For Peat Sake

[slicksta]

Was wondering how many people use peat to maintain a lower pH. What do you feel the benefits and disadvantages are. How much does it discolor the water? Where do you get your peat, LFS or Garden supply? Any other input you may have..............

thank you all in advance..... ;)

John

p.s.......and I better not get 5 pages of option 6....... ;D

[keno]

I used peat in my storage tank, I found it extremely messy and a real pain in the butt! However, it did lower my ph from 8.5 to 6.8 so I was happy with the results.

I switched to HCl acid and have been thrilled with the reults for the last year or so.

Ken

[April]

i have never used it as my water is far too soft and low ph already....but i sure would like to use "peat to pay paul"

[paulmat]

This is Paul
I can't wait for everybody to pay me ;D ::)
I use to use peat all the time when all the fish were wild, it really helped.I stopped and slowly aclimated them to a stable hardness & Ph and never looked back. A really good peat is Keta Peat Nuggets from Marc Weiss,just keep in mind a little goes a long way and If you use too much it will discolor water and can really lower your Ph.
I have extremly hard, alkalitic water and my fish do very well.
Paul

I like peat but water water conditions are suited for it ph 6.8-7 100us, out of the tap, one pass through peat and 50us ph 5.5.

There is something in it though that just gets fish in the mood, especially stubborn wilds.

oh yeah I only use
CANADIAN PEAT!!!

[daninthesand]

Phish.

Thats great that it is so easy for you based on your water out of the tap.

How does the peat REDUCE the dissolved salts. I should think the opposite?!

Any ideas?

Daniel

AM WITH BIG DADDY JASON,
ON THIS ONE! I ONLY USE IT EVERY NOW AND THEN IN A STORAGE TANK WHEN MY BREEDERS TRY TO TAKE THE MONTH OFF. FOR SOME ODD REASON IT SEEMS TO GET THEIR BOOTY'S MOVEING! AND EGGS PRODUCING! ;D

Don't know Dan,

I'm not smart like you guys, I try this and try that.

The fish tell me what works and what don't, they dont need meters and monitors, and rocket scientists.

hth

[Smokey]

I use peat.. I run the r/o water directly through a peat bomb
then into my storage tanks.
CANADIAN PEAT - works very well, some of the best in the world, I am told.
My water is extremely hard and alkine: pH-8.5; gh-400ppm; kh-350ppm; nh3-7.0ppm; cl-4ppm. High limestone content and water treatment chemicals.
The r/o plus two pre-carbon filters produce : pH-8.0; gh-180pm;kh-160;nh3-7.0; cl-0.0. Still too hard !
I run the r/o outlet into a 5 gallon peat bomb.
Water produced - pH-6.5; gh-~100ppm; kh-40ppm. Much better. A little aireation/time and the water settles in at pH-7.0. Perfect.

In my use the one gallon of peat treats about 25-30 gallons of r/o water.

Smokey

AGAIN AM WITH BIG DADDY JAY! ;D


TELL IT LIKE IT IS BROHAM BLING BLING!


DAN,
I ONLY USE IT TO LOWER PH FROM WHAT I SEE IT DOES NOTHING MUCH FOR CONDUCTIVITY!


CARY GLD!

[April]

Heh Broham Bling Bling. LOL. where'd you get those nice heckels in your avatar?
Sorry they got run over by my sons bike while here and have a tire track across their middle. or was it at carys house . think maybe it was Carys house..as three heckels and jack surely rides a tricycle and managed to get a tire track across each one.

[slicksta]

thanks all for your input..... ;)
one thing that nobody has addressed is whether they get there peat at the lfs or garden center and if there is a difference.

John

and the three that entered option 6 besides me....... :P
Julz I want there names..... ;D

[keno]

I used to get mine at home depot and it was made my scotts.

Ken

[Smokey]

I get mine from the local HH store.. pretty cheap for a bale..3.8 cu.ft for ~ $6.00. And it does soften the water, cuts my KH in half.. Also, the rate at which the water flows through the peat affects the outcome. Longer contact..softer water , lower pH. Ps the water coming out of the R/O it ~85' F..i think warm water is softened better than cold water. ???

a inexpenxive way to condition water; a bit messy, but what the h**l; it is for the discus, eh..

Smokey

I use peat in the storage and filters for my Angels and dwarfs.

