Live rock acid bath

[Trevor82]

I have approx. 50lbs of dead rock that I was planning on cooking(multiple bin method). I've been reading up on using muriatic acid. Has anyone here done it before? What was your experience like with it? I'm mostly wanting to get rid of the po4 in the rock.

Thanks
Trevor

[Borderjumper]

Never have used the acid, but I did bleach a bunch of rock once. I soaked it for a while ( don't remember how long ) and then did multiple fresh water soaks before I started the saltwater reseeding process. It worked well.. You do have to leave it a while as the reasoning is to "rot" out all the deep pores, not just the surface.

[Trevor82]

Thanks for input Shelly. I've been reading up on going the bleach route and it seems like most people are using it to kill off algae and other hitchhikers. The rock I have has been sitting in a container(dry) for about 3 months. My reasoning behind cooking the rock is to get rid of any detritus and phosphate that has built up in the rock over the 8 or so years I've had it running in my tank(s). Did you find the bleach got rid of the junk deep within the rock? I would prefer using bleach over the acid as it seems easier.

[Rogue951]

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[ckmullin]

Used acid and works like a charm. If your interested, hit me up by pm.

[Bryan]

Tip:

Use a very large bucket, it will foam like crazy.