Question on filtering with peat

[bossteck]

Hi all,

I have a question on the method of filtering with peat.

Say I were to add a bag of peat to my filter, is there a limit to which the ph of my tank can be lowered to? What is this limit?

Suppose I am trying to achieve a ph of 6.0 for my tank with peat (and the tank has no co2 injection), do I have to regularly check the ph and remove the peat once a desired ph level is achieved?

Thanks for reading

[godprint]

correct me if i'm wrong:
peat keeps the ph stablized at around 5.5. i don't think you have to remove the peat once ph is achieved, but you should replace it regularly. maybe replace it once every 2months? i'm not really sure on that part.

[celticfish]

bossteck,
i believe you are on the right track of a "limit" for the peat.
this limit would depend on a number of factors like:
a) the "freshness" of the peat
b) rate of water flow over it
c) water quality (ie. kH, gH, pH,...)

however, once you do a WC... all goes to hell as the "efficiency" of the peat goes down.
hence if you want a stable pH you will need to use fresh peat.

as you may know i to lot of WC for my tanks.
so using new peat every time wouldn't be good on my pocket.
our water quality (very soft) also allows me to maintain a bag of peat for months (3 to 6).
my compromise is a non-stable pH in between WC.

but if you want a stable pH then you will have to balance WC and use fresh peat.
for instance, if you can possibly quantify the following:
a 20% WC - a handful of fresh peat can get you a target pH for two WC.
note that the fresh peat may last you a few WC depending on how low is your target pH.

[bossteck]

Thanks guys for your replies.

Seem like peat is not an introduce-and-forget solution to maintaining a stable low ph tank. In fact, based on Celticfish's explanation, it seemed more like a trial-n-error + experience method.

Would the use of commercial buffers like ph down prove to be less error prone and safer for the fauna in the tank?

[celticfish]

bossteck,
it can actually be made stable after some practice.
like i say our water is very soft so a little helps quite a bit.
i have an eden 501 with some peat inside a bag.
after a WC the pH goes down to 5.8 to 6 pH.
if i do not WC for some time it may go to 5.3 to 5.6 pH.
after some "practice", for a given tank, you can easily hit within a "0.4 range".

i have used sera pH minus and the effect is quite immediate.
with some post-effects (ie. pH continues to go down but not much).
for our local water use the minimal recommeded dosage.
better to pre-mix and let water settle before WC.
as with peat you need to have practice... (ie. fix amount of water to dosage for required change value).
there i again with the"P-word"... heehee

[bossteck]

Hi Celticfish,

Thanks for the explanation. I guess a good PH test kit / test pen is a must if you plan on fooling around with water chemistry. But I feel more confident now after hearing from you guys.

The things we do for our fishes.