Cleaning / acid waging rock

[lolgranny]

Hey guys, I have a couple hundred lbs of rock I've had sitting in my shed for years. I took it out of a old system I had up. It's nasty, or was. Bubble algae and all. I want to use it again as its some amazing pieces, plus I don't want to spend the $ on rock if I don't have to... SO I was wondering what steps I take to clean them.

I was going to do a 1:10 muriatic acid to water mix. Let it sit for a couple hours, take it out. Rinse it off with a hose and do it again in another 1:10 acid to water mixture. Take it out after a hour or so, rinse it with rodi, let it sit in a bucket with rodi and after a few days slowly add it to the tank.

Is this correct? Will I have any issues? I have a ton of livestock, hundreds of lbs of rock and a bunch of coral in the system. I don't want to shock anything so any advice would be wonderful.

Thanks ahead of time
Dave

 

[TheLadyCrash]

As a final step before putting it in the tank I'd put it in a tub of saltwater with a pump and let it soak for a few days or a week. Then test the water to make sure it's not leeching phosphates or anything

 

[Big G]

The guys at BRS did a video that may help: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...s-what-is-the-best-way-to-cure-dry-live-rock/
Hope that helps you get all that great rock cleaned up and ready to use! Cheers!

 

[lolgranny]

Thanks for the input guys, appreciate it

 

[mfinn]

If you have organic matter on live/dry rock, a bleach bath will work better than acid.

 

[siggy]

Watching, I just bought 50 lbs of rubble and did a acid bath, it left a slippery film after rinsing and reviled alot of green algae still on rocks. Not sure if its recycled rock but now what!

 

[hart24601]

I would do bleach, let it dry, then acid. According to Randy the bleach 1st is better at destroying the organics, then the acid to dissolve the top layer. The acid will not remove organics as well. Just make sure it's dry, don't want to mix bleach and muratic acid!

Having done both I would do it again, but if picking one I would do a strong bleach soak over acid.

 

[mfinn]

Watching, I just bought 50 lbs of rubble and did a acid bath, it left a slippery film after rinsing and reviled alot of green algae still on rocks. Not sure if its recycled rock but now what!

bleach bath

 

[siggy]

Right but the organics are still present just dead, would another acid bath help to remove dead mater at that point

 

[mfinn]

Right but the organics are still present just dead, would another acid bath help to remove dead mater at that point

Bleach will dissolve organics. Acid will dissolve rock.

 

[siggy]

Right but the organics are still present just dead, would another acid bath help to remove dead mater at that point

After bleaching

 

[mfinn]

, would another acid bath help to remove dead mater at that point

Every time you use acid you lose rock. You can literally dissolve the entire rock with acid.

 

[mfinn]

After bleaching

Bleach again.

 

[hart24601]

I am not following the thread very well at this point, but bleach will dissolve dead organics better than acid will - according to the good doctor Randy. I think most people are well served with just a long bleach bath on their rocks.

 

[lolgranny]

Thanks all, I'm going to give it a 1:10 bleach / water soakfor a week then rinse in rodi and dry for a good couple days. After I'm going to do a muriatic acid wash on it 1:20 for a 45min - a hour. Then rinse and soak for a few days.change it over to saltwater for a couple days and then into the display.

Thanks for the input wveryone

 

[hart24601]

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[ReefNoobie88]

So I've done the bleach/acid bath. Just do the bleach, soooo much easier to deal with rather than having literally 50lbs of baking soda and having to add VERY slowly to not bubble over. On a side note, my pavement around my rock bathing area he never looked cleaner.

 

[lolgranny]

I have 5 acres so I'll be feeding it to the weeds in the woods haha!! Well that's the plan. When I say it's nasty it is, it's from a 10year old tank and has been in my shed for a while. I've got to do something to it, it's nice large pieces and my tank is in need of rock.

 

[Wbrian]

What conditions were the rock kept in inside the shed? Are you certain there were no chemical exposures?
Personally, I'd do the bleach soak in a covered trash can, adding new bleach after two days. Then, I'd rinse of with a power washer/ strong hose. Then back into the trash can with RO and some salt mix with a protein skimmer and a few powerheads. Carbon. Lots of carbon... After the skimmate slows way down, add something alive like a fish and see that it lives... hate to wipe out your tank from some petroleum residue or rat killer, etc... plus this way, you have cycled, live rock eventually...

 

[Merv49]

I would do bleach, let it dry, then acid. According to Randy the bleach 1st is better at destroying the organics, then the acid to dissolve the top layer. The acid will not remove organics as well. Just make sure it's dry, don't want to mix bleach and muratic acid!

Having done both I would do it again, but if picking one I would do a strong bleach soak over acid.

I followed the BRS video and soaked my rock in tap water and bleach. I soaked for three weeks, rinsed with tap water then back in tub with more tap water and declorinater for two days. Rinsed and let dry, then into my tank. No phosphate or nitrate. Phosphate only reached .25 after a month and now .02