MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
so i couldn't find muriatic acid at Home depot or lowes, i did pick up some ph (-) stuff that's 10% sulfric acid, is that still reef safe, or should i just go find some vinegar from a grocery store?
The best way to clean equipment and live rock
- Thread starter MarineTeng
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chris&barb
Reef-Geeks
i wouldn't use sulfuric acid. muriatic acid is in the paint department at HD and Lowes. its used to clean and prep concrete for painting. its 32% hydrochloric acid
MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
i found it in the pool section, 10% sulfuric and 90% inert i think, but i ended up not using it anyways
spongebob lover
flea whisperer
wwwouu kewl thread dood 
.
I'm still trying to figure out if i should cook my rock or not (i'm just lazy )
one thing.... how can i unmount my corals like caps and stylo from the rocks doods ?
.I'm still trying to figure out if i should cook my rock or not
(i'm just lazy )one thing.... how can i unmount my corals like caps and stylo from the rocks doods ?
MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
i'd use a chisel, and carve the rock out from as close to them as u can, that's have i've done to not transfer algae from tank to tank, along with good rinsing and careful inspection i think i managed to not transfer any of the algae i meant to keep out
MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
paint section? bah i looked all through the store thinking it was outdoors and pool section, maybe it's in both, either way i'm going back, i need to get one of those in ground sprinklers, i modded one then lost it it was by my desk for the longest time, and then when i need it... gone
why do u have 2 names for hydrochloric acid?
hey well this is where i chime in with my 2 cents on acid
i work with 32%hydrochloric acid 5 days a week cleaning brick work on new houses we mix differnt strengths for differnt kinds of brick the highest mix we do is about 25% in a 15L buckect which is about 3-4gl, i wear gloves and glasses if its windy, and long pants, acid will eat and stain almost every kinda fabric altho tracky pants seem to be able to stand the test of time
when diluted the acid isnt that bad it burns a little when u get it on ur arms it does sting when u get a little droplet of water in ur EYE but its not really that bad freshwater wash will get it out saline is also good for this and should be in ur first aid kit, the fumes are the worst thing about the acid and should be thought about wind direction for the fumes other then that its not that bad once u mix it with water, acid should be added to water not water to acid
the other thing that is very very important is that ACID RUSTS METAL quickly so i dont know how much id would run water through a running pump
if ur working out side it will staine metal, concrete kill plants and change the colour of brick pavers and clay pavers and cause and algea called vernadium to grow in/on lime stone and like coloured bricks the only way to kill the algea which is drak green to light yellow is with chlorine
sorry for the long post but i do work with neat acid and know a thing or 2 about it and just wanted to pass on information
hey well this is where i chime in with my 2 cents on acid
i work with 32%hydrochloric acid 5 days a week cleaning brick work on new houses we mix differnt strengths for differnt kinds of brick the highest mix we do is about 25% in a 15L buckect which is about 3-4gl, i wear gloves and glasses if its windy, and long pants, acid will eat and stain almost every kinda fabric altho tracky pants seem to be able to stand the test of time
when diluted the acid isnt that bad it burns a little when u get it on ur arms it does sting when u get a little droplet of water in ur EYE but its not really that bad freshwater wash will get it out saline is also good for this and should be in ur first aid kit, the fumes are the worst thing about the acid and should be thought about wind direction for the fumes other then that its not that bad once u mix it with water, acid should be added to water not water to acid
the other thing that is very very important is that ACID RUSTS METAL quickly so i dont know how much id would run water through a running pump
if ur working out side it will staine metal, concrete kill plants and change the colour of brick pavers and clay pavers and cause and algea called vernadium to grow in/on lime stone and like coloured bricks the only way to kill the algea which is drak green to light yellow is with chlorine
sorry for the long post but i do work with neat acid and know a thing or 2 about it and just wanted to pass on information
chris&barb
Reef-Geeks
just to add since Morgan mentioned chlorine, DONT mix muriatic acid with chlorine, apparently it will make a gas very close to mustard gas and will kill you
MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
well just a note/thought/observation i left a couple of frag rocks i was cleaning in the vinegar for well 5-10 days, took them out yesterday and they were quite clean only anchored algae stayed they were also quite brittle and feel apart when i was brushing stuff off, i found the muriatic acid too in the solevant paint section, haven't used it yet, but i'm think it's going to clean a lot faster than the vinegar, i'll let you all know how things go
Costco has white vinegar. CHEEP. I use it straight to clean equipment. I do not use bleach. Cooking rock does work (Haven't tried the stove top!!) You could power wash the rock to remove all external detris and algae. The CORE will still have bacteria. But in tubs for 3 to 6 weeks at proper temp salinity and heat. Be sure to aerate. All will be good
MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
well, ya vinegar is cheaper but i think muriatic is slightly cheaper considering i got 1g at $7 but it's 32% hydrochloric acid, so as suggested in this point 10:1 gives you $7 to 11g of cleaning liquid
Cost is always a consideration. Safety more important. For those that have experience with Muriatic, great. For those that have not. I still recommend Vinegar. Don't need gloves, don''t have to worry about burning your skin, clothes, kitchen sink. JMO
