I was a little dubious I have to admit that it would be possible to create fake live rock to any degree of accuracy in terms of porosity and filtration viability, not to mention it being attractive enough to be both texture wise and chemically to encourage natural levels of diversity over time even if mixed with some real Live rock.

The older methods of using white cement and crushed oyster that id seen, although looking pretty impressive, were still very dense and heavy to the touch unlike properly porous and well seasoned live rock. However I was interested in a relatively new method of archiving that porosity that the Americans have started to use.  This involves  the inclusion into the mix, of a large portion of course diameter (5-10mm) salt granules (the type commonly used for flushing through water softeners). When this is included in the mix, the rock is cured by soaking it in fresh water for approximately 6 weeks during which time, these large salt grains dissolve into solution leaving the rock extremely porous and light, much more in keeping with real live rock, than previous methods.

To cut a long process short, I'll plough through with photos and notes on this page. the main feature on manufacturing your own live rock can be found in the DIY section.

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Images 1&2: After laying down a protective base sheet, a mould is created using chicken wire supported by bricks and other objects, and is then overlaid again with a further layer of thin plastic sheet to ensure no metal ends up bound into the setting mix.

Images 3&4 : The thick premix is dropped onto the mould forming the structures. Careful attention is paid to make the surface look as natural as possible with minimal interference or man-handling.. To make caves etc, gaps are simply left over the mould which once hardened and set, can be removed from underneath leaving a hollowed out rock structure perforated with realistic cavities and cave entrances, but with a flat, and safe base that will spread the load over the tank base without causing pressure points. sand can also be placed in the tank around these structures preventing compaction and possible long term problems

Images 5&6: The completed rock structures. one showing a fully hardened structure after removal from the mould, the other still with the underlying mould present. In the case of the largest sections, there are invisible joins present that break up the structure into easily managed chunks that slot back together forming a ridged and very stable aquascape..

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Images 7&8: Here we can see the back of the structures temporarily held up with bricks which will be replaced with 50mm diameter pipe sections at a later stage. there is a considerable amount of space available for the closed loop strainers and for livestock to hide in at night. The walls of the structures  are only a  few inches thick at the sturdiest points, in other areas they are less than 1" thick. Although this may 'seem' weak, it is in fact exceedingly strong, and allot more solid after 48hrs hardening, than a pile of carefully arranged single rocks. You can also see a few of the branch rocks that were created to emulate old dead coral branches that will become home to new colonies.

Images 9&10: A couple more shots showing the aquascape including a reef gorge that runs towards the back of the tank. This brings back the 'depth of field' which reminds the viewer of just how deep the tank is from front to back. You can also see the islands that are near the front of the tank which have been added to break-up the monotony of a large open sand area.

Image 11: This shows a view of the aquascape from the front.  Whilst this may seem quite low, it should be remembered that the back of the aquascape will be colonised by various branching acropora's and millipora's that will need that extra  growth space.

Turn to the next page for more progress on the main Tank build..