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As was stated in another message, Sphagnum Moss is harvested
from live plants and dried. Peat is the partially decomposed sphagnum
substrate beneath the moss in the bog.
Some folks use sphagnum on tank bottoms as cover and for
collecting eggs. I know of one killie nut who uses it instead of the
requisite nylon/acrylic yarn breeding mops. Others use it in a "natural"
setup with tons of surface plants, such as Water Sprite, so they don't bother
with collecting eggs. The fry have plenty of hiding places.
Soak the moss in an empty tank for a few days first to get it
to sink. There is often a bacteria bloom where the water turns a milky
white. You can introduce the fish after the spike. Folks use
primarily live food, such as brine shrimp and black worms, in these setup to
reduce fouling from uneaten flake or pellet food. Depending upon your
water conditions, temp, etc., the moss can last about 6 months before it starts
to decompose and should be dumped.
As others have pointed out, peat is what most folks use to
condition their water. It can be added by placing it in an old nylon
stocking, in a mechanical filtration container/cartridge, or in a corner box
filter with floss or poly-fill on top to keep it in place.
Others will use it in a separate container to condition their
change water, sort of a black water tea. Some will place a stocking full
in a plastic garbage can or similar container. One person I know
fills the bottom with loose peat and runs an air stone at the bottom to keep the
water "sweet." Otherwise the peat will continue to decompose and become
foul at the bottom. This person mixes the water with tap water to
reach his desired target pH. He also breeds annual killies and
will reach in and grab a handfull or two for the bottom of his breeding
tanks. As the supply becomes low, he starts a second can.
Both sphagnum and peat will soften the water and drop the
pH. Peat will do so faster and to a greater degree as it's
"concentrated."
Also, regarding ammonia spikes, naturally occuring ammonia
from fish respiration and waste becomes more hazardous. There's a reason
for this based on tank chemistry. The killie list had an exhaustive, and
sometimes confusing, discussion on this topic a while back ago. Here's a
link to an archived message in the middle of the thread that's
interesting.
The key, as far as I understand (and I'm not a chemist),
is that when the pH drops to 6.5 and lower, the biofilter's ability to naturaly
rid the water of harmfull ammonia ceases. But the fish keep adding to it
via respiration and waste.
The bottom line is that the lower the pH, the more often you
need to change the water in order to rid it of harmfull ammonia. This is
even more critical to fry as the damage to gills from ammonia is permanent and
will stunt or kill them off. Adult fish may recovere once the water
conditions improve and the damage is not too great.
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