[niko]

This can't get much simpler:

http://www.marksfish.me.uk/index.php/Tips/Peat-Filtering.html

I boiled peat last night and poured it in my 55 gal. tank. Overnight the pH dropped from 7.2 to 6.8. I added only about 2 quarts of the boiled and squeezed damp peat. The water in the tank is 50% tap and 50% RO so TDS should be pretty low. I'm expecting to receive some rare otocinclus and I'm VERY happy that I don't have to use muriatic acid to adjust the pH.

One reason about being excited about the old school peat filtration is that I may find a way to keep chocolate gouramies alive. If you have seen this fish live you will understand my hope and excitement.

--Nikolay

 

[niko]

Commodore,

The peat I put in my 55 gal tanks just sank to the bottom right away. It made a mess for about 1 hour - small particles floating everywhere. Then everything settled and the water stayed the color of weak tea.

I changed about 30% of the water in one of the tanks using tap water that is 7.2-7.4. The pH in the tank is 7.0 now. I guess I didn't use a lot of peat (remember - only about 2 quarts). I consider that to be a good thing - I was worried that the peat will "keep on giving" and I'll have trouble limiting the dropping pH.

The bucket peat filtering certainly is easy but it's also true ghetto. I think that I will use a big Otto canister filter I have (just a big volume canister filter) and put the peat in a mesh bag so it doesn't flow out of the canister. I'm not sure about the flow of water through the peat wrapped in mesh, but I don't want the ugly bucket contraption in my back yard.

Also - another bright idea. Fill the canister with AquaSoil instead of peat. I've been doing some emersed HC growing in the last 2 years or so and the water that goes through AquaSoil has a constant pH of 5.5. The AquaSoil will be easier to contain than the peat. But I wonder how long it will last and if it will affect the water's pH as fast as the fresh peat did.

--Nikolay