to add peat or not to add peat

[jpjagged]

ok ok so what i have read so far between knowledge that is shared by people on this site and knowledge about the conditions that discus thrive in that has to do with ph is kinda sorta controversial...

the problem i am addressing is the use of peat within the filter to lower ph levels in discus tanks...

good to use it or not?

from what i have read about what people do for their growing discus is that lots of water changes and a constant temp and ph is far more important than getting it to the ideal ph. although that being said it does has to be within a certain range (cant be ridiculous)... but doesn't need to be at 6.4 like all the books and info about their natural water claim... is the use of peat in the filter good as it slowly changes the ph of water instead of getting fresh water from a waterchange down to the ph you want immediately? lets say you are doing large water changes for a growout tank, wouldnt this fluctuation be bad for the fish then?

so keep the peat in or take it out?

and i understand that if you are going to breed discus it is good to get the ph down for the eggs...

[CraigG]

My pH is at 6.5 consistently and I use peat. I do 10 gallon water changes every 3-4 days.

Without my water changing in pH or anything else.

I have German Blue Rams and the Discus without a problem.

[Apistomaster]

Peat has always seemed to me most beneficial for just about every quality except as the ph controlling or altering agent.
It takes a lot of peat to significantly lower the pH of most tap water because most tap water is so well buffered.
What peat contributes in the way of color from lignins and tans and the various phytohormones it can release seem to be beneficial to most soft water fishes regardless of whether or not your source water is soft and acid or hard and alkaline.
Only when your source water has relatively low buffering capacity and a pH not too much above 7.0, does peat help lower the pH with it's weak organic acids.
I routinely use RO water filtered through peat during the acclimation phase of new wild discus but I gradually allow this to be replaced with my tap water.
I have successfully bred wild discus, S. haraldi, in tap water with a pH of 7.5 and TDS of 450 ppm. I breed my domestic discus in my current location's tap water with a ph of 7.4 and TDS 340 ppm. The fertility, health and water cleanliness seems more important to discus than pH.
I would not expect wild Green Discus or Heckels to be so cooperative as S. haraldi and any breeding tanks for them would be adjusted to virtually no hardness and to the appropriate low pH. I would probably use peat moss in conjunction with these fish but it isn't necessary for Domestic Discus or wild S. haraldi.

[CARY_GLdiscus]

I agree 100%

[jpjagged]

thanks guys helps a lot