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...
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...