Well my system has been running great and all, however the growth is rather slow. im pretty sure the only thing thats really affecting growth that much would be the fact that my ph is around 8.3! i was thinking to run down to home depot and get some of the muriatic acid, but before i go, is this the best way for forcing a lower ph? how much would i actually need for a 50 gallon tank?

from what i read a lot of people seem to use hcl or just wait for it to go down. its already been a couple of months with no signs of dropping.also i used quickrete brand gravel and it says for use with ponds so i dont think its buffering the ph.

Thanks for the help!