[briankgarrison79]

I have found using Candian peat moss from Home Depot to work great. One bag of this stuff last for years.

[raglanroad]

Phish.

Thats great that it is so easy for you based on your water out of the tap.

How does the peat REDUCE the dissolved salts. I should think the opposite?!

Any ideas?

Danielif you use enough of it it will do the trick. As a test I used a couple handfuls to soften a litre or so of water, and with a couple passes though the peat the water went from 236 ppm to 130 on the TDS meter.
With RO, it acidifies very well, with hard water it has to soften it before it acidifies as much.
I would not use it direct into storage barrel or tank or filter , but make a solution of super black water first, then filter it through some floss until orange tea colour, just a few passes is all. Then use the concentrate to add to storage water.

As to what kind, Home Depot Canadian Spahgnum peat moss.

[jake]

I used to use peat in all breeder tanks of wilds, cobalts and candy apples, in the Columbus OH area, now in north central MI will use it in the storage vats,

right now my well water is 7.2-7.5 out of the tap and hard as rock but I expect the peat to draw both down, once I get some filtered I can post the results,

I use Canadian peat now from my local garden supply. A bale would last a long time but most of the bale will go out on the garden.

jake levi
Curran, MI

[LizStreithorst]

I know that this is an old discussion but I'm so glad that it got bumped back to the top. I got my first successful spawn using peat. But it was such a PITA that I bought an RO unit. I have some pairs now though that are being stupid. When I get back from ACA I'll give it a try on them. In the past I used a peat bomb. But I love the idea of making a strong solution and filtering it through floss.

[poconogal]

I've been using peat to bring PH down from 8.9, but I have lower KH & GH out of tap, also. KH 5, GH 7. After filtering 24 hrs. in barrel, peat brings down PH to 7.5, KH & GH to 4. Also filter thru it in tank to keep PH stable, or it will rocket back up 24 hrs. after water change. Don't know what's buffering my well water...??? but the peat works well for my purpose.

Connie

[White Worm]

How much peat do you use, how long does it last and where is the cheapest place to get some? Home Depot I hear and what is the exact name? Probably turns water tea color?

[marilyn1998]

You can get 8 quarts of Shultz's Peat Moss from Walmart. Get the chopped stuff with no ferts. IT is about $2.50.

[lhforbes12]

Uhhhhhh... shouldn't there have been a "No" answer too?

[LizStreithorst]

I've been using peat to bring PH down from 8.9, but I have lower KH & GH out of tap, also. KH 5, GH 7. After filtering 24 hrs. in barrel, peat brings down PH to 7.5, KH & GH to 4. Also filter thru it in tank to keep PH stable, or it will rocket back up 24 hrs. after water change. Don't know what's buffering my well water...??? but the peat works well for my purpose.

Connie

Dang...Your water parameters are weird. Is this by any chance a shallow well?

[poconogal]

Dang...Your water parameters are weird. Is this by any chance a shallow well?
Hahahahaha... Liz, my well isn't really shallow... actually its 702 ft. deep. We almost choked when they were drilling - owed $5,000 more to the builder and had to sign a promissory note for him or we couldn't move into the house, all because of that stupid well! LOL. Yep, weird. Also, TDS, when tested, was 115. We have a hot tub that needs to be in a specific PH range, and we struggle with that, too. KH too low, PH gets acidic, not good for plumbing, warranty issues, etc. Eeeek! Raise KH, PH goes up, out of specified range, which is where I try to keep it, but thru it all, no scale, no calcium anywhere, thank goodness. WEIRD water!

Oh, BTW, my water has changed in last two months, I believe due to the rain we've been having. Prior year was dry, we were in a drought, so we must have been lower in the well. Now I have PH 7.7, KH 4 (the same) and GH down to 5, from 7. I've just started using tap water for WCs this past weekend, with no peat, and so far, so good. No shooting up, either!

Connie

[LizStreithorst]

Connie,
I've had some knock down drag outs with my water a few times, but your water is way beyond me. There used to be a water wizzard who hung around here. I can't rmemeber his name. He lived in Vegas. A real nice guy. I bet he could help if he's still around.

