` REEF AQUARIUM FARMING NEWS 9 p 2

ISSUE # 9 page 2 SEPT.1997

MAKING MONEY WITH RUBBER GLOVE ROCKS

Hello,

This is LeRoy and I setting at the old Mac
just getting ready to code page 2 and
I received this great e-mail

LeRoy

Delivered-To: leroy@garf.org
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 13:57:44 -0600
To: leroy@garf.org
Subject: feed back
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted
on Wednesday, September 17, 1997 at 13:57:41
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FromUser: Karen Holt
Subject: Aragocrete
CommentType: Suggestion

MessageText: Dear Folks,
I am very proud to annouce that I have made several small batches of Aragocrete
of the last two days. ( I like to call it a "Tree Huggers Special.")

I am trained potter so working with this stuff comes very naturally. I have made
batches of Portalnd cement 1-2 and crushed coral per your instructions but
made it slightly more liquid. Then made the hollow in the moist crushed coral
very irregularly. I allow the soft slurry to plop about one tablespoon at a time
from between my fingers into the form. The result is a very irregular
and rough form. The more irrgular the better up to a point. The "point" is the
strength of the over all object.

Tunnels are great looking and are great favorites of my children.

I have also made large shelves over hills and valleys of moist crushed coral in the
same manner, looking like large clam shells 18 inches in diameter. Tonga branch
are fun and easy. Especially three dimentioned pieces. I have been able to layer
the pieces carefully several to a box and several different layers.
CAREFULLY!

They are all now happily curing in an old child's wading pool in the backyard.

Please keep up the good work and I can hardly wait to see what you come up with
next.

Karen Holt

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Well Karen then this one is for you,
Thank You so much - We love all of the wonderful feed back!

LeRoy

This months project is going to be fun. I am going to show you how to make some great CAVE ROCKS using rubber gloves to make the hollow caves.

I have been making these rocks all week and I enjoy digging them up more than any other type of Aragocrete^TM live rock that I have made. Last week as we were finishing the 600 lbs. of 'TONGA BRANCHES®' and starting the 600 lbs. of Baja Arches® I made my first Glove Caves®. These rock weigh from 4 lbs. to 7 lbs. and they are 7 inches to 12 inches wide. They are very thin walled with 1 large hole and 3 to 5 small holes in each one. No one who has seen the finished caves in the lab has been able to figure out how I made them.

You start this project by blowing up the rubber glove. You can make some very interesting flat Glove Caves® by only blowing the glove up with a small amount of air. We use rubber bands to tie the glove closed , and we have been able to reuse several of the gloves.
We make a round pancake shaped base of Aragocrete^TM in the beach box about 1/2 inch thick and place the inflated glove on it to start each cave.
It is important to make this base as thin as possible because the desired final effect is a cave with as thin of walls as possible.
We often put broken shells and small aragocrete rocks in the beach box before we put in the Aragocrete^TM for the base. These shells and rocks will then be on the surface of the cave base when it is dug up.
We then add some Aragocrete^TM around each finger keeping the end of the finger free of Aragocrete^TM .

MATERIALS:

CaribSea Aragonite Sand^TM for Beach Box
CaribSea Aragonite gravel^TM for Aragocrete^TM
# 1 - 2 Portland cement - #3 is Better , but it is hard to find.
Several old sea shells to put in base of cave
One rubber glove for each cave

The hardest thing to do in this project is keeping the Aragocrete^TM you use for the walls of the cave from flowing down into a pile on the base.
You can solve this problem by pushing dry gravel from the beach box up against the side of the cave as you build the walls.
When you have added enough Aragocrete^TM to cover the sides of the cave rock it will be 3/4 buried in gravel.
We have been leaving a hole about 3 inches wide on the top of the cave. This opening looks natual because you can make the walls very thin around it.
We use CaribSea Aruba shells on the surface of some of the caves and it makes them very bright and interesing.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix 5 parts - by volume - of CaribSea Aragonite gravel^TM with 1 part Portland cement to make the Aragocrete^TM
2. Make a thin base of Aragocrete^TM in the sand by pressing the Aragocrete^TM with your hand.
3. Place the inflated glove on the base.
4. Put some Aragocrete^TM around each finger leaving the ends exposed.
5. Build the walls of the cave by adding Aragocrete^TM and push the sand up around the cave to hold the walls up.
6. Leave a small hole in the top of the cave, and cover the cave with gravel.
7. Let the cave set for 48 hrs.
8. Dig up the cave and wash it.
9. Amaze your friends, and have fun!!

By making the beach box out of fine aragonite sand and then covering the top of the cave with aragonite gravel you can make a live rock cave that looks like it was formed in a natural way.
We have been placing small Mushroom rocks inside of these caves in our grow - out systems. We will move the rocks to new caves as soon as the Mushrooms start to grow inside of the caves. I am certain that there is a market for 4 lb. caves full of purple, blue, and red Mushrooms. I soak all of my Aragocrete^TM Living Sculptures® in fresh water for 4 weeks and I have not had any problems with pH. Be sure to soak the rocks in vinegar or cure them in fresh water before adding them to your systems.

