My Peat System Journal

platytudes said:
Is it really ideal if the fish this person is purchasing are generations from this sort of water chemistry? I guess it all depends on the species of the fish, whether wild caught or tank bred...

But if this person is just going to the pet store and getting some neons which have been sitting in the shop tank with a pH of 7.4, and then quarantining them in a pH 6.5 tank, I don't see how that is actually doing the fish good, quite the opposite.

Cats are originally from the desert, I don't think most housecats feel more at home in the Mojave.
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Evolution and domestication (genetically) did not take place overnight. Because they were kept and survived at 7.4 does not mean it is best for neons for an example. No different from keeping Mbuna in neutal water although it is best to keep them in condition you probably are aware of.

btw, not all the lfs/facilties keep them at 7.4.
 
**chuckles**
 
There was a discussion on here about a study, I think in the "how do you acclimate or not" thread about how PH affects fish. The main focus there was PH shock. The myth of taking one fish from a bag of water with a high PH then dropping it into virtually the same water with the exception of the PH and the fish going into shock was basically exactly that, a myth.

PH has less of an affect than we would like to think.
 
I'm sure there are other things on the list of things fish would request for an aquarium long before proper PH (such as, "stop cleaning off the algae!"). :D
 
Be that as it may, the main problem still exists - this method is not going to produce enough water to meet the demands of a regular water change routine. If what is mainly desired is the "brown water" - other elements can be used, leaves and wood namely....or even using peat in a filter sock in a canister. This in itself could nudge the water chemistry below neutral.

It seems a lot more consistent bet to me to use a regular ratio of RO (or even bottled distilled) water to tap water for water changes, then to wait for a couple of pillowcases to make 5 gallon buckets of tea. Collecting rainwater could be another alternative method, depending on the weather and environmental conditions.
 
Wow. That was a lot of posts and seemed like a bit of anger. It also seemed like I had 30 billion different opinions on this, so I will show my own and try to answer all questions. (Here we go...)

Fish wise, I will be getting 1 Angelfish, 10 Rummynose Tetras, and 6 Sterbai Cory Cats. Also, I appreciate the "going the extra mile" compliment.

I do realize that 6 gallons will only do a 16% water change, but if you read my 36 gallon thread, you would realize that I'm using a lot more filtration then I have to, and that would cut down on water changes. Also, my Alkalinity is moderate, and I would prefer that I don't have tea colored water, but since I already bought supplies and the system is up and running, I'm not going back. Also, 30 cents a bottle will really add up over time and I've already spent near $500 on supplies (My wallet is getting pretty thin). Also, if the pH starts to drop (probably won't), I'll add some hard water to even it out. Also, I greatly monitor my waters parameters.

Finally, I can't collect rainwater because winter is starting and we already have 6 in. of snow, so no can do on that.

I think I answered all questions (hopefully).
 
No anger meant at all on my part. I usually use a lot of smilies to try and lighten up the tone but I was trying to be more serious this time ;)

If you're going to do 25% water changes weekly with 50/50 tap and distilled or RO, at 30 cents a gallon that's like $1.35 a week. I know those bags of peat are pretty cheap, $10 for 2 cu ft at my garden shop, but the extra time saved and less hassle would make it worthwhile for me.

Good luck and looking forward to pics!
 
I breed angelfish for a few of the shops around here, and when they ask me what parameters I keep the fish in I tell them exactly what they want to hear. "I keep the breeders just below neutral, and the grow-out tank is at 7.4. They all love hearing that because that is what almost all of them keep their tanks at, and less time acclimating them equals more money and less time wasted.

Trust me I thought all about using peat in my water prep tank for waterchanges, but as others have stated, it's a good way to get swings in PH, general hardness, carbonate hardness etc. Water chemistry can be tricky when trying to force a water to be something it's not. Sometimes that buffering capacity gets used up in a sence, and everything swings dramatically causing stress to the fish as well as the biological filter.

As other have recommended, I would not make up pure "peat prep water" and rather employ some means of buffering down in the tank. Then you have the ability of not just the water to buffer, but the media as well...

I hope that makes sense.

Maybe this analogy will sound better...
You have a tank filled with water, you put a magic food coloring remover in the water, now you put blue food coloring in there in a constant drip, how long until the water stills turns blue even tho the magic remover is in the water? Eventually it will lose.

Now what if you had that magic food coloring remover in the water, but because it was constantly being released from a bag/piece of wood etc? You could add a lot more blue food coloring but the remover would be constantly fighting it off and winning?

Any better or since I just woke up do I make no sense? Lol
 
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