(soft rock music)
- Today in BRStv Reef FAQs we answer
how to acid cure dry live rock for a salt water reef tank.
(upbeat music)
Hi, I'm Ryan, your host of BRStv.
Reef FAQs is about quick straight to the point answers
to those questions reefers ask all the time.
Today we answer a pretty common question.
How do I acid cure dry live rock to remove
all the undesirable organics,
prior to cycling it for a reef tank?
Acid cure is probably the most aggressive
method of curing rock.
And I'm gonna say straight up the least safe
of all the methods and there are very few instances
where I'd recommend acid curing as necessary
or even the best method for most goals.
In most cases something more targeted at removing
organics, like a bleach cure, fits most reefers needs.
That said there is a good portion of reefers
who do acid cure rock and there are some legit reasons
to do it, so we will answer three direct questions today.
What is an acid cure?
When is it appropriate to acid cure rock,
and how to do it?
Starting with what acid curing really achieves.
Many people think of acid as something
that is going to directly attack
or dissolve organics on the rock,
but in reality an acid cure is a pretty short period
of time, that's not likely to happen
to the degree that most people think.
What's actually going to happen is
the acid is going to immediately start dissolving
the surface of the calcium carbonate base rock.
So it may rid you of the organics simply
by removing the top layer of the rock
that the organics are attached to,
but not necessarily attacking the organics directly,
or at least not rapidly enough to be a huge contributor.
So when you think acid curing dry live rock,
think there's so much gunk on the surface of the rock,
and maybe even elements like phosphorous bound to it
that I want to remove a layer of the rock itself
and be done with it,
which is obviously amongst the most aggressive approaches.
So when is an acid cure appropriate?
Well I gotta say considering the safety risks
of working with acid, as well as the mess and disposal.
I'm going to say almost never.
I don't think anyone would do it with wet live rock,
there is no need to do it with cleaned mined rock
like Marco's Reef Saver rock,
and there is no reason to do it
with man made rocks like real reef rock.
Even with an ocean based dry rock
where there's a lot of dried or dead organics on the rock,
a bleach cure is really cheaper, more effective,
and arguably safer as well.
In our BRStv Investigates episode the bleach
cure did preform better than the acid cure
at removing organics.
The only real instance where I would personally
perform an acid cure is used rock which has
been in a failed tank which is often overrun
with algae and organics and potential pollutants and pests
and may even have bound up phosphate.
In that case, just dissolving a layer
of the rock might be wise.
Then after a thorough rinse, some reefers may continue
that process with a follow-up bleach cure as well.
In fact that combo did produce the best results
in our investigates episode.
Okay, so all that said you decided
to perform an acid cure, here are the six steps.
Step one is consider safety.
If you don't already know proper safety techniques
and procedures for dealing with strong acids,
skip this project.
Acid can burn you or blind you
or anyone near you as well as damage property.
The benefits versus other methods are not worth the risk
for the amount of time to learn how to do this safely.
At the most basic level you absolutely need proper
arm length gloves, appropriate ventilator, eye protection,
and appropriate attire.
You also need to do this outside, not in basement or garage,
but outside where the gases can dissipate quickly.
There's a good chance the container may overflow as well,
which will make a mess and damage the surrounding area.
So in relation to that I would lay down
some thick plastic over the area,
as well as keep a few boxes of acid neutralizer around,
like baking soda.
But last safety tip here I promise,
simply put this video is not designed to be the sole source
of information on chemical safety.
There are all kinds of safety issues you should
consider which are absolutely unique to your scenario.
You should research them,
if you don't feel confident or comfortable,
just skip this project.
There are safer ways to achieve similar goals.
Okay, step two, find a container which can hold
all your rock, bring it outside and fill it with water.
In most cases it will likely be
something like a Brute trash can.
Most reefers used purified RODI water,
but in this case tap water's probably also fine.
Step three, once you have it partially filled with water
add your muriatic acid.
Something you can pick up at most hardware stores.
The unofficial, but general, recommendation
by most reefers is to make a solution of 10 gallons of water
to one gallon of muriatic acid.
I'll say we tested both 10:1 and 20:1 in BRStv Investigates,
we found 20:1 was the more appropriate ratio for our needs.
The thing to consider here is isn't really a ratio
water to acid, but more so a ratio of acid to rock.
I mean the water really isn't doing much more other
than making the process easier and safer.
The rock is essentially buffering the acid,
and the more rock you add, the more acid you need.
In the case of our experiment the 10:1 water
to muriatic acid ratio dissolved 25% of the rock,
as measured by weight in just 15 minutes.
Most reefers are probably not gonna be happy
with losing a full quarter of the rock
and having it get dissolved like that.
We also tested the 20 gallons of water
to one gallon of muriatic acid with our 15 pounds of rock,
and only lost 12% of the rock,
which seemed more appropriate for the goal of dissolving
just the surface layer of the rock.
So you will have to keep this in mind,
it isn't an exact science,
this is a hobby and most of what the hobby knows is based
on sharing personal anecdotal experiences.
So I would read up or watch some others personal
experiences as well as their approach.
There just isn't a rock solid agreed upon acid to water
or acid to rock ratio.
And it probably changes between rock types and densities.
That said, based on our experiences, for myself,
I would personally use a 20:1 water to muriatic acid ratio.
Also based on results from our investigate video,
maintain a 20:1 ratio for safety reasons.
I think another way to think of that is a gallon
of muriatic acid diluted in 20 gallons of water
to 15 pounds of rock.
Keep in mind you could always add more acid but not less.
The last bit of it is when diluting the acid make
sure the water is in the storage bin first,
and then you add the acid to the water and not the reverse.
Adding water to acid can cause
all kinds of dangerous reactions
as well as splash concentrated solution much easier.
For this project and the materials that we are working
with always water first, then acid.
Okay, step four, make sure you are still wearing
your safety gear and lower your rock into the container,
it will immediately start to foam.
There is a very good chance
that it will foam over the sides.
That foam can damage your driveway or lawns,
so make sure that you have some thick plastic down
and a few boxes of baking soda
around to neutralize it if needed.
Step five, wait 15 minutes and let the acid do it's work,
and then dump in a bunch of baking soda to neutralize
the reaction and stop it from dissolving more rock.
How much baking soda will depend on how much acid you used.
Then as a last step, or step six,
move the rock into a bin and rinse it thoroughly
with a few different rounds of fresh water.
I might even add a box of baking soda the first fresh
water rinse just to be sure.
At that point, once you're confident the rock has been
thoroughly rinsed, let it dry out and either bleach
or natural cure the rest of the organics,
or potentially just start the cycle.
I'd say in our experiments the acid cure followed
by the thorough rinse and then bleach cure produce
the best overall results.
So, for the last time today we wanted to share
this information because reefers want to see
the entire picture, weigh the benefits
versus the challenges for themselves,
but unless you are dealing with an issue
that can't be handled another way,
I'd just skip acid curing all together.
It has safety risks, damage to your property risks,
and it's also a mess.
If you are interested in the bleach curing method,
there it is, and the longer more natural cure method
sounds like your speed there it is,
and that little box over here has every video
that we have ever done on rock.
Curing, aquascaping, how much cycling,
so it might be worth checking out.
See you in the next episode of BRStv.