To Acid Wash Rock....Or Not...That is the Question

[redfishbluefish]

I have never been convinced that acid washing rock does anything more than give you less rock. I would surmise that any phosphate that is removed quickly finds another site to attach to on the remaining rock. If anything, you are making a phosphate soup that simply re-attaches to the remaining rock. The only way I could see this as a benefit is if there was something there to preferentially remove the "free" phosphate before it re-attaches.

Is anyone aware of studies that have shown acid washing does anything? I'm not looking for anecdotal stuff.

 

[Trio91]

@downbeach and i (along with the others) were having a conversation about this on Marc's deck....i was expressing on how terrified i was about doing this....worried about loosing a hand or something in the process

 

[Ocelaris]

Sorry no studies that I'm aware of; but I would add my $.02. The acid part may be good for removing phosphate that is chemically bound, but realistically the rock that came from the ocean and was dried is most likely not going to have chemically bound phosphates. It had come from a near zero phosphate reef, and then was dried. The only phosphates/nitrogen that is coming out of solution is decomposing organics; in which case a bleaching process will fully oxidize and let the organics be removed through water changes, skimming or other filtration.

Now I'll add my anecdotal story, I had about 50 pounds of pukani dried rock and it did stink to high heaven through it's cycling phase; I did big water changes every few days for a week, then every week for a month. My theory is you have a known quantity of nutrients, once you bring it out of suspension removing it is best way to rid yourself of the constant "leaching". I never bleached or acid washed, and a few months in I don't have any detectable phosphates.

Sorry nothing more hard evidence, but I think the acid washing is over rated like you said; it's going to bind up to something else, and the surface of the rock which you're dissolving isn't where the phosphates are coming from.