[poconogal]

:D
Connie,
I've had some knock down drag outs with my water a few times, but your water is way beyond me. There used to be a water wizzard who hung around here. I can't rmemeber his name. He lived in Vegas. A real nice guy. I bet he could help if he's still around.
Liz,
Knock down, drag out - perfect description of what I went thru, for about 3 months. But I won. Tried heavily aerating - zip, tried using a DI filter by Aquarium Pharm, then setting PH and adding back necessary trace, aerating for 24 hrs. - nope, that didn't work either. PH still shot up, after 24 hours! Whatever resins in the DI filter, they apparently did not remove whatever it is in the water that was buffering. One day, when I have the cash, I want to have a full analysis of my water done - would be interesting to know what's in it, ya know? First thoughts of everyone was lots of CO2, so bubble it up lots for 24 hours, and PH still shoots up after that! Also, apparently lots of C02 is not in keeping with low KH, I think they said. (Hmmmm. :bomb: Grrrrrrrrr. <-------- me, for 3 mos.) Even my Discus breeder was shocked to learn that 3 mos. after I contacted him, before buying a single Discus, I was still fighting with the water. The poor Cardinals in the tank came off the roller coaster okay, luckily, I guess since I was doing WCs only once a week.

Connie

[LizStreithorst]

If the Cardinals came through it OK you must have been doing something right. I've found them to be like the canaries in the coal mine. They go first.

[poconogal]

If the Cardinals came through it OK you must have been doing something right. I've found them to be like the canaries in the coal mine. They go first.
Liz, you know, I've heard that, and also that they are difficult to keep. I've not had any problems with them, though. Mine are so darn aggressive, too, they attacked, yes Cardinal Tetras ATTACKED a little Panda Cory that I had put in with 2 others. I've never seen anything like it, and my LFS guy was amazed, too. And boy can they attack food! LOL.

Connie

[White Worm]

OK, got peat from walmart. How much would you use in 85g Ph 7.8-8.0 to bring down to 6.5 or so? What do you put it in? How long till you should change it? Mike

[lhforbes12]

OK, got peat from walmart. How much would you use in 85g Ph 7.8-8.0 to bring down to 6.5 or so? What do you put it in? How long till you should change it? Mike

Mike,
Peat will bring your carbonates down only so far, I would not expect to see that large a jump.
I put it in old pantyhose in my cannister filters. Anything that will hold the peat and let water through will work.
Most recommend 3 weeks, personally I keep it in until I see that it's no longer doing anything, which is usually at least twice that long. I've read that the peat will break down over time to become a mush, I have never seen it do that in over 30 years using it <shrug>
I only use it for breeding pairs, with RO/DI water but my water isn't all that bad out of the tap GH 8.5, KH 4-5.5, pH 7.2-7.8 (changes with the KH), TDS 150

Larry

[poconogal]

I brought my PH down from 8.2 (tap, before the "after 24 hr. number" of 8.9) to 7.5 with 1/3 cup. For 85 g I would try perhaps 1 1/2 cups to start, you will have to experiment some. One thing I've noticed is that it doesn't seem to matter, in my case anyway, how much water I've got in my WC container, whether its 15 gallons or 30 gallons, the 1/3 cup of peat seems to bring down the PH to 7.5 regardless, so I think its more dependent on amount of peat, not so much on amount of water. I use a media bag - it was getting too expensive cutting up my pantyhose. :D

Amount of time - at first I needed to put fresh peat in about once a month. Now, its been 2 months and still the same peat. It hasn't degraded in any way - no mush, yet, and still working. I just rinse it when cleaning the filter media.

Mike, note that I use an internal filter with peat and carbon (I hate the brown tinted water) in it in my WC container to bring PH down before WC and also use the same amount of peat in my filter on the tank, to keep it the same. My PH was flying back up if I did WC without having peat in tank filter.

Connie

[White Worm]

Thanks, just trying some different things to see if my water is the reason for lack of activity in the pairing and breeding area. Not much of anything going on lately so I wanted to help them along a little and I am still working on getting RO unit but I just dont like that it only gives you 1/4 good water from the output. I dont have anything to store that much water for waste. Just a temporary test to see if they prefer peat. Mike

[lhforbes12]

Mike,
RO units as actually far worse than the 4-1 you are talking about. That's under perfect conditions, with not too bad of water to start with, I believe 7-1 or so is a more honest figure. So, unfortunately, it's even worse than you thought.

