Peat Water Softening/PH Lowering

[PikeLee]

I got a Water Softening/PH Lowering Question.

I’ve read the article on Water Softening on http://www.skepticalaquarist.com. (Excellent article by the way.) I basically just want to clarify some things before I start.

1. After getting the desired conditions from putting the Peat into the water/Bucket and letting it sit for a while, do I simply remove the sock of Peat?
2. PH or Softness isn’t affected when adding the “Peat Water” into the tank that has aeration, CO2 (Hagen System), or carbon, right?
3. Is the color of the water the same as if you just put a fresh piece of driftwood in the tank?
4. Does a coconut shell soften or lower the PH of water? If so, does it get spent like the Peat and have to be discarded?

Many thanks in Advance

 

[wetmanNY]

Thanks, Spike Lee. I'm glad if most of the Water Softening folder is pretty clear.

Your questions:

1. Right. You'd get more effect though, if the water were passing the peat as in a filter-sock or through a peat funnel. You might want to leave it sitting in water, not to go through re-wetting hassles. The peat will slowly leach humic substances into the water, which you can use. You know when the peat is "spent" because it doesn't have any softening effect any more. Then most of its negatively-charged sites are occupied with positively charged divalent ions, like calcium and magnesium (and also copper and iron) but not monovalent ions like sodium). Use the peat in the garden.

2. All you're doing when you add peat-softened water, is diluting the ionic solutes in the aquarium. Aeration and CO2 don't directly interact with the peat. The pH may go down. As for (very fresh activated) carbon-- whether humic solutes still act as chelators when they're adsorbed to carbon is a moot point. I think they are. I'm ready to be convinced otherwise. This is an important open question...

4. Much more golden, IME.

3. I guess a coconut shell must have some similar effects, as wood does to an even lesser extent. But you want that coconut for other reasons: a cave for instance. I've never seen as much water softening from bogwood and coconut as people seem to see. But I steep my coconut shells in boiling water overnight and get quite a dark "woody"-smelling tea-- which would be fine in the aquarium,BTW, though depleted of oxygen...

 

[PikeLee]

Cool Beans WM.

Just for clarification Purposes on Answer #2, you’re saying the aeration and CO2 might indirectly lower the PH? If so, do you think it’ll lower it a lot?

I’m not up the jargon so the part about the Carbon is Greek to me. I didn’t do so well in my Chem classes in College

Everything thing else is clear. Thanks a bunch.

 

[wetmanNY]

Sure. How would aeration and CO2 affect the pH? Well infusing CO2 converts some of the carbonate buffer to carbonic acid and the pH may drop. And aeration may drop the pH if there is strong light and plenty of plants and the CO2 in the water is depleted. Then aeration permits CO2 to diffuse into the water from the atmosphere, and the pH will fall.

How much? That depends on the carbonate/bicarbonate buffer. Low alkalinity ("KH" values) correspond with a weakly buffered system, with a flexible, reponsive pH value.

Basically, filter carbon won't affect the pH. Carbon dioxide will.

 

[jderuiter]

OK, I'm getting more confused by the minute. I've been doing some research on lowering Ph and was planning to do a DIY CO2 system to help my plant growth and lower the Ph on my 65 tall community tank. Now I'm not so sure this will work.
What's the best way to lower my ph to 7.0 or less from 7.4?

Here are my specs
GH 40ppm
KH 20ppm
PH 7.4
Ammonia and Nitrites 0

This is a lightly planted tank with Angels, Danios and Blue gouramis who like a Ph @ or below 7.0

Thanks

 

[PikeLee]

Good looking out WetMan. I heard that Excess CO2 can lower the PH. But I got that Hagen system on a 30g, which seems like the max for that system. It works well though. I’m still not sure if I’m going to be putting the peat in there because of the coloring. That’s my nice little planted tank. I kind of don’t want to ruin the looks of it from the colored Peat water. I’ll experiment with the other 2 tanks I got for breeding and see how it works out for me. Thanks again for the advice. Now all I have to do is locate some Peat. I checked this one spot around me, and he looked at me like I had a 3rd eye.

JD,
I don’t know if you’re going to be able to lower the PH on a 65 with a DIY setup. I hear that the coke bottle thing isn’t really effective on larger tanks. I can’t say from my Own Experience, but I’ve read a decent amount about the DIY setup and all. It seems like when people lower their PH from CO2, it’s usually from one of them pressurized system. (and I guess also your KH). Hopefully someone else can give you more input though from there experiences. I’m still kind of new at the Planted and Breeding thing. I find the best experience from those that have actually gone through the situation that you have questions on.

Cheers.

 

[jderuiter]

Ya Pike, i'm also new to the CO2 thing so its all learning for me too. I don't wanna go the peat route either since water quality "looks" are important as well.
More research I guess!