TURNING ARAGOCRETE^TM INTO LIVE ROCK

Coralline algae is one of the most important things to grow on tank raised live rocks. Coralline algae can not grow in a system until you introduce it by adding live rocks. The more types of Coralline that you introduce the more types you will find growing on your tank raised live rocks. In our research lab we have experimented with several different methods to aid the advancement of coraline growth. We have noticed that new coralline algae starts to seed itself in the first month and it usually is found on the bottom base rock where the lighting is not so bright. This may have something to do with the fact that all our tanks are started by adding GARF Grunge, which has an abundent mixure of small pieces of coralline algae.

Coralline algae adds color

CORALLINE ALGAE is a very important thing to have growing on your combination tank grown live rock.

Coralline algae prevents other algae from growing
The bright colors add value to tank raised live rock
Coralline covered rocks will seed reef aquariums
Mixed colors of coralline algae are rare in nature
Coraline algae sells the live rock

Several colors of Coralline algae can be grown on the same tank raised live rock. Calcium is one of the most important things to add to your live rock growing tanks. Calcium levels in your live rock grow out tanks should be kept at about 400 mg/L at a specific gravity of 1.024. We have found that by using SeaChems Reef Builder^TM and Reef Advantage^TM in alternating doses in our make-up water we have had no trouble keeping both the calcium and alkalinity at the proper levels for rapid coralline growth. This simple method of treating our make-up water also keeps the strontium level in our grow out tanks high enough for the coralline algae to thrive.

LIGHTING

Triton^TM 40 watt bulbs to each Blue Moon^TM 40 watt bulb has produced the fastest growth of Coraline algae. We keep the lights on for 14 hours and the Coraline algae grows on every part of the rock that is exposed to the light.

ADDING INVEREBRATES

The best way to add value to your product is to grow several types of colored colonial invertebrates on each rock. You can start with very small cuttings.

MORE LATER- LeRoy

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REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A HOBBY AND HAVE FUN!!!!

GROW YOUR OWN - SAVE A REEF

PROPAGATION OF COMBINATION ROCKS ----

THIS 150 GALLON REEF AQUARIUM WAS SET UP USING
ARAGOCRETE^TM COMBINATION TANK GROWN LIVE ROCKS
THIS TANK IS FIVE MONTHS OLD

ARAGOCRETE^TM COMBINATION ROCKS CAN SUPPLY CUTTINGS
THAT WILL STOCK AN ENTIRE REEF AQUARIUM FARM

Combination tank grown live rock is a piece of reef safe rock that has two or more invertebrates growing on it. The best combination tank grown live rocks have a heavy growth of coraline algae. Color is the most inportant single thing that sells reef rocks. The animals that you put on the rocks should be able to live close together. It is best if at least one of these cuttings has bright colors.

WE HAVE HAD GOOD LUCK COMBINING SEVERAL TYPES OF XENIA ON ONE ROCK.

SOME GOOD SPECIES TO PUT TOGETHER ON ONE ROCK

LEATHER CORALS - GREEN STARS

ZOANTHIDS - PALYTHOA

ZOANTHIDS - ZOANTHIDS

MUSHROOMS - MUSHROOMS

FINGER CORAL - LEATHER CORAL

GREEN STARS - BROWN STARS

POM-POM XENIA - BALI XENIA

We have been using sps corals on our larger Aragocrete^TM combination rocks. This reef now has 40 types of sps corals. today we received 34 new corals from Steve Tyree. We have never had any corals with the color that these have. I used an Aragocrete^TM 'Tonga Branch' that I broke in half. I stood the pieces up and connected the by gluing five nice pieces of dead acropora rubble rock that came in today from Belize.

I added pices of rubble until I had 34 places to glue the frags. Steve ships in Coleman Coolers and everything came in in perfect shape.

INDEX OF OUR RESEARCHALGAE CONTROL CENTRAL
REEF JANITORS ALGAE CONTROL CENTRAL

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1997 WINTER - SPRING NEWSLETTER Our foundation is growing - Please visit our Newsletter
REEF AQUARIUM FARMING NEWS Newest information on reef aquarium farming

CORALLINE ALGAE PROPAGATION Learn to grow coralline algae on your reef aquarium live rocks
COMBINATION ROCK PROPAGATION Learn to grow combination reef aquarium live rocks
COMBINATION ROCK BASE ROCK SELECTION Learn about base rock for combination reef aquarium live rocks
COMBINATION ROCK SPECIES SELECTION Learn about selecting species for combination reef aquarium live rocks

LOW COST BULLET PROOF REEF AQUARIUM Learn to start an inexpensive reef aquarium
55 GALLON INSTA REEF Visit Rache's 12 week old Bullet Proof Reef Aquarium
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Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation,Inc. online tour Learn why we call it Geothermal
GARF RESEARCH HOME PAGE Learn about the other research we are doing
Super glue research page We teach you the Super Glue method of invertebrate propagation
Super Glue evaluation page Our researchers rate many brands of super glue
Geothermal Aquculture Research Foundation Feed Back page E-mail input so we can make these pages better
Natural Algae Control Reef Janitor Order Page - red leg hermits, snails, grunge.

NEW
Research page for Xenia and related soft coral propagation Learn to propagate xenia. Please enter any data you have about these corals.
Soft Coral Propagation Page Pictures and details of soft coral propagation
Stony Coral Propagation Page Pictures and details of small polyp stony corals
Mushroom Anemone Propagation Page Pictures and details of mushroom propagation
Zoanthid and palythoa Anemone Propagation Page Pictures and details of Sea mat propagation
Learn to construct a 140 gallon plywood and epoxy reef tank

Image Page for Zoanthids and Palythoa