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Unread 08/20/2017, 02:59 PM   #1
Hal
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Muriatic acid drying on glass?

I'm planning to use an old paintbrush to apply muriatic acid (diluted 8:1 with water) on my dry fish tank glass to remove coralline. I already tried vinegar with only some success.

After I apply the acid, what do I need to do to remove and/or neutralize it? I'm not sure what happens to the acid. Does it evaporate?

I've heard I shouldn't leave the acid on the glass. Why?

I've thought about dusting my glass with baking soda afterwards. Thoughts?


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Unread 08/20/2017, 04:37 PM   #2
bertoni
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A good rinse should be fine. I'd be careful about leaving the acid for a long time on the glass since it might in theory etch it. Google might turn up better information, though. The acid will evaporate over time: it's a dissolved gas.


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Unread 08/20/2017, 04:56 PM   #3
Hal
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Thanks, but I'm pretty sure that muriatic acid does not etch glass.


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Unread 08/20/2017, 04:59 PM   #4
Hal
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I thought about rinsing, but my concern there is that even diluted 100:1 the muriatic acid is still pretty strong. And I don't know that I can dilute it 100:1 anyway. I'm trying to avoid filling and then draining my tank just to remove the acid, but that may be the best solution.


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Current Tank Info: 250g starphire: 72x28x30, BeanAnimal drain with an oversized non-durso emergency drain, 4 inch DSB, 3x Reefbreeders Value LED fixtures, SWC/MSX 300A skimmer, Geo kalk reactor, 3 Vortechs w/bb, carbon reactor, and a RKL
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Unread 08/20/2017, 11:12 PM   #5
bertoni
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Some baking soda will neutralize the acid, if you prefer to use that approach.


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Unread 08/22/2017, 03:34 PM   #6
kenith
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When I overhauled my tank, I used a nice clean sharp razor blade along with some vinegar. I used a wet cloth to remove all remnant shavings.


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Unread 08/28/2017, 08:34 AM   #7
jda
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When outside, I lay a tank down on the side that i am wanting to scrape and pour the Muratic in straight a very little bit at a time. A few bubbles later, the stuff melts off with a long-arm Kent Scraper. I have a hose running all the time - it does not take much water to dilute a few ounces of Muratic to nothing should it hit your skin or clothes for a second or two. Wear some gloves and protect your eyes... keep your mouth closed too.

You can also fill the tank with freshwater and let it sit. In a few days, the coralline will turn white and is a lot easier to scrape off. Most of my tanks are covered in a decade of Coraline and I have taken out pounds of it before after scrapong. The stuff laughs at me when I show it vinegar.


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Unread 08/29/2017, 05:33 AM   #8
Ron Reefman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hal View Post
I thought about rinsing, but my concern there is that even diluted 100:1 the muriatic acid is still pretty strong. And I don't know that I can dilute it 100:1 anyway. I'm trying to avoid filling and then draining my tank just to remove the acid, but that may be the best solution.
I think muriatic diluted 10:1 is barely stronger than straight vinegar.


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Unread 08/29/2017, 04:02 PM   #9
bertoni
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I'm not sure what the pH of diluted muriatic acid would be, but it is a dissolved gas, and it's worth being very careful with the fumes. It's fundamentally a stronger acid than vinegar.


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