Okay, here it goes. IR, it seems like your missing a piece of the equation that I know
I can tell you from my reading that whatever it is causing the pH in our rocks.....
That would be Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). The same thing as pickling lime, kalkwasser, etc.
, it is affected by acids
Correct. It is a base, so it would be effected by an acid. The reult of a neutralization with an acid would give off Hydrogen and some form of salt
there are articles on the net about cement and pH contamination, and ways to lower the pH, and acids are a tried and true method. And pH is the only thing we need to worry about at this stage.
I agree. Thus why I'm curious what type of acid would neutralize Ca(OH)2 across the board. Theoretically, Ca(OH)2 has a pH of ~12. That's 5 points higher than Neutral. Thus, to neutralize it, we would need something 5 points lower than Neutral. Thus we would need to use something with a pH of 2. Vinegar is a 2.9, so it won't completely neutralize it. Lemon Juice has a pH of 2.4. Gastric Acid has a pH of 1.5-2 though. Anyone want to eat some rocks?
In short, we need to find something eco-friendly, cheap, reef-safe, easily available with a pH sufficient enough to neutralize the extra Ca(OH)2 without actually dissolving the rock itself.
That's why I kept wondering why it never seems to work for us, and that's when I came up with the idea that we are trying to do it with green or uncured rock. Basically, everyone was trying to skip the cure so they could go straight to kuring. And that just doesn't work.
Au contraire, mon frere. What was done in the past WAS working. It was just working too soon. The strength of the rocks is determined by the C-H-S bond. When the C-H bond occurs, you get Ca(OH)2 that spikes the pH. It takes time for the C-H to bond with Silicates to make the C-S-H bond and thus the only Ca(OH)2 that is left in the rocks is the ones that weren't able to bond with the Silicates. The addition of Fly Ash is to help the extra Ca(OH)2 to bond and make the rock harder. Out purpose is not to make the rock strong though. We want it strong enough to withstand the weight of the rocks on it. Thus, we don't need the Fly Ash for extra Silicates, nor do we need a total C-H-S bond. So, what we need to do is find what is an "amount of strength that we need" versus "the time it takes to get the strengthening through C-H-S bonds done" versus "the time it takes to get rid of the extra Ca(OH)2 out of the rocks". In short, what happens when green rock was cooked immediately and then tossed in water was very little strenght/C-H-S bonds were made, so the rock was weak and it took a long time for straight water to bring out the abundant Ca(OH)2. Now that you have refined the process by allowing it to cure in a moist environment for X amount of time, and then humid baking it for Y amount of time has caused the C-S-H bonds to form much faster. The problem is still that there will be Ca(OH)2 left over (as you know).
But I know the acid is working, as the same pieces caused the water to spike immediately - there is no way 1 gallon of water would drop the pH that quickly, without changes, unless the vinegar was working.
That's true, to an extent. The pH drop was done with the Curing and Baking, not the Kuring with or without acid. The acid is neutralizing the extra Ca(OH)2, until the water reaches the saturation point. Thus, a water change will repeat the process at full strength. Essentially, the Curing and Baking increases C-H-S bonding rate, and the Kuring stops it and draws out the excess Ca(OH)2.
I hope that helps things and brings us both on page one. We're almost back to square one with how to manage to get rid of the Ca(OH)2 without harming the rock itself. What you've done is shorten the process dramatically by speeding up the C-H-S bonds. This is something Rhodophyta has been saying since before the first split. But what wasn't mentioned is the wet baking actually increases C-H-S bonds.
I would assume that the C-H-S bonds would form faster at a higher temperature even if the humidity was the same. So, a 250º moist environment would yeild C-H-S bonds more slowly than a 400º moist environment. But, how much energy does it take to power 400º for four hours versus half the temperature for two times as long?
