i believe ive been haveing ph issues i just got a tester.. so well see if thats the prob.. although i decided to try flushing it so i flushed with aquafina(lol i figured this is better than tap water for ph) and so water from my fish aquarium(i also figured this ph would be around where i want it .. the fish dont do well if the ph is off.. anyway they have perked up since so i believe this has helped.. also for nutes ive just bought some 24-8-16 fert..