Re: peat and soft water

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

IDMiamiBob@aol.com wrote:

> I am curious about the color.  I'm sure it is pretty dark.  Anyone know
> whether adding a box filter full of carbon to clear it up would have a
> negative affect on this now wonderfully soft, acidic outcome?

I was told that carbon will remove the brown (at least much of it).  I haven't
tried it (yet).  Still, the dark brown organics in water simulates the black
water from which many of our soft water fishes come.

> I suspect the pH would eventually reach somewhere between 4 and 5.  This may
> sound low, but I've heard of Apistos being found at that level in the wild,
> and also that some of the tetras that occur with them in the wild won't spawn
> at any pH higher than 5.

Its true that a pH as low as upper 3's can be tolerated by many fishes.  However,
almost always it is the Apistos that show stress before the tetras when the pH
drops below 5.  So I wouldn't try to go below 5 on Apisto's.

As for how low the pH can drop, I suspect a combination of several things are
involved:  starting pH, amount of dH and of kH, (more?).  I suspect that once the
hardeness is removed, the peat will have a hard time unloading hydrogen ions into
the water.  My friend's experiment supports this theory:  the pH approached a
certain level, but did not exceed it.  In his case the level was 5.7.

- --Randy