in a 3:1 ratio to get good texture. And add a handful of Pool Salts to each batch to make it porous.

Use a tub of moist sand to make molds and don't pour big blobs, it won't be that heavy in the end if it isn't some solid chunk of concrete.

 

There are some great you tube videos of diy live rock and I've seen people use little water balloons to make caves and tunnels. I would also use some salt to take place of some of the cement. That will definitely make the pieces lighter and more porous. I'm actually getting really to make my own set up for my 26 gallon in the next couple of weeks. Have fun