critique my curing pukani method

[christopherjudd]

I got 15 lbs of pukani rocks and I plan on curing them on a spare 10 gallon tank, heater, circulation and throw in some cheato to help absorb the p04.

or should I use a Rubbermaid tub?

[Jlentz]

I'm getting ready to cure ~75# right now, I'm planning on a vinegar soak and bleach before getting put into some brute tubs and running LC.

Not sure if I should bleach or acid bath first though. I've got the seachem LC on the way, so I hope to have them cooking by the end of the week.

[christopherjudd]

lc?

[Pife]

Bleach, acid wash, lanthum chloride in that order.

[Jlentz]

Lanthum chloride christopherjudd.

Thanks Pife! That was the answer I was looking for when I started searching and found this new thread.

So, I'm planning starting the Chlorine tonight, then I'll clean It out tomorrow with water and let it soak in freshwater for a day to kill the chlorine. Then vinegar. (I don't want to eat too much off, or screw around with the muratic acid). Then it sounds like after that's done water and LC with powerhead. Probably change the water to saltwater after a week or two and continue with the LC. For another week or two then all new saltwater, heater, powerhead to finish cure.

[Pife]

Dry the rock to get rid of the chlorine. It gases off. Don't waste your money on the vinegar it doesn't do anything. The acid is really easy but it made me nervous my first time using it. Just dump in baking soda when done.

[Jlentz]

How long to dry out the chlorine?

[Pife]

24 hours

[Jlentz]

Hey christopherjudd, out of curiosity, what size tank are you doing 15# of pukani in? I got 75#, figured I'd need ~50# for my 90gal. Turns out I can fit all 75# but I think I'll just stick with ~60#.

[Jlentz]

How much does the muratic acid take off Pife? I've heard it eats quite a bit.

Just wait till it stops bubbling? What kind of ratio to water?

[christopherjudd]

Hey christopherjudd, out of curiosity, what size tank are you doing 15# of pukani in? I got 75#, figured I'd need ~50# for my 90gal. Turns out I can fit all 75# but I think I'll just stick with ~60#.

im not gonna use most of it at this time, my tank has been up already so I will be just replacing some rocks and add a few.

[Pife]

Like a 16th of an inch. I used a half gallon of acid per thirty gallon container. Each container had at least 150 pounds of rock in it. I also use it at like one cup to 4 gallons of water to clean powerheads and pumps.

[christopherjudd]

umm is there a more natural way than adding a whole lot of chemicals?

[Jlentz]

Time?

[kegogut]

I used a full gallon of acid in a 30g tote and didnt notice any loss in rock mass. Like Pife said it can make you nervous your first time with the acid but wear rubber gloves and dont breathe the fumes and youll be fine. Ive done it a couple times now with only minimal brain function loss,but then again that mightve already been there.

[Jlentz]

On the whole scary chemical thing. I was originally planning on straight vinegar. I'll probably do the MA though since I've got a bunch already for my pool. Still, I'd rather deal with vinegar, or even glacial acid (strong vinegar) instead of the MA. It's not like adding a little bit to the pool. I've caught a face full of MA fumes before and it sucks hard. Especially with asthma.

[Jlentz]

I guess it's better to carefully do it than wait for 6 months of cure time and still possibly have po4 issues.

This is some badass looking rock. Way better then the Fiji LR at the LFS.

[Jlentz]

It's sitting in the acid bath right now. A bunch of roaches came out...

[christopherjudd]

It's sitting in the acid bath right now. A bunch of roaches came out...

really? wow, so far no creepy crawlers came out on my rocks, right now I am in the process of curing the rocks without any chemicals. time is not an issue for me at this time.

[Jlentz]

I found a bunch of urchin spines and crab bits while carving it up, when I was filling it up with water four or five roaches came out. I hope they didn't survive the MA.

[Jlentz]

It looks an order of magnitude cooler after the MA bath. I can't wait to get it into a tank.

[michaellee64]

Muratic acid is definitely the way to go. I mix 3/4 gallon of Muratic acid to the water in a 30 gallon brute and let it soak 30 minutes... rinse and let air dry for a few days. Just changed out the rockwork in a 180g tank with 100lbs of Marco Rock. Po4 was .01 prior and 4 days later is now sitting at .02. This included stirring up all the sand in the process which would contribute to a slight rise in the Po4. I have done this before without an acid bath and my Po4 rose to .13!