Cali Kid Corals

Muriatic Acid and Rock

Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed

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I have used this before to clean my pumps and power heads, but I won't to clean of some rock and I just want to check with someone who has some more experience with using muriatic acid before I did. I was thinking of a 5:1 water:acid mixture and soaking the rock for 15-20 min. I know the the Calcium in the rock will start to erode so I don't want to leave it in too long. Does this sound about right?
 
Sounds fine. You can talk to Marc of Marco Rock at BAYMAC about this.
 
I've done 10:1 in the past and used my judgment AFA when to stop depending on how much organic material is impacted into the pores of the rock.
 
Thanks guys. A couple of long water rinsing alternating with long air drying and maybe a rinse with some prime sound good afterwards? Say 24 hour time periods
 
I soaked mine for ~20-30min. I didn't really measure the amount of acid, just waited til the rocks had some nice little bubbles coming from them. Then neutralized with a box of baking soda, and then a few more rinses with baking soda water an air dry and another water rinse and I used them. No ill effects so far (5months + counting?)
 
Tumbleweed said:
Thanks guys. A couple of long water rinsing alternating with long air drying and maybe a rinse with some prime sound good afterwards? Say 24 hour time periods
Click to expand...

No Prime, it won;t help. Baking soda :)
 
Just be safe when mixing :)
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/safety/faq/always-add-acid.shtml


Why is acid always added to water, and not the reverse?


A large amount of heat is released when strong acids are mixed with water. Adding more acid releases more heat. If you add water to acid, you form an extremely concentrated solution of acid initially. So much heat is released that the solution may boil very violently, splashing concentrated acid out of the container! If you add acid to water, the solution that forms is very dilute and the small amount of heat released is not enough to vaporize and spatter it. So Always Add Acid to water, and never the reverse.
 
Yeah Tony I had heard about that before. I think however that m concentration wasn't strong enough and I didn't leave the rock in for long enough. I was being overly cautious. I think I will retry it again tomorrow.
 
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