Painting Liverock

[Rob.B.]

Ok this may sound crazy! I will be doing our new aquarium with Caribsea Liferock and Liferock Shapes. It’s a peninsula tank so I’m go to be incorporating some Tunze Streams along with the Tunze Stream Rocks at the far end to create flow.
I want these to somewhat match the tank, I know people use PVC primer to dye the rock. Thinking of a more safe solution for the critters... Has anyone wetted liverock down and sprinkled grape koolaid over it? I know that stuff pretty much stains whatever it comes in contact with.

 

[mike werner]

Ok this may sound crazy! I will be doing our new aquarium with Caribsea Liferock and Liferock Shapes. It’s a peninsula tank so I’m go to be incorporating some Tunze Streams along with the Tunze Stream Rocks at the far end to create flow.
I want these to somewhat match the tank, I know people use PVC primer to dye the rock. Thinking of a more safe solution for the critters... Has anyone wetted liverock down and sprinkled grape koolaid over it? I know that stuff pretty much stains whatever it comes in contact with.

it's very acidic so that may be a problem.saltwater will probably wash the color out over a period of time I think

 

[Rob.B.]

it's very acidic so that may be a problem.saltwater will probably wash the color out over a period of time I think

Have you tried any of the other methods? PVC primer to Acrylic paint?

I've read posts that state some pretty good success with Krylon fusion Spray paint but I can't seem to find any locally.

I just try food coloring diluted in water, it a ceramic stone so it should absorb a fair amount of the coloring.

 

[mike werner]

Have you tried any of the other methods? PVC primer to Acrylic paint?

I've read posts that state some pretty good success with Krylon fusion Spray paint but I can't seem to find any locally.

I just try food coloring diluted in water, it a ceramic stone so it should absorb a fair amount of the coloring.

I would be afraid to try anything at all.you just never know what might happen.short cuts and cutting corners always bight me in the butt.the good purple stuff really doesn't take long to grow in most tanks with good calcium/mag. levels.
I added some base rock pieces about 6 months ago and you'd be hard pressed to tell it from my 10 year old rock now.
how much rock are you trying to add to the tank?

 

[Rob.B.]

Probably around 120 pounds, this isn't my first rodeo... But adding these Snow White tunze stream rocks are going to be eyesores. So I'm going to mute them down, in the past I have used BRS Pukani and Reef Saver rock. But this time I'm going totally man made reef stone.

 

[mike werner]

Probably around 120 pounds, this isn't my first rodeo... But adding these Snow White tunze stream rocks are going to be eyesores. So I'm going to mute them down, in the past I have used BRS Pukani and Reef Saver rock. But this time I'm going totally man made reef stone.

I hear ya man.way back in the day that was the look we went with.i wish I had a better answer for you.hopefully someone will chime in with the answer.good luck with your build.look forward to seeing some pics after you do the rock.

 

[Reef Doc]

Hey guys, so I think the best idea would be purple pvc primer. I do not have any experience doing this but I researched it all day yesterday and I think I am going to be doing purple pvc primer to cover 20 lbs of stax rocks for my aquascape in a about a month or so. Here are some youtube videos that may be helpful:

Part #1

Part#2

Part#3

Part#4

 

[Rob.B.]

Hey guys, so I think the best idea would be purple pvc primer. I do not have any experience doing this but I researched it all day yesterday and I think I am going to be doing purple pvc primer to cover 20 lbs of stax rocks for my aquascape in a about a month or so. Here are some youtube videos that may be helpful:

Part #1

Part#2

Part#3

Part#4

I watched these as well, some pretty hardy fish in the tanks with the finished product.

I think I'm going to soak the Tunze Rocks in purple food coloring. It's food grade so I'm assuming it won't hurt the fish.

It won't be long before the coralline takes hold, but these two bright white rocks are going to be eyesores.

 

[Mark Bianco]

There is an old saying in this hobby. Nothing good comes fast! IMHO let nature take its course.

 

[reefwiser]

Get some coraline algae starter from Indo pacific sea farm. http://www.ipsf.com/corallinebooster.html
Good chemistry and light it grows fast.
I under stand how nasty dry rock is. Would really better if you bought fresh live rock direct from the ocean. But you young guys are scared of the ocean. [emoji3]

 

[Rob.B.]

There is an old saying in this hobby. Nothing good comes fast! IMHO let nature take its course.

IIRC we were looking for advise on coloring Additional live rock being added to a system - not opinions. Been in the hobby for 32 years, think I know a little more than enough than to get bye. IMNHO if someone isn’t going to reply with advice regarding the thread.. NNTR

 

[Rob.B.]

