OK...I really need to figure out what is going on in my tank. I've used an entire 5# cylinder of C02 in 2 months! Bear in mind this is a 32 gallon tank, which should have lasted closer to a year.
At first I suspected my tap water, which prompted me to buy a RO/DI system. When problems with hard water persisted I assumed my Seachem Onyx gravel was the culprit. After replacing that with Flourite (or as much as I could) I am still having hardness problems. My CO2 cylinder gave out today and when I came home the PH was around 7.9! Prior to this pleasant discovery CO2 was running nearly alll the time, at a rate of...actually the bubbles were moving too fast to count. But a lot!
So what in the HELL is buffering my water so much? This is really frustrating! Total hardness is around 11 degrees! I think I'm ready for an intervention...
krisw wrote:Do you have any rocks in the tank that might be leeching calcium or other minerals into the water?
Just slate...which doesn't appear to be calcerous. Something is leeching, so I suppose it might be the rocks. Based on what they appear to be composed of I would be surprised if it was the rocks.
Test the rocks, a few drops of Muriatic Acid on an freshly exposed area will let you know rather quickly. Better yet grind a little of the rock up first.
