DIY Live Rock Recipes?

[I Found Nemo]

Muratic acid? Thats a new one for me, could you explain a bit more?

HCL or hydrochloric acid

 

[bshumake]

If its Hydrochloric acid then why is it called Muratic acid? Not being a smart-*** but I have never heard of HCl being called Muratic.

 

[leaffish75]

muratic acid is use int swimming pools. its not the same as hydrochloric acid. It does contain it but it contains other things to
E-Z Muriatic Acid

"Industrial strength. 32% hydrochloric acid. Use to remove mortar from masonry, glazed tile and vitreous enamels. Used to etch concrete. Used to balance pH level in swimming pools."

you can get it at lowes, home depot, walmart or any swimming pool supply store.

 

[leaffish75]

oh if you use it do not breath it in. it can and will burn your lungs.

 

[bshumake]

Well, that shows me. I should look something up before I comment on it. Sure enough says 32% HCl. I'm assuming that the other components are significant enough to warrant the name change. This does bring up an interesting point for me. We use 1 or 2N HCl in my lab. When you open the top of a bottle of Muratic acid does it produce a pungent, white cloud? Ours does and will strip the lining of your lungs if you breathe it too long.

 

[I Found Nemo]

If its Hydrochloric acid then why is it called Muratic acid? Not being a smart-*** but I have never heard of HCl being called Muratic.

Have a look

Muriatic Acid

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Well I used General electric(GE) 100% pure silicone type 1. The mix is a bag of limestone gravel purchased in the gardening section(you can use anything u want though). Any bag of limestone gravel should be ok. The rock on the left side of the picture I used about 1/4 a bottle of silicone. The rock on the right side I used a full bottle of silicone.

There is no real formula to make this just mix in the gravel untill the mix is real thick and almost dry(but still a little sticky)

I have asked Dr. Randy Holmes farley about this and he said I should have no problems and It is 100% reef safe. The best part is im not waiting 4 months or more for safe rock.The only drawback is the cost... but imo its worth it because you can make your own shapes.

Now trust me this rock looks the same as cement rocks. The only difference is that when you pick it up it has a hard rubber feel, kind of like a cars tire-its hard.( i figured this could have benefits-ex not going to break your tank glass)But the rock is sturdy anyways.

Theese are my first rocks I made so they are not very interesting to look at. but i will make some more.

 

[TheVillageIdiot]

thanks for the reply...

I'm curious as to how porous your rock is?

 

[leaffish75]

bshumake - yes it does make a white clound when you open it.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

im not sure how porous it is,looks as though its got no tiny holes in it. Why not try and make some yourself, this way you can be the judge.

 

[bshumake]

bshumake - yes it does make a white clound when you open it.

Its some good stuff then. I was wrong with the whole "1-2N" earlier. Our stuff is 12N.
Thanks for the link Nemo.
I do believe that i'll be hitting the hardware store pretty soon and giving my rock an acid bath. I have a bunch of frags on plugs that I need to get placed.

 

[sales weasel]

For those wanting to use an acid solution to change the pH, vinegar is Acetic Acid. I have been curing some rock in vinegar for 2-weeks and have had to add water to bring the evaporated volume back up. I need to get my lazy arse out to the garage and do a pH test to see what's going on. One of the articles on the garf.org site mentions using warm vinegar for 24-hrs and then rinsing with water.

 

[bshumake]

I just got some Muratic acid at Lowe's. Its in the paint department under "Solvents" sitting on the floor. $5 something per gallon. Given that its a 1:60 dil on this a gallon bottle will lase a good long while.
Fishpooalot- I have been thinking about your silicone rock and see some problems with it in the long run. There won't be alot (if any) space inside the rock to harbor bacteria. The silicone should cover almost all of the aragonite and would reduce its natural buffering capacity. Those rocks of yours are really dense and heavy right? They look great, but their practically large rubber rocks. Am I way off here?
My formula that I have been using is:
1 part Portland
2 part Florida crushed coral
2 part Caribsea Aragonite
1 part Aragonite sand
1 part acrylic shavings
Rits Purple Dye to color.
I form it in a damp bed of substrate (all of the above minus the portland and Rits) in a cardboard box.
I've got a new batch I'm working on this weekend. It comes out really pourous. The crushed coral keeps it really pourous. On an earlier test piece I can pour a cup of water over it and it goes straight through. The Rits is a new addition for this batch and i'm going to try out the muratic acid bath.

 

[TheVillageIdiot]

i'm going to work on a batch this weekend...

1 part portland
3 parts oyster shells
1 part play sand...

my question is... where do you get that reef safe purple dye?

thanks!

 

[dchap]

i'm going to work on a batch this weekend...

1 part portland
3 parts oyster shells
1 part play sand...

my question is... where do you get that reef safe purple dye?

thanks!

Rit dye, or I like to use concrete coloring made by Quikrete. You can pick up a 10oz bottle at home depot or lowes for around 3 bucks. They have a nice red color I use alot. The Rit dye tends to bleed for days until the color is almost gone, my my experience at least.

 

[TheVillageIdiot]

concrete coloring by quickrete? i'm assuming that's available at hd or lowes? excellent, thanks!

 

[sales weasel]

garf.org also has a section on using Rit dye for coloring

 

[leaffish75]

im not sure how long it would last but you could try pvc primer for a purple dye. then again it might take alot.

 

[sales weasel]

With Muratic Acid being so inexpensive, you guys have me interested in that now. BTW, I got a great deal on AragAlive that I use in my rocks. I found a place that had several cases that had exceeded the expiration date and I bought them for $5 each. The nice thing about AragAlive is it already has some water in it. I don't have to add much to my rock mixtures.

 

[prostaff]

I have heard that type III portland cement is better to use because it is low alk. but I am having trouble locating it. The Home Depot has the type I-II. Is this okay to use. What type of portland are you guys using??