Hey guys, so I think the best idea would be purple pvc primer. I do not have any experience doing this but I researched it all day yesterday and I think I am going to be doing purple pvc primer to cover 20 lbs of stax rocks for my aquascape in a about a month or so. Here are some youtube videos that may be helpful:

Part #1

Part#2

Part#3

Part#4

How did your dye job go?

I’m waiting on one more Tunze Rock, once deliver d I’ll make the plunge...

 

[Reef Doc]

How did your dye job go?

I’m waiting on one more Tunze Rock, once deliver d I’ll make the plunge...

I have not got my rocks yet. My wife and I are moving in two weeks. I have to re-setup my tank, turn in frags for store credit, get the rocks, get the primer, paint the rocks, let them dry, find an aquascape design that like, drill holes for plugs, rinse, dry, then add to tank. I think it will be a month then I will post pics. Right now my tank is a cluttered mess since I broke down my frag tank. I have also been running my tank lights for 12+ hours each day to color up my zoas I am going to be turning in so I got slime algae right now. I will post a pic of my tank in a few minutes.

 

[Reef Doc]

See it is a cluttered mess!!! But once I get those rocks and get the tank back on track after the move I think it is going to look nice. I have got some nice pieces just need to grow them out and get some Battlecorals. Another big reason why I want to try to use the PVC primer is that I have heard on a few BRS videos that painted rocks can be somewhat algae resistant.

 

[Rob.B.]

I have not got my rocks yet. My wife and I are moving in two weeks. I have to re-setup my tank, turn in frags for store credit, get the rocks, get the primer, paint the rocks, let them dry, find an aquascape design that like, drill holes for plugs, rinse, dry, then add to tank. I think it will be a month then I will post pics. Right now my tank is a cluttered mess since I broke down my frag tank. I have also been running my tank lights for 12+ hours each day to color up my zoas I am going to be turning in so I got slime algae right now. I will post a pic of my tank in a few minutes.

Looking forward to seeing the new setup and aqua scape.

 

[Reef Doc]

A little bit of an update: I got 20 lbs of Stax rocks over the weekend. Some are a bit smaller than I would have liked so I am looking into adding some Tonga shelfs or something. I tried coloring them with purple PVC primer and the color did not stay. When the primer dried it hardly even looked like I put anything on them. So I went to home depot looking for Purple Krylon Fusion but this store did not carry it. So I said whatever and picked up some Purple Rustoleum (2x Paint+Primer) Spray Paint. I sprayed a few stax rocks and I am letting them dry. I setup a test 10 gallon that I will place them in along with some snails and some less beloved corals including a green acan, green duncan, green star polyp, zoanthids, green branching hammer, a stylophora, a birdsnest, some aliptasia , orange and green lobo, green damicornis, and a gold leptoseris. I will give and update once I throw the painted rocks in the tank. I am letting them dry for a few days giving them a rinse then dry then in the tank.

 

[Rob.B.]

A little bit of an update: I got 20 lbs of Stax rocks over the weekend. Some are a bit smaller than I would have liked so I am looking into adding some Tonga shelfs or something. I tried coloring them with purple PVC primer and the color did not stay. When the primer dried it hardly even looked like I put anything on them. So I went to home depot looking for Purple Krylon Fusion but this store did not carry it. So I said whatever and picked up some Purple Rustoleum (2x Paint+Primer) Spray Paint. I sprayed a few stax rocks and I am letting them dry. I setup a test 10 gallon that I will place them in along with some snails and some less beloved corals including a green acan, green duncan, green star polyp, zoanthids, green branching hammer, a stylophora, a birdsnest, some aliptasia , orange and green lobo, green damicornis, and a gold leptoseris. I will give and update once I throw the painted rocks in the tank. I am letting them dry for a few days giving them a rinse then dry then in the tank.

Thanks for the update I may go the natural food coloring route, and see how it turns out.

 

[Jr'sReef]

I’ve painted a few rocks and backdrops with fusion paints and some other spray paints. I like to run polyfilters when I first introduce them to the tank as well as carbon, never had issues short or long term. However spray painting them in a lot of lighter coats seems to keep the porosity rather then drenching them in paint.

 

[dieselkeeper]

All my rock is purple coraline. I hate it. Purple corals blend in with it.

 

[Rob.B.]

All my rock is purple coraline. I hate it. Purple corals blend in with it.

Every tank ends up purple [emoji12]

I'm just trying to blend existing branch rock with my Caribsea liferock...