HQI and copper questions

[adam13]

Hello, I have kept saltwater fish for a long time and am going to do reef for the first time in a used 150 I got. 48"x24"x28"
In order to clean the glass I am going to fill the tank with 1:10 muriatic to water in it until it dissolves the deposits on the glass. My questios are;
My hose water at home has .015 reading of copper.
Can I use this water in the tank to clean it or will that amount of copper make the tank no longer reef safe?
can I use it to cure live rock?
Is 1:10 muriatic to water the right ratio?
My 2 lighting options are:
a coralife light fixture with legs with 2 150w hqi and 2 96watt power compact. 492 watts total
a coralife retrofit hood with 8 65w power compact bulbs 520 watts total
which light setup should I keep?
Thanks,
Adam

 

[bang guy]

If you're using Hydrochloric Acid (often called Muriatic Acid) then there is no danger of copper in the tap water being adsorbed by the silicon. I really would not be concerned about that copper level at all for cleaning or rinsing the tank.
I would not use tap water to cure live rock. I value the diversity of organisms and 0.015 is high enough to damage many delicate organisms. Try doing a search on my name and "Cycle Method". If you can't find the post let me know and I'll find it for you. Live rock is very expensive and treating it poorly can leave you with much less than what you paid for.
1:10 is fine if the tank is outside. It's not safe to use indoors IMO. There is just too much that can go wrong with an accidental spill.
If it were me I would use straight vinegar and a good scrubber to remove scale. Vinegar is safe indoors and is safe for saltwater aquariums.
For the 2 lighting choices I would personally go with the MH/PC combo.

 

[scsinet]

The concept of a tank absorbing copper and no longer being "reef safe" is (IMO and IME), pure hogwash.

 

[adam13]

Bang Guy,
Thanks for the advice, and the info on the other thread is helpful. However, the rock I am curing has been dry and dead for a few months, then freshwater soaked for 56 hours. I am just looking to soak it in saltwater to get the hardened dieoff loosened up, and to get the necessary bacteria growing, then the rock will go into my new reef tank. Will using tapwater to mix saltwater for that process soak copper into the rock and make it non reef safe? I appreciate the advice.
Adam

 

[geoj]

Why don’t you tell us after you are done. The first batch of snails would be the gin pigs…

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Adam13
http:///forum/post/3195876
Bang Guy,
Thanks for the advice, and the info on the other thread is helpful. However, the rock I am curing has been dry and dead for a few months, then freshwater soaked for 56 hours. I am just looking to soak it in saltwater to get the hardened dieoff loosened up, and to get the necessary bacteria growing, then the rock will go into my new reef tank. Will using tapwater to mix saltwater for that process soak copper into the rock and make it non reef safe? I appreciate the advice.
Adam
If we're talking about a matter of days then no. If we're talkin' months then it's possible. If it's years then absolutely.