using peat as water softener, refill

[five]

I am currently maintaining another tank using Sera black peat to soften the water. It can reach as low as ph4. The purpose is to use part of the water as refill when changing water for my apisto tank.

But I realised that the holding tank for the peat water, the NO3 level is very high.

Anyone uses this method as mine? How do you lower the NO3 level in these 'refill' water prior to adding to your apisto tank?

Thanks!

 

[STOKER]

peat as water softener, refill

If you use this link about water parameters it may help you.
NO3 is nitrate so your tank must have cycled. You will have to reduce the pollution (nitrate} , do a water change in fact I would not use this at the moment untill the NO3 reduces to less than 40ppm.


http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html

 

[Griz]

Just how how high is the nitrate?
If your holding tank has no fish(?) the nitrate must be coming from somewhere; either your tap water or the peat. What is the nitrate level out of the tap?

 

[five]

Just how how high is the nitrate?
If your holding tank has no fish(?) the nitrate must be coming from somewhere; either your tap water or the peat. What is the nitrate level out of the tap?

The nitrate is coming from the peat, definitely. No fish in it.

It's actually a week since the peat is in it.

Now I am thinking if I replace all the water in the tank totally with fresh tap water, will the nitrate be as high after a while.

Is there other ways to rid the peat of it's nitrate causing element?

 

[five]

btw, I'm using Tetra test kit and it shows deep red colour, which means the NO3 should be from at least 50ppm to 100ppm.

 

[STOKER]

Hi


The peat that you are using is too fresh you must boil and discard the water until the water runs almost clear . May need to boil 5 or six times change the water each time if you do it this way the nitrate will drop . after you fill the top-up tank bubble air through it this also helps to reduce the nitrate.


Mike

 

[STOKER]

Try this link

http://www.killi.net/articles/by_Author/Scheel/1959/Letter_No_20/

An article by J J SCHEEL the father of killifish , it`s about peat preperation but the principles still apply


Mike

 

[fishgeek]

any idea why the article suggests that peat contains antibiotics , that bit made me dubious asto the factual content

andrew
always very cynical

 

[STOKER]

Sorry can`t help there , but have used peat to prepare water like this for years,except that I use peat blocks not peat moss but the result is the same.
The only difference is that I collect rainwater direct into a water-butt(plenty of that in Scotland :biggrin: ) with the peat blocks in it.
THere is another thread on the forum about INDIAN ALMOND LEAVES that has a referance to an academic paper that also mentions the anti-biotics that they contain.

Mike

 

[five]

Hi


The peat that you are using is too fresh you must boil and discard the water until the water runs almost clear . May need to boil 5 or six times change the water each time if you do it this way the nitrate will drop . after you fill the top-up tank bubble air through it this also helps to reduce the nitrate.


Mike

Thanks Mike. Meaning to say if we boil the peat afew times, it will clear the peat. But will it's 'potency' remains in bringing down the ph of water?

Also, I read somewhere that boiling will remove some good stuff, natural element, of the peat which is good for inducing breeding. I'm wondering how true is it. Got any idea on this claim?

 

[fishgeek]

straight peat and water should not liberate nitrate

are you sure that the tannins and other pigments in the water are not affecting the colour change you are trying to read?

andrew

 

[STOKER]

Thanks Mike. Meaning to say if we boil the peat afew times, it will clear the peat. But will it's 'potency' remains in bringing down the ph of water?

Also, I read somewhere that boiling will remove some good stuff, natural element, of the peat which is good for inducing breeding. I'm wondering how true is it. Got any idea on this claim?

Hi Five

Boiling the peat as far as I know only reduces the TANNIN in it so the water is not so dark.
Have kept and bred killiefish for about 30 years and can`t remember the last time I changed the peat that I use.
The only difference is that I use peat blocks instead of peat moss , have used the same blocks for about 20 years ,came from a peat bog in the north of scotland and are used for fuel. As the blocks over time have crumbled and broken up slightly that`s the peat I use for breeding Killies .Water still has a pale tinge about it and the fish still spawn so must still work < ph at the moment is 6 and has been for years,had to do a pH test to confirm that,use it to spawn annuals only find out if it`s wrong months later when the peat is wetted to get a hatch. But the recommended way of preparing peat moss is to boil it first , read the link that I posted ,it should explain how it works. It claims that there are anti-biotics in the peat which are still active after boiling it`s strange stuff but has been used for years by killie keepers , not only to breed fish but also to reduce pH.

Mike

 

[five]

Thanks guys for the advice.

I got the peat moss and I placed it in a 1ftcube tank with filter running.

Initially, I am using straight tap water and the PH it gives after a few days of running is PH4. Then just 2 days back, I got a DI and the output water is about 22microsiemens (By right the resin need to be changed at this range). I replace all the water in the cude tank with DI water. Today I checked the PH. Funny is, the PH is higher, about PH4.8, then formally when I use straight tap water.

I thought the water from DI should should gives lower PH. Hmm....

 

[five]

Oh another thing is, the TDS readings have dropped from the original (with tap water) of about 100plus microsiemens, to now 33 microsiemens, even though the PH has risen.

 

[lab]

The pH has surely not risen. It is not the same water anymore:wink:

Obviously you have tap water very low on bicarbonate (KH). Otherwise it would be impossible to lower the pH as much as you did. Did you reuse the peat from the first time? Then it has just lost some of its effectiveness. Try to add some more fresh peat.

Anyway, it's hard to get pH much below 4 with the peat I use. It sholdn't be necessary to lower it anymore(?)

 

[five]

ok guys, sorry for the mistake. It's the PH meter inaccuracy. I have just calibrated the meter and it gives reading of PH3.8. Wow, right, a cool 3.8 with DI water. Great.

I will be mixing these water with some parts of tap water for my water change.

I will also try to come up with a table, telling how many parts of peat-treated water with a specific PH should be mixed with tap water to produce water with a specific PH for water change. Need some trial and error on these. It won't be very accurate, but hope at least it can provide a guage as to how much tap water to add. I just wanted to maintain the water at the same PH as that in the tank.

You guys think this will works? Or is it necessary in the first place.

 

[koty]

The Scheel letter on peat is weird and that is an understatement...(antibiotics and hormones in peat ?????? )

The nitrate you find might simply be a result of decomposition of the peat. After all its a high carbon source with many other goodies. Given enough time and a bit of oxygen bacteria will readily use it.

if you wash the peat it will loose its capacity to benefit the fish. Think of making an extract to add to the water:
Also the commercial peat granules are way too expensive. Simple pure peat with low pH is highly recomended

go through this thread for some ideas on using peat:
http://forum.apistogramma.com/showthread.php?t=5547

 

[STOKER]

The Scheel letter on peat is weird and that is an understatement...(antibiotics and hormones in peat ?????? )

Hi Koty i suggest that you raed this link
http://www.actahort.org/books/678/678_25.htm with your comments about the antibiotic properties of peat.
As to the point on hormones that I find a strange statment but at the moment there a some biochemists looking into this effect

Mike

 

[five]

Hey Mike, interesting link. But too bad, we got to subscribe to get the full text.

 

[STOKER]

Hi Five

You can get hold of the full text if you know someone in the trade , it`s a bit deep and takes a few reads to make sense , but one of the conclusions are that there seem to be anti-biotic properties in the substance.

Mike