Peat Filtering and South American Water

[josh]

I'm a little lost here.

What's the idea behind peat filtering? How does it change the chemistry of the tank? Do you only have to peat filter once, or do you always have to peat filter to maintain the same water conditions?

So I have heard it said that peat filtering replicates water conditions similar to south american waters, is that just acidic?

Will having a piece of driftwood have the same effect as peat filtering? And how did using earl grey tea achieve the same thing? Look in this thread (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1528) :

-Josh

[Kit Walker]

Peat is used in filtration to change the pH to the acidic side and it believe it also softens the water. The result of peat is also the blackwater effect(like tea) which is a characteristic of some SA habitats. The effect is similar to driftwood, but peat is much more efficient. Keep in mind also, that the peat will reduce the performance of filters such as ehiems. As for tea, I am not sure about that one although I did read the post. When there is peat and blackwater additives available on the market, I don't see the point in experimenting with earl grey tea.

[josh]

Does using peat color your water to a yellowish brown color?

-Josh

[Jeremy S]

Originally posted by josh
Does using peat color your water to a yellowish brown color?


Yes, it does make the water brown. I kind of like the way it looks.;)