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Tvadna · 01-17-2013, 06:26 AM

After reading some of the reviews on Floramax I decided to check the pH my 10 gallon planted tank. The tank has been set up for about 2 months with strictly RO water and with an inital pH around 7. The growth was great at first but has recently slowed. I checked the pH today and found it to be 8.2+ ( chart was maxed). It doesn't seem to have effected the KH nearly as much with a reading of about 6degrees.

There has been some talk of limestone(or like) chips mixed in with the substrate. I have also noticed some discolored chunks in my substrate. Some people have mentioned placing these chips in vinegar and they bubbled. Upon reading this I came up with a theory for a fix.

What I am going to do is place some floramax in a tub with vinegar and let it sit for a few weeks. This should break down the limestone pieces. After the process is complete I plan on rinsing the substrate and placing it back into RO water to sit for a few days to re-test the pH.
If anyone has tried this in order to make the substrate inert and basically usable again let me know. Otherwise stay tuned for the results...

01-17-2013, 06:26 AM	#1
Tvadna Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Minnesota Posts: 33	Fixing Floramax Midnight (black) After reading some of the reviews on Floramax I decided to check the pH my 10 gallon planted tank. The tank has been set up for about 2 months with strictly RO water and with an inital pH around 7. The growth was great at first but has recently slowed. I checked the pH today and found it to be 8.2+ ( chart was maxed). It doesn't seem to have effected the KH nearly as much with a reading of about 6degrees. There has been some talk of limestone(or like) chips mixed in with the substrate. I have also noticed some discolored chunks in my substrate. Some people have mentioned placing these chips in vinegar and they bubbled. Upon reading this I came up with a theory for a fix. What I am going to do is place some floramax in a tub with vinegar and let it sit for a few weeks. This should break down the limestone pieces. After the process is complete I plan on rinsing the substrate and placing it back into RO water to sit for a few days to re-test the pH. If anyone has tried this in order to make the substrate inert and basically usable again let me know. Otherwise stay tuned for the results...