Peat water/filtration use

[Todd2]

Has anybody used peat to filter their water or used it in their filter. I'm setting up a South American tank and my ph is 7.6. It would be nice to have it lower. I'm getting a pair of German Blue Rams and a school of tetras. Does anybody know if it does other things with the water chemistry besides lower the ph and hardness (does it lower hardness?). I basically plan to pour water through peat in a stocking or something than test the ph and redo it to try and get the amout of peat to water ratio right.

 

[deeni0z]

Fluval Peat Granules (I'm assuming all other granules, too) soften water and lower pH so it would lower the hardness. I also want to use peat (my pH goes to about 8 >_<). What I'm planning on doing is putting like a teaspoon of peat, waiting like 2-3 hours, then testing the pH and see how much it changes. My goal is to see how much peat I need for my tank.

I think the method I just mentioned would work well with your tank because it's smaller so you don't have to wait as long to test the pH.

HTH!

 

[Todd2]

You don't need to use Fluval Peat Granules, you can go to a gardening store and get it much cheaper. The "Aquarium Peat" they sell at stores is just peat compressed. There's not much of a difference except price.

 

[oscarbreeder]

Peat does lower ph and soften water as well as polish it.
I use it in my 180gal Oscar tank to keep ph at 7.0 and the water is crystal clear.
Todd2 is right on with the garden center, its ALOT cheaper.

 

[urville]

i want a ph of 6.8 or 6.9 and keep my kh of 4 but how to do this is escaping me, and those regulators they sell are crap... then brianny was telling me that adding co2 will bring my ph down and feed my plants and that a ph change in the absence of co2 like a yeast system wouldnt happen very quickly...

 

[Todd2]

CO2 will bring the ph down BUT you may have algae due to a inbalance of nutrients. Only highlight tanks need CO2. So if you have a low light tank then there will probably be an inbalance.

 

[urville]

no i need it at 4 watts a gallon

 

[Guest]

Todds2,

Is this a planted tank? If so, what are the plants and your set up?

If it's not a planted tank. Don't worry about that "perfect PH", stability is far more important. Most fish are rather adaptible. GB Rams should be fine in your tap. Provided you buy decent Rams and not those sickly looking ones, like I seen at a daisy chain pet store last week.

CO2 in a non planted tank is asking for massive algae blooms. Theres got to be something in the tank to chew up all that carbon, either plants or algae.

Peat, as well as, driftwood can be used to help lower PH and GH slightly. It's not some mericle cure, thats going to drop your PH from 7.6 to 7 or GH from 10 to 3. Peat in a filter does help polish the water, as mentioned. You should replace the peat ocassionally.

If you do purchase bagged peat. Make sure you since it good before using it. Otherwise, you'll have fines and dust in your filter and tank. HTH

 

[Todd2]

Mojo Troll,

Yes this is going to be a planted tank. Low to medium-low light though (1.8 wpg). The plants I'm going to get are dwarf sag, anachris, maybe some anubias, java fern, wisteria and maybe some christmas/java moss. I don't know the exact plants yet but those are the ones I have in mind. I'm probably going to order the rams off the internet, I found a site that sells pairs for 16.99 but the shipping is 35 8O Peat would be sort of a hassle but like you said they would be fine in my tap water. I just got some driftwood from the creek in the woods behind my house too.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

A pH of 7.6 will be fine for your rams and tetras: stability is the key and far more important than having the "perfect" pH.

Peat works as advertised but it has to be changed often (it quickly loses it's effectiveness) and is time-consuming,messy, and can get expensive over the long haul. Trying to keep things stable is another hassle to deal with.

For your system, I'd suggest some driftwood and Blackwater Extract. This is an easy, cheap, and STABLE way to establish a more natural setting for your rams and tets.