[White Worm]

Geez!! Thats just great! It might just be cheaper to buy distilled for my tests.

[lhforbes12]

Geez!! Thats just great! It might just be cheaper to buy distilled for my tests.

Well, the upside is that the "waste" water is de-chlorinated, and can be used for grow outs as is. But as you mentioned, that means having a storage barrel large enough.

[poconogal]

Thanks, just trying some different things to see if my water is the reason for lack of activity in the pairing and breeding area. Not much of anything going on lately so I wanted to help them along a little and I am still working on getting RO unit but I just dont like that it only gives you 1/4 good water from the output. I dont have anything to store that much water for waste. Just a temporary test to see if they prefer peat. Mike
Mike, one more thing I just thought of - if you bought peat fiber, I believe you will need different amounts than what I use, as I use Peat Granules, which are supposed to be concentrated.

Connie

[White Worm]

Put a couple handfuls of the fiber crap into a nylon and no difference after a couple of days. Maybe more? Didnt turn water tea color either. :confused: I didnt see the granules. Are they at walmart too. Didnt want to get the wrong stuff.

[lhforbes12]

I use a media bag - it was getting too expensive cutting up my pantyhose. :D

Ummmm... you do realize that you can tie the end and then untie it when you want to change the peat out, yes?

Blonde joke, what blonde joke?

q~ Hmmmmmm Hmmmmmm Hmmm q~

<---------- In hiding

[White Worm]

:D Thats what I did and I have never done it before, lol. Silly women!
<<<<<<----------Ducking behind larry!

[poconogal]

Put a couple handfuls of the fiber crap into a nylon and no difference after a couple of days. Maybe more? Didnt turn water tea color either. :confused: I didnt see the granules. Are they at walmart too. Didnt want to get the wrong stuff.
Mike, I will try tomorrow to find the 4 lb. bag of granules online for you and give you the site. Its costs what the little box of Fluval Peat Granules costs. I never used the fiber, I think you probably would need to use a lot.

Connie

[poconogal]

Ummmm... you do realize that you can tie the end and then untie it when you want to change the peat out, yes?

Blonde joke, what blonde joke?

q~ Hmmmmmm Hmmmmmm Hmmm q~
<---------- In hiding

Originally Posted by Mikscus
Thats what I did and I have never done it before, lol. Silly women!
<<<<<<----------Ducking behind larry!
Yes, Larry dear, I do realize that I can tie the end and then untie it, but the stuff doesn't come out easily, so its easier for me to use a media bag.

Mike - so now you're cutting up your pantyhose? What?

Both of you - better hide good, or I'll find you with my hammer...... :smash: ;)

Connie

[White Worm]

I'm married....hehehe :D ...stole em from the wife. Yeah I would probably have to use 4 legs worth with the fiber, lmao!
I would never cut up mine....you know how much they cost???

[poconogal]

I'm married....hehehe :D ...stole em from the wife. Yeah I would probably have to use 4 legs worth with the fiber, lmao!
I would never cut up mine....you know how much they cost???
I certainly do know how much they cost, and it seems like I'll have to send your wife one of my HAMMERS. Here you go, Mrs. Mike--------> :smash:

Connie

[poconogal]

Mike, I will try tomorrow to find the 4 lb. bag of granules online for you and give you the site. Its costs what the little box of Fluval Peat Granules costs. I never used the fiber, I think you probably would need to use a lot.

Connie
Mike, the peat granules that I saw are:

Laguna Peat Granules, 4.4 lbs., $10.79 at www.drsfostersmith.com but I know that I found them for about $8.00 + with cheaper shipping also. Or you could get the Fluval Peat Granules to test. It is a much smaller box for the same amount of money, though, but that is what I was using. Now since I have well water, my PH has come back down to what it used to be, and I have begun using my tap for WCs. So far so good, have done 2 WCs and no problems with the Discus. I still have peat in my tank filter, though, but I think I will remove it now to see what happens. If PH starts to shoot up, I will replace the peat in the filter.

BTW, you said you put a couple handfuls into nylon and had no difference after a few days. You were using an internal filter and filtering the water thru the peat, right? It wasn't just sitting in the water container? Forgive me if I have asked an insulting question, but its odd that you had no change at all! The most dramatic change would be in PH, much less for KH and GH.

Connie