Re: Black Water Extracts, Peat, et al

[IDMiamiBob <IDMiamiBob@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-01-22 04:26:47 EST, Brian writes:

<< I primarily keep East African rift lake cichlids.  My tap water is
 perfect for such, being Malawi out of the tap (ph about 7.8, both GH
 and KH high enough not to bother mentioning).  I'd like to keep some
 Apistos or West African dwarves, and I'm interested in the
 testimonials of those who have used the various black water extracts
 with water similar to mine.  First, is using such a product feasible
 with water such as mine?  If so, is one of the products significantly
 better than the others?  Is there anyone who has gone from black water
 extracts to using 'peat tea' (boiled peat water) and found that it is
 more useful or as useful? >>

I have found that the best black water tonic IMHO for softening water is
Mardel's Tank Soft.  It will lower pH some, but I also use pH DOWN, The one
from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, as it contains no phosphates.  The other one by
the same name I have heard uses phophoric acid, which will encourage algae
growth.  My apistos do well in water treated this way.

Bob Dixon