Peat - Who Uses It?

zackcrack00

Members
So I finally ordered some peat off eBay last week and it came today. Being the person I am and not thinking ahead, I don't know what I should put it in when I want to put it in my AC50. Pantyhose? These are pellets the size of about a pea and 1/2 a pea. A picture with a coin is below. Thanks guys!


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chriscoli

Administrator
I used to use pantyhose and put it into my canister filters. You can also get reusable mesh bags for it. I've also put it into little air driven corner box filters with a layer of filter fluff around it to keep it from making too much of a mess.
 

festaedan

potamotrygon fan
This is for my Wild Caught P. signatus so I want it to be perfect. :)


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Sweet! Do you know if there is anywhere other than ebay that sells it? I think this would be very helpful to get my apistogramma oregon pair to spawn and my nanacara aurocephalus to spawn again but I dont have an ebay account.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
Kensfish sells it. Just search for "peat". They have three different manufacturers products available for under $10.
 

JLW

CCA Members
Peat moss has essentially the same effect as the addition of any number of plant leaves, including Indian Almond, Oak, Beech, etc. However, the peat moss we purchase is typically the result of the incredibly slow decay of a rather slow growing plant (live Sphagnum and peat mosses), and essential to the health of bogs and other wetlands. Removing it from these environments can have long term impacts on the bog, and is often done in a non sustainable way.

It takes hundreds, even thousands, of years for live spaghnum moss to slowly slip down low enough to start to become "peat," and it also a huge trap for carbon. Letting it decompose in a fish tank (or garden) is not so different than burning coal. In order to harvest this, the bog is also typically drained, which is not good.

So, consider whether you want to use peat, or oak leaves, alder cones, and such.
 

JLW

CCA Members
Peat moss has essentially the same effect as the addition of any number of plant leaves, including Indian Almond, Oak, Beech, etc. However, the peat moss we purchase is typically the result of the incredibly slow decay of a rather slow growing plant (live Sphagnum and peat mosses), and essential to the health of bogs and other wetlands. Removing it from these environments can have long term impacts on the bog, and is often done in a non sustainable way.

It takes hundreds, even thousands, of years for live spaghnum moss to slowly slip down low enough to start to become "peat," and it also a huge trap for carbon. Letting it decompose in a fish tank (or garden) is not so different than burning coal. In order to harvest this, the bog is also typically drained, which is not good.

So, consider whether you want to use peat, or oak leaves, alder cones, and such.
 

ddavila06

Members
Peat moss has essentially the same effect as the addition of any number of plant leaves, including Indian Almond, Oak, Beech, etc. However, the peat moss we purchase is typically the result of the incredibly slow decay of a rather slow growing plant (live Sphagnum and peat mosses), and essential to the health of bogs and other wetlands. Removing it from these environments can have long term impacts on the bog, and is often done in a non sustainable way.

It takes hundreds, even thousands, of years for live spaghnum moss to slowly slip down low enough to start to become "peat," and it also a huge trap for carbon. Letting it decompose in a fish tank (or garden) is not so different than burning coal. In order to harvest this, the bog is also typically drained, which is not good.

So, consider whether you want to use peat, or oak leaves, alder cones, and such.

wow, so the peat moss we buy at the home depot is that? ****....
I was going to say, adding peat is a lot of work and annoying long term. i gave up, i let the water be whatever it wants to be and since its not suitable for my apistos to have their babies in i am letting them be pretty and moving along to something else .
 

JLW

CCA Members
That's all peat moss. They drain a bog down, rip the living layer off, collect the sediment that has slowly been compressing in anaerobic conditions for the past 500+ years, and move on. Definitely sad.
 

mchambers

Former CCA member
Another alternative

Peat moss has essentially the same effect as the addition of any number of plant leaves, including Indian Almond, Oak, Beech, etc. However, the peat moss we purchase is typically the result of the incredibly slow decay of a rather slow growing plant (live Sphagnum and peat mosses), and essential to the health of bogs and other wetlands. Removing it from these environments can have long term impacts on the bog, and is often done in a non sustainable way.

It takes hundreds, even thousands, of years for live spaghnum moss to slowly slip down low enough to start to become "peat," and it also a huge trap for carbon. Letting it decompose in a fish tank (or garden) is not so different than burning coal. In order to harvest this, the bog is also typically drained, which is not good.

So, consider whether you want to use peat, or oak leaves, alder cones, and such.

I just got some Rooibos tea last weekend and am using in a few of my tanks. It doesn't lower the pH, but it does darken the water and add some antifungal and antibacterial agents. Some of my corydoras started spawning a few hours after I added the tea. It probably was a complete coincidence, but you never know.

You might consider it instead of peat, unless you're primarily concerned with pH.

Here's a thread on it at another forum.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=40948&p=278580&hilit=rooibos#p278580
 

zackcrack00

Members
I am definitely concerned with ph. 7.8-8.2 from tap. We have a water softener and our water is still hard, too. These are honestly the only reasons I need the peat. I've tried acid buffer but it won't work for me.
 

b considine

a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude
Darn you Matt, and your spawning cories. Mine just tease...

I'm going to try rooibos after Catcon (buying it from the thread Matt linked to).

Zack--Christine has it right. Just add your pellets to a piece of old pantyhose or a mesh bag (readily available at Petco/smart/LFS) and place it in your filter. But once that's used up, switch to the free supply of leaves found in your backyard. I use oak and sycamore. Also, almond leaves and alder cones (via Rachel). Your fish won't know the difference and you'll save money (and a bog).

Blaise
 

Becca

Members
mesh bag or pantyhose. I actually just drop the pellets in my tanks. They sink eventually and become part of the substrate... I'm lazy though - and I'm running sponge filters...
 

Becca

Members
I am definitely concerned with ph. 7.8-8.2 from tap. We have a water softener and our water is still hard, too. These are honestly the only reasons I need the peat. I've tried acid buffer but it won't work for me.

Collect rain water.
 
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