Peat Moss

[mr86mister]

now i understand that peat moss will help lower a pH which i need because my tap water is around 8.2 and i dont want to use chemicals to lower it

where can i find peat moss online, i have looked at my local lfs and could not find any

 

[Jchillin]

Here you go:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=24325;category_id=2583;pcid1=1965;pcid2=

 

[amitnarain]

does peat affect water calrity?

 

[Jchillin]

Peat will release tannins...not as noticeable as with driftwood though.

 

[Guest]

is there something you can add that won't discolor the water at all? I don't like water thats orange or any color but crystal clear. But i too have a very high pH.

 

[Aquarium Freak]

everything I have for medicine and stuff turns my tanks blue for a couple hours.

 

[Guest]

Aquarium Freak.. that would be like Malachite green or potassium permagnate that turns the water blue and pink and stuff.

 

[Aquarium Freak]

what ??????????????????

 

[mr86mister]

thanks jchillin

yeah, aquarium freak...we're talking about peat moss and taken from that link it says:

Softens, darkens, and acidifies aquarium water for fish. Peat is used to produce suitable water for spawning fish which require soft, acid water to breed. It imparts a brownish tinge found in some native jungle habitats. Many advanced aquarists require this to safely recreate the amazonian environment and other tropical conditions for fish that require them for successful spawning. Peat often safely reduces hardness or alkalinity found in some water supplies to acceptable levels for fish.

basically i'm looking for just that, because i dont want to use chemicals to reduce the pH and cause big swings

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I just started using peat and the pH in my 55 gal tank went from 7.6 to 7.0 from having one small box of it. My water is a little clouded right now, but I wouldn't say that it's brownish in any way.

 

[mr86mister]

where did you put it, i only have a 10 gal with a Penguin 100 and there is room to put some of the peat moss, should i put it there?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have a canister and put it in a mesh bag and just put it into the filter. I believe they have peat cartridges. I'll do some searching and try to get a link for you.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=24327;category_id=2583

If you could cut open the top of the filter cartridge and put this in its place, could it work?

 

[mr86mister]

well i already ordered the other peat moss, and i beleive i'm going to place it behind the filter unless thats wont work

but i could probably jam that into the cartridge as well...hmmmm

thanks again fishy!!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

NP mr86mister. I'm not too farmilliar with your filter so I don't know how large of a space you have available, but you should be able to do as planned (put the peat behind the filter). Depending on what kind you bought, you may have to put it in a mesh bag. We did because it made a big mess. I know they make peat cartridges beacuse I've seen them at the lfs, but I think it depends on the filter that you have.

 

[mr86mister]

well it says the filter has room to put another media in it which it does, so instead of a media i might be able to put the peat moss, now what type of mesh do you mean...one similar to what the Aquaclear uses, the white mesh?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Does the filter have a open slot for media or do you use media cartridges? If it has an open bin, just put the peat in there. Otherwise, I buy bags from the lfs called Filter Saver Bags from Lee's Aquarium Products. They have a drawstring on one end. Here's a link to what it looks like: http://www.aquariumpw.com/shopping/pricelist.asp?prid=834&brandinc=18

 

[mr86mister]

its a media cartridge, basically what i would do is cut into it and insert the peat moss and it would fit fine, the cartridges are pretty big so it has lots of room

i like that drawstring bag, if its nice and stretchy i can probably flatten it out and put it in, i should get the peat moss by thursday at the latest and i will find out from there

now another question, do you have to change it every once in a while or a to a certain point, or do you sort of leave it in there like forever?

 

[BillD]

You have to change it occasionally, depending on the water flow. You can buy it at your local garden centre. If it discolours the water, carbon filtration will remove the colour.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I use the bags for the crushed coral and carbon (when putting it into the canisters). I used to put the ceramic rings in the bags but after we moved we didn't need the crushed coral anymore so I just dumped them into the baskets. I also use the bags when treating for ich, I put salt in the bags and let it hang in the tank.