anyone tried making Liverocks from Limestone??

[todd22]

I have read that some people have created some very interesting shaped liverock from limestone chunks. I was considering buying a block and going at it with a chisel for some future live rock. I know it has to be seeded and such with real live rock, but I was wondering if anyone has tried making good structures with a block of limestone and a chisel. Good or bad results, difficulty of the project, tools for the job, and pics would be appreciated.

 

[danmhippo]

never worked with limestone, but have you tried submerge them in a tub of water and test the Ph of the water? I suspect it's going to drive ph way high!!!

 

[todd22]

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/c_hofman_110997.html

Here is a link for someone who supposedly had good success with no PH problems. I guess a PH test should definitely be made on the stone in a vat of water before addition though. Thanks for the imput thats the kind of ideas I want before delving into this project. I really hope the limestone will work, because I would rather chisel a neat structure rather than mold one. Tried once and It did not work out as I planned.

 

[BrentB6]

CHeck Out this link. It isn't limestone but aragonite instead. http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6279/RaiseCementRock.html

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Greg Hiller on this board bought something like a quarter ton of limestone for attaching frags. It is totally nonporous unless you do something to it (like partial dissolution in acid) but is a fine material to have in a tank. Personally, I think it would be a good idea to chisel out some interesting shapes that are hard to come by in live rock.

 

[Adam1]

Hi all,

I couldn't resist throwing in my .015!

Be aware that as Randy said, Limestone is very dense and non-porous. This makes limestone a poor contributor to biological filtration. If you are only using it as "base rock", or to make cool shapes, and the bulk is going to be more porous material, you should be fine.

HTH,

Adam

 

[todd22]

Interesting maybe there are differend types that could be more porous. What type of acid would you suggest randy? Might be worth a try. Thanks for the posts. Anyone out there who has had success with it?

 

[randy holmes-farley]

I'd use muriatic acid (HCl), diluted with water, to rough it up some and give it a more natural surface. I think Greg tried this too, though I'm not sure how successful it was.

 

[todd22]

Another problem I have encountered is that I can not find the Limestone blocks anywhere. Randy do you know where greg found the rock at? Isnt HCL Hydrochloric Acid?

Thanks

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Greg got it directly from a quarry in Rhode Island, I think. I also think they told him to load up his truck for almost no charge ($20??, I can't recall exactly).

Yes, HCl is muriatic acid, which can be obtained at hardware and pool stores.

 

[kjb]

I live in the Southern Indiana Oolitic Limestone belt and have used a few pieces as baserock. I have toyed with the idea of making a support structure from the limestone using a little expoxy but think the stuff we have here is too solid to be of much use as a substitute for regular LR...
WHat we have is pure stuff, no mica, quartz, etc... and you should be able to find some in a stoneyard [even in CA] as it is often cut for sill pieces.
But overall, I wouldn't bother unless you were tryng to build a support structure for your LR.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[BReefCase]

Do a search of the board archives for "lava rock" and you'll find a lengthy thread about the man-made "lava rock" found in pet shops. This man-made refractory ceramic product is reef safe, and apparently some very big chunks can be found at some landscaping places.

This material is pH neutral, hard enough to work well, soft enough to carve and cut with household tools, and porous enough to make excellent live rock. It may be a good alternative to hard, dense, alkaline limestone.

 

[todd22]

Well I gave up my Limestone search and looked around for some light weight Lava rock. I found some peices that will look great after they are infested with life. Thanks for the info!

 

[kampkomfort]

Dr. Gonzo,

Just curious...where did you find your lava rock? I've been unlucky at the local landscaping businesses I've checked. Thanks.

-J

 

[dkreef]

liverocks aren't very great for bacteria growth anyways...if i were yu, i would get limestone for base rocks and stack the liverocks on top.

but definitely get lots of sand and make a Deep sand bed (at least 4").
the sand will give yu all the bacteria yu need.

 

[ejloomis]

I had quite a bit of Texas limestone in my old reef. This supplemented my liverock. I never had pH problems and in fact that reef was well-balanced; it rarely had pH, alk, or calcium shortages even though I only intermittently dripped kalk.

Over time the limestone was covered with coralline and lots of dusters and burrowing creatures. It looked good, and was visually indistinguishable from other lr pieces after a while. When I had to break down that tank, the limestone had become consdiderably more porous through the natural action of the algae and animals.

As people have noted, limestone won't substitute for lr due to its density. But if you can get it cheap I think it makes a great inexpensive base rock. You don't need to do anything but let it sit in a thriving tank to make it more porous.

 

[todd22]

Kamp,

I actually got my lava rock from a LFS which carries all kinds of animals (from birds to fish). The rock was incredibly light and appeared to be created for maybe a reptile tank. None the less it was extremely porous and had awesome caves and unique structure to it. I have no doubt that it will become just as efficient as my real LR.

DK,

Not sure if you meant Lavarock but the stuff I got is very porous and am sure it will do great for harvesting life. I think Breefcase is right the man made lava will work very well being exremely porous and sturdy.