Peat Filtration

[Goatman]

I like peat water, I think it's pretty. I've also been reading that the phenols that are released by peat can chelate metals into usable forms for plants. My problem is, my pH currently runs at 6.8 due to CO2 injection. My kH is between 4 and 5 degrees. I am wondering if the anti-buffer that the peat causes would be cause for concerns of a pH crash. If it is in fact a problem, what would the fix be? Baking soda? Will increasing kH artificially cause the beneficial activity of peat to become reduced or completely prevent it? I have found plenty of research on what peat does theoretically, but nothing about peat in a CO2 injected tank, where pH is already kind of at a premium, except that it is not advisable due to interference with the CO2 chart. Why does it interfere with measurement of CO2 through pH and kH? Is this the only reason that it is not advisable? I keep a steady rate of CO2 through my DIY system, never going higher than I want or are comfortable with.

 

[misopeenut]

peat water? meaning black water??
mmm i know some people that has black water tanks but they breed wild bettas and apistos.. since they prefer acidic water..
i didnt know peat did more than make the water brown..

 

[Cathy G]

THis is a good bunch of questions, I used to run peat in with diy co2. I figured that if I kept my kh above 4, I wouldn't have any problems with pH crashing. THe peat removes some of the hardness, but I don't remember it really ever removing that much that it made a difference.

Monitor your co2 levels before you add the peat so you have a good idea how much you are putting in before you add the peat. Oh, kh can be increased with baking soda if necessary. Even if adding hardness counteracts one of the 'benefits' of peat, the peat will still be adding some of that great tea color to the water.

There is also the black water extract if you want the color without the bother.
Cathy

 

[Goatman]

The color is nice, but that really isn't the main reason I want to use it. The time-released effect of actual peat is more up my alley, I'm a minimalist when adding unneccesary chemicals to the tank. I'm currently keeping my tank at 30 ppm CO2, pH 6.8, kH of 4-5, so you think I would be safe at that Cathy G? Misopeenut, blackwtaer is a term used to define a portion of the Amazon River Basin with clear, stained water. An aerial view of the amazon shows this quite clearly, where blackwater meets whitewater (whitewater being murky, muddy water). There seems to be a plethora of benefits to using peat (or tea, oak leaves, oak bark, blackwater extract, etc..), not the least of which is stained water.

 

[Cathy G]

I think you will be fine, add the peat. I'd do it when you are going to be around a while - after a couple maybe 3 hours do another ph test and make sure it is not going down to fast. Actually, I think you should test 3-4 times over a 24 hour period just to make sure all is well with the fishies.

Needless to say, be sure you don't have any additives in what ever peat you are using, and if by chance you are using Purigen in your filter, stop with the Purigen. The two cancel each other out and the purigen gets used up way fast.

There is one other thing I should mention. At least in my case, I ended up with tiny particles and a bit of cloudiness to my water. I hated it. I loved the peat colored water, but didn't like the lack of clarity to the water. You may have no problem with this, it could have been my pantyhose....

Hope all goes well,
Cathy