Peat ?

[fishyfeet]

i have an external fluval 305, i have wanted for some time to add some peat to my tank, i have hard water and would like to soften it a little, so a few questions for the experienced,

1. what peat, does it have to be peat moss sold in pet stores, or can it garden centre peat?
2. where in the filter 4 draws do i put it, top, middle or bottom ?
3. does it need replenishing, what is the worse that can happen ?
4. does it matter how much, 50 gal tank, 20 gal tank do i use the same amount?

 

[Geoff-]

1. would not use garden centre peat as who knows what other chemicals are in it
2. put it near the end of the filter flow path. you're using it to chemically change the water not filter out particles.
3. eventually the effect will be exhausted and your pH will start to rise again. when that happens, change the peat.
4. you need more peat for a larger tank, otherwise it won't have enough of an effect to make a difference. experiment, and monitor the pH every 24 hours to see how much effect it's having and what the resulting pH is.

 

[Tolak]

1. Been using cheap garden peat for years. The more expensive peat has fertilizer, don't want or need that, though I do understand it's similar to that used in planted tanks.

2. Best place for it in the filter is where it doesn't leak out to much dust, which it will do. I've just tossed it in the tank, along with leaf litter for substrate in some situations.

3. Replenishing depends on how much you use, how big the tank is, and the effect you are trying to achieve. Worst that can happen is like anything else, kill all the fish, plug up the filter & burn up the motor, leave your tank looking like dirt was dumped in.

4. I use about half a cup in a 20 long for breeding bristlenose, gets changes about every 3-4 weeks, along with the floss in the box filter. I don't check pH, but it keeps them breeding. The effect it has depends on your water, most importantly hardness. I have a 40 gallon with cardinals, leaf litter substrate, I run RO through a large fish food can full of peat. TDS on the ro starts at about 5, is about 20 when it hits the tank after the peat, pH is just over 5. You will need to experiment with your water, peat, flow rate & so on.

 

[fishyfeet]

thankyou i will get some and give it a go, di