Re: Peat

[Randy or Deb Carey <carey@spacestar.net>]

R. Aaron Walton wrote:

> Hi all,
>
>
> My tap water has a PH of 7.6 - 7.8, however, when I test for hardness, it shows as
> soft (the test kit I have doesn't measure it in any definable way other than Soft,
> Medium or Hard).
>

Is your water going through a household water softener?  Such a unit replaces the calcium
and magnesium ions (poly-valent with a charge of +2) with the sodium ions (mono-valent with
a charge of +1).  In many cases this makes the water seem soft:  soap lathers more, water
feels soft when taking a shower, less mineral build up in pipes, etc.  However, the same
amount of minerals remains in the water.  The test kits we use to measure hardness cannot
measure the dissolved solids of water-softened water.  Apparently the kits detect only
polyvalent ions.

The household water softener doesn't soften water in the same form we aquarist want soft
water.  I would guess you probably have buffered water which keeps the pH in the 7's, but
your tests read no hardness because the water is "water-softened."  If you don't have a
water softener, then you must have low-buffered water that is apt to drop in pH after a
short time in the tank.


> With the addition of peat, will it lower the PH and the softness? Is there a point
> where the water is too soft for Dwarfs?

I'm not sure of the chemistry, but I've seen a chart that a friend plotted when he recycled
tap water through peat for several days.  I believe the gH (general hardness) did go down,
and I know the pH certainly did.  I remember being amazed at how well the peat actually
worked.  I would think that it would help "household water-softened" water to become better
for aquarium use (with the right species).

If you have several tanks and are serious about the hobby, you should get an r/o unit.  You
can get a 10 or 20 gallons-per-day unit for about $100 through mail order.

There is a point where the water can be too soft, but this varies by species.  r/o water is
not 100% pure.  My r/o water has a conductivity of about 10 to 15.  This is very soft, but
if you look at some of Linke's books (Labyrinths and W. African Cichlids) you will see that
some waters in nature do read this low.  As a result, I have had success spawning dwarf
cichlids and other fish groups in 100% r/o water--yet I usually add something like Black
Water Extract or a small dose of Waters of the World.

- --Randy