using peat moss

[kribs]

ok i got some peat and have put it in water for 2 days with a aereator now i want to know how much i should put in a 10 gallon. my ph is 7.6. I have Ro but i want to try breeding them without RO. I have cacutoides and malbratur big enough to breed.

 

[farm41]

There is only one way to know for certain how much to add to your water, that is to add some and test it, add some more then test again. Until you get it where you want it.

With my mix, I would add 1 part peat treated water to each water change along with 1 part RO and 1 part tap water. So to simplify, equal amounts of each, peat treated, tap, and RO. For me that equaled a 5.9Ph, my water changes are 2.5 gallons for the 10 gallon tanks 3 times a week.

 

[Neil]

I would probably end up skipping the addition of regular RO water in the mix. The peat treated water is already RO. I would put about a quarter tap in with 3/4 peat/RO for the cacs and all peat/RO for the Maulbruter.
Neil

 

[kribs]

Thanks guys. also neil the cacutoides and the bipindi are doing great except for female triple red e-mail me for more info on her. ALSO THE BIPINDI FEMALE IS BEAUTIFUL EVEN AT THIS SIZE IT HAS GREAT COLOR.

 

[farm41]

I use the RO to conserve on the amount of peat I have to use. The peat gets the water very stained by itself. I want to see my fish once in a while, so I use some RO with the peat.

 

[kribs]

hi
yes i have heard about the water getting stained. I just want to breed them. I usually keep the ones i dont breed in my 55 gallon with tap water.

 

[Randall]

Black Water

Dear Matt,

If you add activated carbon to your filter, it will remove the tea color from your peat conditioned water. Alternatively, if you're conditioning with peat in a separate holding recepticle, adding an air powered box filter filled with the carbon will do the same thing.

I like to see my fish too.

Randall Kohn

 

[farm41]

I never even thought about using the carbon in my conditioning can. I have quite a bit of carbon laying around, I have never used it in any tanks and it always comes with new filters.

Will it nuetralize the effects of the peat at all?

 

[Randall]

Black Water

Hi Matt,

As far as I know, carbon won't undo the benefit of conditioning with peat; it merely removes some of the dark tint. I prefer to filter through carbon in the holding recepticle vs. in an aquarium filter, because in time, carbon will release what it's absorbed back into the system. So unless one is very dilligent about changing one's filters, carbon can do as much harm as it does good.

Why don't you give it a shot?

Thanks!

Randall Kohn

 

[farm41]

Right now I am out of trying to breed my fish, I have all the fry I can handle and it is getting into my busy season. No time to do water modification and lots of water changes until fall. It is something I hope I remember this fall though.

thanks