How to Make Nano Reef Rock

Here we demonstrate how to make Aragocrete reef rock for the 10-gallon Nano Lagoon reef tank. The same process is used to make rock for larger tanks.

Aragocrete was first developed by LeRoy Headlee and his staff at the Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation (garf.org) in Boise, Idaho. We gratefully acknowledge their pioneering work in the formulation and demonstration of Aragocrete technology.

The basic formula for making reef rock is 1-2-3: one part Portland cement, 2 parts coral sand and 3 parts 3/4" coral aggregate. If you don't have coral aggregate, use Portland cement and coral sand in a ratio of 1 part cement to 4 parts sand. Mix the dry ingredients with a shovel in a wheelbarrow, then add water carefully, mixing as you go, to achieve a "dry" stiff mixture with no standing water.

Next use a small spade or mason's trowel to drop the mixture into a sandbox or suitable container (such as a big basin or cardboard box) which has been filled with sand. Use a piece of #4 rebar, a big screwdriver or a mason's pointing tool to add features and holes to the mixture and to shape it while it is still workable.

Pieces of rock destined for the 10-gallon Nano Lagoon tank should be no bigger than your outstretched hand.

Let the rock sculptures dry for at least 24 hours. Next, place them into a plastic trash bin filled with aerated seawater. Let them age for a month or more before using them in a saltwater aquarium.

Making your own Aragocrete reef rock locally helps reduce damage to natural coral reefs in tropical island nations. It also eliminates the alarming dieoff of reef invertebrates which occurs every time wild live rock is shipped to distant markets, such as those in America and Europe.

Please use only captive-bred organisms in your reef aquarium.

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