Citric Acid

[trio91]

Can you use store brought citric acid to clean pieces of equipment? Is there something special when compared to what our reef manufacturers are selling? Do you think it’s somet that’s just re-packaged?

I’m trying to understand the difference in price from the brand name manufacturers that we all use vs. let’s say a local grocery store.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Marcus....all the same stuff....assuming you're getting food grade.

Will it work....

Citric acid is tough to get into solution. If you go this route, I'd make a saturated solution. Most likely will not notice any advantages over other options.

Now if it was me, I'd be using vinegar (but not on magnets), or diluted Muriatic acid. Muriatic acid (HCl) won't penetrate the plastic like vinegar (acetic acid). You can find this in gallon jugs at HD or Lowes.

WARNING - Please handle Muriatic acid with great care. It will burn your skin and leave holes in clothes.

 

[pecan2phat]

Paul,
What is your dilution for the Muriatic acid 1:20?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Paul,
What is your dilution for the Muriatic acid 1:20?

Saturated it's probably 40 - 50%...but that's going to be hard to get. Again, poor dissolution.

I'd try your 20 percent and see what happens. Let us know. Again, cost and pain to dissolve, I'd stick with vinegar or muriatic acid.

EDIT TO ADD: I'm sorry, I quickly skimmed your post and somehow thought you were talking citric acid. The above comments are for citric not muriatic. I've used it full strength to get almost instantaneous cleaning, but don't recommend this. (Do as I say, not as I do! :rolleyes:) I can't stress enough how dangerous this stuff is....handle with care. Otherwise I haven't measured....a bowl of water and a slug of muriatic. If I where to guess, somewhere between 10 to 20 percent, and let it soak overnight.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I use citric acid, had a bag left over, after switching to injected co2 instead of diy.

Its food grade from amazon $24 for 10 pounds.

Only need a few spoonfuls for small container to soak a pump, so will last a long time.

 

[trio91]

And that's my point, compared to stuff I see on some sites, with the difference in price I was guessing that there was/is something special it made for aquarium equipment.

Note that I don't use the stuff myself , I use vinegar but today I received a random email from a company I recently made a purchase from and was baffled by the difference in the compared price. So i thought I'd ask.

 

[Gareth elliott]

They wrote Aquaria on it? Only thing i can think they did to change it is; through in some acid stable dye so know it rinsed? Or Added directions on the label.

 

[redfishbluefish]

And that's my point, compared to stuff I see on some sites, with the difference in price I was guessing that there was/is something special it made for aquarium equipment.

Note that I don't use the stuff myself , I use vinegar but today I received a random email from a company I recently made a purchase from and was baffled by the difference in the compared price. So i thought I'd ask.

Marcus, I'm not overly surprised. All the chemicals we use for our aquariums to clean, dose and regenerate are very simple inexpensive chemicals. Companys typically give these simple chemicals fancy marketing names and then try to differentiate their product from competion, and in the process jack the price 10 to 100 percent, or whatever the market will bear. I currently dose my tank alk, calc and mag with these simple chemicals for about 5 bucks a year....that's a 90 gallon DT with 50 gallon sump.....simple chemicals!

 

[trio91]

They wrote Aquaria on it? Only thing i can think they did to change it is; through in some acid stable dye so know it rinsed? Or Added directions on the label.

Not necessarily, but it was coming from a large aquarium product supplier. It was front n center on the email which displayed other aquarium related items