Acid Bath for Dry Rock

[dirtycontour]

I got a couple pieces of really nice rock from Darren(dnov99) a couple weeks ago. The rock had been sitting outside in his backyard for a while. He warned me the rock was filled with phosphate and recommended an acid bath. After reading up on the procedure, I decided to do it. If you decide to do this be very careful and do your research first. Muriatic acid is some nasty stuff. Be Careful!

The purpose of doing the acid bath is to let the acid eat away at the surface area of the rock, taking phosphate with it. You will lose some of the rock, so be careful not to overdo it. You could end up with a bucket full of sand..

[video=youtube;966kiIQHFLQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=966kiIQHFLQ[/video]

After the bath, I rinsed all of the rocks with the garden hose.

 

[BuGG]

Thanks for the video. I'll definitely try this for my next build.

Can the remaining liquid be safe enough to throw away out on the street? I figured the baking soda has neutralized the acid.

 

[Mark...]

Enjoyed the video. Amazing the crap that came off the rock. Looked like the blob...

 

[TanksNStuff]

Nice work there Earl! I was wondering if that was gonna explode on you or something, LOL. Kinda looked like a giant skimmer in action.

Thanks for posting the vid.

 

[dirtycontour]

Thanks for the video. I'll definitely try this for my next build.

Can the remaining liquid be safe enough to throw away out on the street? I figured the baking soda has neutralized the acid.

I think so. After I dumped the entire box of baking soda the bucket stopped bubbling after a few minutes. I dumped the bucket in the alley. It looked like dirty water.

Enjoyed the video. Amazing the crap that came off the rock. Looked like the blob...

Nice work there Earl! I was wondering if that was gonna explode on you or something, LOL. Kinda looked like a giant skimmer in action.

Thanks for posting the vid.

Thanks for looking guys. Someone likened it to a root beer float.

 

[kschweer]

Cool video earl! Thanks for sharing. How did the rock look after?


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[redfishbluefish]

Nice video! And wow!!!! That's a ton of acid!


Now here's my theory....and I'd like Earl to help me prove or disprove my theory.....and hope he will test post acid-dip if he's still getting phosphates. I believe that acid dipping is a nice way to reduce the amount of rock you have, and have little impact on phosphate removal, unless you immediately remove that phosphate as it is being acid-washed off. Otherwise, as the phosphates are removed (and still very reactive), they will simply re-attach to the new surface of rock that's now been exposed. You have less rock, but still have the phosphate.


Also, don't be fooled by the brown "blob." That's not dirt....just calcium chloride and other calcium salts that are brown.


And finally, thank you Mark... for the "blob" deja vu reference. One of my birthdays, in lieu of a party (that I didn't want), my parents took me and a group of friends to see "The Blob." I can only guess, some time in the early 60's.

 

[Mark...]

Nice video! And wow!!!! That's a ton of acid!



And finally, thank you Mark... for the "blob" deja vu reference. One of my birthdays, in lieu of a party (that I didn't want), my parents took me and a group of friends to see "The Blob." I can only guess, some time in the early 60's.

Steve McQueen says hi!

 

[dirtycontour]

Cool video earl! Thanks for sharing. How did the rock look after?


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Thanks Kevin. I noticed the acid definitely ate away at the rock. The holes and noticeable pores in the rock were more pronounced after the bath. No color change or any other changes.

Nice video! And wow!!!! That's a ton of acid!


Now here's my theory....and I'd like Earl to help me prove or disprove my theory.....and hope he will test post acid-dip if he's still getting phosphates. I believe that acid dipping is a nice way to reduce the amount of rock you have, and have little impact on phosphate removal, unless you immediately remove that phosphate as it is being acid-washed off. Otherwise, as the phosphates are removed (and still very reactive), they will simply re-attach to the new surface of rock that's now been exposed. You have less rock, but still have the phosphate.

Doh, something that never even crossed my mind. Unfortunately, I did not test the rock before the bath. I'll PM Darren in the off chance that he remembers the PO4 content. If he does, I'll certainly retest.

Also, don't be fooled by the brown "blob." That's not dirt....just calcium chloride and other calcium salts that are brown.

Paul, would that be the same brown that is attracted to heaters and pumps? Precipitant?