Peat in a Jiffy

[timebomb]

Hi, everyone,

A couple of weeks ago, Selena brought me to a supermarket (no, she didn't hold my hand )where she recommended that I buy this brand of peat for use to collect our Killifish eggs. Here it is:


The peat is compressed and wrapped with a piece of netting. They look like carrom seeds. This is one pellet:


To use, soak in a tub with luke-warm water:


After a few minutes, the peat soaks up the water and the pellet expands:


Throw away the wrapping and pour the contents into a breeding bowl:


The peat sinks readily. I can't remember how much I paid for it but it's definitely more expensive than cocopeat or Horti peat moss. The former is in short supply these days and the latter isn't as good for incubating eggs. So Jiffy Peat is a good alternative.

Many thanks to Selena for sharing a great idea.

Loh K L

[keehoe]

It is very good for some choosy killie (simp. class in particular) that prefer softer peat. I think many AKA member have been using this but i still prefer coco-peat as it doesn't mess up the tank so much.

Jiffy is very fine spaghnum peat. So your eggs also don't get much fungus.
Best aclimatise in the breeding tank separately and used only as incubation media. Spawning media..... how about spawning mop? Or fine sand?

Beside coco-peat. I also use Spaghnum peat (besides jiffy). 6 dollar for a 5KG bag. Still anti-fungus. But heavier. I like to mix Spaghnum and coco peat together.

Coco-floss also good as incubation media.

I think the word "best" depends on condition. Coco-floss maybe good for Rivulus for example. But not for Simp.Magnificus.

[whuntley]

I detest coco peat, which is sold here as compressed bricks. It is, IMHO, nearly useless for killies, as it is not really coir (as on the label) but mostly ground up coconut shells. they are far too sharp, hard and harsh for good egg-storage medium, I think. It is as worthless as silica sand, in that regard. Moisture retention is also not that great compared to peat.

Perhaps what you can get is different. I know several US (and one SA) breeders who use it, but the results I have gotten from their eggs are pitiful, too. They seem to think it is wonderful, but that's pretty typical of killifolk. No?

The instructions given above for the Jiffy pellets, which I use almost exclusively, leave out some essential steps. Peat acids can burn seedlings, so the pellets always contain a stiff dose of plant lime to buffer pH high. [It isn't listed on the package, but they admit it if you are persistent.]

I peel off the mesh and put the pellet in a microwaveable measuring cup in 1.5 - 2 cups of water. I microwave that just to a boil, and then pour the mess through a regular fish net, rinsing well under the cold faucet. That washes out a lot of fines, and really stabilizes things chemically by removing most of the lime. In harder water, the pH will now remain fairly stable, but in soft (i.e., unbuffered) water the residual humins will gradually cause the pH to drift lower, but not enough to actually cause the infamous "pH crash."

Boiling also drives all air out of the fibers, so the whole remaining wad of peat sinks quickly. Last, but not least, you are starting with egg-spawning stuff that is essentially sterile. It stays that way because of the powerful anti-bacterial properties of sphagnum peat moss. I think coir has some, but maybe not as powerful.

Just my US$0.015. [Two cents, inflation adjusted.]

If they seem too pricey, they are sold in bulk through US seed catalogs. You can order a box of 1000 pellets from Burpees o/e and they are really quite cheap, I think. I have not ordered any for a long time, as I have a good supply (they keep forever), so the price could have gone up and you will have shipping that I don't. Do a web search and a group buy, like for the breather bags that it looks like Kordon is going to discontinue. :-(

Wright

[whuntley]

It is very good for some choosy killie (simp. class in particular) that prefer softer peat. I think many AKA member have been using this but i still prefer coco-peat as it doesn't mess up the tank so much.

Boiling and rinsing the Jiffy pellets in a fishnet takes out the nuisance fines, so it doesn't mess up the tank any more than coco peat, IME.

Wright

[keehoe]

Wright, i know what you mean. I had talk to a few agricultural shop and what they are offering is crashed coconut shell and you have the option of buying the floss and blend it yourself. But thats not what i am talking about ^^. Thats the reason why it is kind of hard to find.

Not retaining too much moisture might be a good thing. Less moisture, more oxygen is what some of the surface spawner needs.

Another advantage is, eggs can be found easier in coco-peat than the fine spaghnum peat.