# peatmoss to lower ph?



## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

You can buy prepackaged peat for just this purpose. Fluval makes a 



 that might be what you're looking for. There are many others.

Test you source water for pH and hardness (both types). Water can be very complexes and having an idea of what you started with will help you get to where you want to be.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Welcome to TPT!

Eh... Yes, peat will lower the pH. It depends on how much peat you use, your kH, the amount and the frequency of WC, how often you replace the peat - not that easy to control.

My personal advise: leave your water alone. The more you mess with it, the more you mess up your tank. This is the war you will not win. Stability is the key - not some magic number.

IF you have very specific needs, like breeding wild-caught Cardinals or such, using RO water, correctly, will be much cheaper and a lot more predictable.

v3


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## Piscesplunder (Jul 23, 2014)

Oky doky thanks for the feedback...


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## Piscesplunder (Jul 23, 2014)

Tested tap water , its at 8.0 right out of the faucet. So i guess 7.4 aint bad considering. ..


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

pH is not a stand alone value. You also need to test for everything else in the water, but the big one that goes along with pH is the KH. 

Here is how I handle this:

1) Set the GH to suit the fish. 
2) Make the KH match the GH, more or less. 
3) If the fish like the organic acids (black water species, mostly) then filter the water through peat moss. 
By starting with a low KH and GH the peat moss has less minerals to remove, and can affect the pH easier. 

As for how much, it will take a lot less if the water is prepared ahead of time, for example a blend of reverse osmosis and tap water will respond much better to the peat moss than pure tap water. 

For a 5 gallon tank you might prepare the water for a water change in a 5 gallon bucket, with perhaps as much as a cup of peat moss sitting in it overnight. 
Then do the water change. 

In the filter of the 5 gallon there is not much room, but you might fit a few tablespoons.

I get a large bale of peat moss from the local nursery. Pure Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss. No fertilizers, no surfactants.


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## Piscesplunder (Jul 23, 2014)

Oh ok... i will pick up a test kit for those then . Thank you all once again


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

+1
Diana knows her stuff.

My water is 8.4 from tap and, still, I've kept discus and am still growing plants with no ill effects.

v3


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