Bleach vs Acid

Discocarp,
Pay close attention to the rock in the acid. 30 min may actually be too long. Some of my rocks shrank and became super brittle due to too much exposure to the acid.
 
Thanks for the warning, but I'm not sure how I'm going to watch them. Should I pull a rock out periodically? I was trying to avoid my hands in the acid (even gloved).
 
Done. Rock looks good, definitely dissolved some, but not too much. I ended up using 2g HCL rather than 3g for 30 min because of Keith's warning (and they came in 2 packs, so I went under rather than over).

I am currently just running the hose in the trashcan full blast to flush out the rock. Is it safe to assume that the rock is safe to use once I've flushed it well? Acid would have finished off the bleach, right? So a decent pH and I'm good to go?
 
I just cleaned my upgrade tank with muriatic acid, nasty stuff. Make sure you're in a well ventilated area, preferably outside. I'm may have to try some of the cleaning processes mentioned in this post. I have a ton of shrooms and dont want to introduce them into the new tank. Either that or i sell the rock off and pick up some BRS rock if they ever get anymore in.
 
The acid should have turned the bleach into chlorine. I'd use a dechlorinator if I were using the rock with living organisms right away, but a lot of rinsing probably is good enough.
 
I'm not in a rush. I'll add it to my porch can. That gets the waste from my litermeter water changes (10L per day in a 40g brute from my 265g). Thanks for the help. This was a pain, but I did 2 months worth of cooking in 2 nights for $20.
 
Last edited:
The rock still smells like a swimming pool this morning unfortunately. I've started flushing it with the hose again, and I'm going to get more dechlorinator before moving it to saltwater.
 
?

?

I have some rock I'd like to cleanup.

The pests are bubble algae, Mojano Anemones, and a touch of cyano. I also want to rid the rock of any P04 that might be in the rock. Copper is a non-issue.


I don't feel comfortable with muriatic acid.


Can I use vinigar instead? Vinigar right out of the jug? Let it soak in pure vinigar for 24 hours.

Rinse, and add a box of baking soda or Kalk for 24 hours.

Then, reseed with LR and LS, in a dark Rubbermaid for 4-8 weeks.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks.:fish1:
 
What would be a less scary muriatic acid ratio? 10:1 sounds very aggressive. What would be the equivalent ratio to equal vinegar?
 
Something like 80:1, I think. It's probably easier to use vinegar, though. That way you don't have a lot of muriatic acid left over.
 
about the vinegar thing ive read others say they have used 1 gallon vinegar to 5 gallons water. and let soak for a day. not sure how it compares to these more agressive methods. but looks fun =)

my question is i just bought some marco rocks for my new tank, they are dried and considered dead rock i guess. but they seem to have some dead stuff on them here and there. i want my rocks to be as clean as possible to start my new tank off. what would you consider the best way to go with the marco rocks?
 
I have a gallon of muriatic acid left over from some cleaning I did, would the best way to get rid of it be dilute it in 30 gallons of water then add baking soda?
 
After vinigar, should I dunk the rock in a 5g bucket with 1 box of baking soda?

Will this neutralize the vinigar? Will it help remove any organtics or phosphate?

Or, is the baking soda bath a big waste of time and effort?

And thanks.

:fish1:
 
What would be a less scary muriatic acid ratio? 10:1 sounds very aggressive. What would be the equivalent ratio to equal vinegar?

There is no true equivalent ratio.

If you raise the pH of muriatic acid to the pH of vinegar, the initial rate of dissolution will be similar, but the muriatic acid poops out faster while the vinegar holds the pH down longer. At similar weight percentages, muriatic acid will have a much lower pH and will dissolve rock a lot faster.

Baking soda or washing soda are fine ways to neutralize the acid, after rinsing out most of the acid with water. :)
 
Update

Update

Wow - its great to see this thread still going and more and more useful info and experiences being posted. I'm checking in b/c I have an update that may not be "positive" but might be useful, so I thought I'd post it....

Timeline
  • I beleive I finished bleaching my first batch of LR back on or around 8/1/09. I submerged that 1st batch into my DT that containted some old Live Rock, strictly for seeding purpposes

  • I let that sit and seed for a fewe months, then removed the old live rock to begin the same bleaching and acid process.

  • I believe the last batch was put into the DT around 11/1/09

  • Now, a few weeks ago, let's say 4/1/10 to keep it simple, I'm starting to see algae growing on the rocks again.

Disclaimer: before we begin I don't want this thread to be hijacked by my "how to deal with nuisance algae" :idea: as we all know the multitide of useful (and not useful) threads out there on the subject. As sad as it is that "it's back", I'm well aware of the probable causes and will continue to deal with it -- outside of this thread. :fun2:

So, with that said, the really interesting thing to post is that its very clear that the 1st batch of clean rock (back on 8/1/09) is the first to be hit and the worst. Then, the 2nd batch (right before 11/1/09) is the 2nd worst, with the last batch (aroun 11/1/09) has no algae at all!

So, in the end, while its clear I have an excess nutrient issue, I find it interesting how its "attacked" my nice clean, LR. While this is what I might expect, anyone know "WHY"?

Is "dirtier" live rock more "susceptible" to algae growth than cleaner LR?

Sorry for the long rant but I thought this would be interesting to post.
 
The layer of phosphate-contaminated calcium carbonate might have been too thick for the acid to remove all of it. In theory, that might encourage algal growth on that rock. It's also possible that it's mostly coincidence.
 
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