Muriatic Acid Bath Question

[shaginwagon13]

I am planning to give some LR the bleach/Muriatic Acid bath treatment.

1) Does anyone know the ratio of water to bleach for this to work and the time it takes

2) After the bleaching, does anyone know the ratio of Muriatic Acid to water and the time to leave the LR in the bath?

I have heard lots of differences in time which is why I am wondering.

Thanks guys.

 

[Alex T.]

I am planning to give some LR the bleach/Muriatic Acid bath treatment.

1) Does anyone know the ratio of water to bleach for this to work and the time it takes

2) After the bleaching, does anyone know the ratio of Muriatic Acid to water and the time to leave the LR in the bath?

I have heard lots of differences in time which is why I am wondering.

Thanks guys.

First, the ratio is 10:1...water to acid or bleach. I took my liverock from a previous tank that had been over run with hair algae and placed in 20 gallons of ro water. Afterward, lightly pour 2 gallons of muriatic acid into the container and let it do its' thing for 15-20 minutes. With some heavy duty elbow length rubber gloves you can reach in and pull them out once the fizzing has subsided. I chose to use a wire brush and scrubbed the rocks before I put them in the bin. Always make sure you add acid to water. Never water to acid!!! This is very important. You should also do this outside or in your garage with the garage door open.

After that, if you still want to do the bleach bath, it's the same ratio. Let them sit over night, then rinse them off or place them in another container with ro water. Don't use tap water or you defeat the purpose of doing this in the first place since you'll be introducing phosphate rich tap right back into your rock.

Then, let it sit outside for a couple weeks to a month and you should be good to go.

HTH

 

[sirreal63]

This writeup may help...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1914426

 

[shaginwagon13]

First, the ratio is 10:1...water to acid or bleach. I took my liverock from a previous tank that had been over run with hair algae and placed in 20 gallons of ro water. Afterward, lightly pour 2 gallons of muriatic acid into the container and let it do its' thing for 15-20 minutes. With some heavy duty elbow length rubber gloves you can reach in and pull them out once the fizzing has subsided. I chose to use a wire brush and scrubbed the rocks before I put them in the bin. Always make sure you add acid to water. Never water to acid!!! This is very important. You should also do this outside or in your garage with the garage door open.

After that, if you still want to do the bleach bath, it's the same ratio. Let them sit over night, then rinse them off or place them in another container with ro water. Don't use tap water or you defeat the purpose of doing this in the first place since you'll be introducing phosphate rich tap right back into your rock.

Then, let it sit outside for a couple weeks to a month and you should be good to go.

HTH

Thank you for the reply. So you would recommend doing the acid bath first and then the bleach? I'm only asking because I have heard to do the bleach first and then the acid.

Also, what does letting the LR sit outside for a month do? If I rinse it very well would it not be ready to use?

 

[mfinn]

I've done this several times.
I always do the bleach soak first. I use 2 cups bleach to 5 gallons of water.
Let it soak for 24 hours. Then rinse with a garden hose outside.
Then do a soak with a very strong dechorinator. Usually for another 24 hours.
Then I do the acid bath. 2 cups of acid to 5 gallons of water for about a hour.
Rinse in ro water, then let dry. I've always used the rock with in a few days.

 

[shaginwagon13]

I've done this several times.
I always do the bleach soak first. I use 2 cups bleach to 5 gallons of water.
Let it soak for 24 hours. Then rinse with a garden hose outside.
Then do a soak with a very strong dechorinator. Usually for another 24 hours.
Then I do the acid bath. 2 cups of acid to 5 gallons of water for about a hour.
Rinse in ro water, then let dry. I've always used the rock with in a few days.

Perfect I will do it like this then. What would you recommend for the dechlorinator?

 

[mfinn]

I use currently have a bottle of Prime and a bottle of API Tap Water Conditioner on my shelf.
Anything that removes chlorine will work.
I use it at 5-6 times the recommended dose after doing a bleach bath on rock.

What was said about the acid and water use. Pay attention. The acid can be very nasty if the proper steps are not followed.

 

[anbosu]

The reason to remove the bleach is apparently if you combine the acid and bleach you can accidentally create chlorine gas - which is obviously not going to end well for you. The garden hose rinse between dips worked well for me.

 

[shaginwagon13]

The reason to remove the bleach is apparently if you combine the acid and bleach you can accidentally create chlorine gas - which is obviously not going to end well for you. The garden hose rinse between dips worked well for me.

Yes staying away from accidentally causing a reaction that gives off chorine gas is something I want to do. If I neutralize the bleach with baking soda and then rinse with tap water that should be sufficient right?

Also, if there a good way to dispose of the bleach and acid water after I'm done? I'm assuming it's not something I want to dump down the drain.

 

[anbosu]

Yes staying away from accidentally causing a reaction that gives off chorine gas is something I want to do. If I neutralize the bleach with baking soda and then rinse with tap water that should be sufficient right?

Also, if there a good way to dispose of the bleach and acid water after I'm done? I'm assuming it's not something I want to dump down the drain.

You have a few options - you can rinse well with a garden hose and let air dry overnight or you can use a chlorine neutralizer like the someone mentioned previously.

I'm not really sure what the baking soda would do to the bleach, to be honest with you.

 

[shaginwagon13]

You have a few options - you can rinse well with a garden hose and let air dry overnight or you can use a chlorine neutralizer like the someone mentioned previously.

I'm not really sure what the baking soda would do to the bleach, to be honest with you.

Yes you are correct I just looked into it. Apparently you can use hydrogen peroxide to neutralize bleach. Are there any chemistry majors that can confirm this?

 

[mfinn]

Yes staying away from accidentally causing a reaction that gives off chorine gas is something I want to do. If I neutralize the bleach with baking soda and then rinse with tap water that should be sufficient right?

.

The dechlorinator bath eliminates the chlorine.

 

[mfinn]

It's a relatively simple process.
No need to make it complicated.

 

[dkeller_nc]

Yes you are correct I just looked into it. Apparently you can use hydrogen peroxide to neutralize bleach. Are there any chemistry majors that can confirm this?

Do not mix bleach with hydrogen peroxide. The bleach will decompose the hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, and depending on the concentration, the reaction may be violent (potentially drenching you with bleach).

 

[Spartanman22]

If you find yourself needing to neutralize bleach use vinegar. It is a weak acid and in the presence of bleach will form hypochlorite acid (a weak acid) and sodium acetate.

 

[Alex T.]

Thank you for the reply. So you would recommend doing the acid bath first and then the bleach? I'm only asking because I have heard to do the bleach first and then the acid.

Also, what does letting the LR sit outside for a month do? If I rinse it very well would it not be ready to use?

I really don't think it matters which comes first, or if you choose not to do one over the other altogether.

Leaving it outside to aerate is necessary to allow the bleach residues to work their way out of the rock. It's just reassurance that you're not putting them in the tank. Running Amquel may work, but it's going to take a good amount of time and will also make your skimmer take twice as long to break in on a new system.

 

[shaginwagon13]

Quick questions guys.... Can I use regular garden hose water for the whole process? Or do I need rodi?

 

[yellowRubi]

Quick questions guys.... Can I use regular garden hose water for the whole process? Or do I need rodi?

I did mine Acid bath with regular hose water, I did all my rock twice, I let the rock sit for a week outside and than had it in saltwater for a month ( changed the water once in that month )

 

[shaginwagon13]

I did mine Acid bath with regular hose water, I did all my rock twice, I let the rock sit for a week outside and than had it in saltwater for a month ( changed the water once in that month )

Perfect thank you