Building a Concrete Saltwater Aquarium – T
This days the world is confronting a major disaster in our oceans. The destruction of natural coral reef systems. Human recreation, pollution and also natural occurred disasters are the root cause of the problem. The natural reefs can’t rebuild fast enough to keep step with the destruction. Also harvesting of live coral has a major affect in rebuild capacity.
There are some solutions to rebuild natural reefs in the wild; one of them includes the use of concrete molds that mimic natural coral reefs. We have some advantages using the concrete. It is heavy enough to be stable on the ocean floor and can withstand hurricanes without moving. Also can provide internal cavities for shelter. A major advantage is that the concrete does not contains toxins. This is why the concrete is used in our days to major saltwater aquariums.
Some marine hobbyists have started to make their own concrete structures to place in the saltwater tanks. We have some ingredients for the rock : crushed shells, crushed coral, sand and cement. Sand is also used to construct the mold. You have to use the adequate quantity of water to shape the mold for your rocks. You can also sprinkle crushed coral, Puka shells, dry oyster or other shells to the inside of the mold before you place the rock mixture in it to add decoration to the outside of the rock. You need to add the mix in the mold in small pieces at regular period of time. It will help it to form natural shapes. You can add decorative shells. After that all will be covered in sand. The mold has to dry for 24 hours then it can be removed. Now you can remove the loose sand.
It is very important that the rocks that are going to be placed in the aquarium to be properly cured. Otherwise you can have big problems even death. The cement that is in your new live rock aquarium can rise the PH level to dangerous levels. The rock will need to be cured for at least 6 to 8 weeks or until the PH level is stabilized. Normally the cure of the rocks takes place in seawater. Your new rocks have to be submerged in a container of tap water and left to soak. You need to change the water in the container at least twice a week. You can use a PH test kit and see when the PH level from the water is near accepted levels. After you test the water you can add the rocks to your saltwater aquarium. After 5 weeks of curing the rocks, drain the water in the container, measure the PH of your tap water and record the measurement result. After this process, put back the rocks in stagnant water for about one week. At the end of this week measure the PH again. If you have fluctuations on the PH level, repeat the process for another week. Repeat the process until the PH level is constant.
Using concrete in your saltwater aquarium helps saving the nature and also it’s a beautiful addition to your tank.
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