# Peat moss in aquariums.



## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

I'm in the process of setting up my 60g planted community tank and so far I've been spending all my time cleaning my sand and driftwood, which I'm currently trying to water log.

I've been reading and sand is alright for plants to "live" in but they don't grow to their full potential without a layer of soil or some kind of nutrient substrate with the sand. I decided to have soil under my sand so I stopped what I was doing and went to find some miracle grow organic soil with no ferts or anything in it. Unfortunately everywhere is sold out and so I searched for a different soil to use without anything added, the girl at the store sold me a bag of organic soil which when I brought home I found out had fertilizers in it still! So I went back, returned it and bought some peat moss with nothing added to it. I thought I read somewhere that peat moss was fine for under sand for plants but now I'm getting completely different answers when looking it up again!

Is peat moss safe to keep in my aquarium under a layer of sand?
Will I have to some how change the peat moss every few months or so?
How do I get it prepared to put into my tank?
Other uses for peat moss in an aquarium?

And if it's a big no no what can I use or am I safe to just have sand as long as I keep up with aquarium fertilizer discs pushed into the sand near the roots? And how often would I be doing that?

Thanks so much


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## Gfish (Jan 28, 2014)

Peat moss is used in aquariums to lower ph so you may find that your ph is drastically effected when using a large amount of peat moss have you considered using a product such as Eco complete it is specifically made for use in planted tanks an will provide your plants with much of the nutrients they require 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

Yes I have considered that. Unfortunately it's quite expensive for a tiny bag of it here. Would my only problem be lowered ph? Maybe in that case I will just stick with sand alone.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

peat moss doesn't lower the pH enough to worry about
for my own tank (pH = 7.0 tap, 6.8 with peat moss in the substrate)

long term i hear peat moss will actually raise your pH, up to about 8.4

i'm a little skeptical about the pH raising that much, but it sounds realistic that it would raise the pH considering over time the tanis will be depleted, and as bacterial activity in the substrate does it's magic, nutrients are released into the water column.

with peat moss, i've heard 1", i wouldn't do more than 2" regardless what plants you are putting in (even though i've heard heavily rooting plants would prefer 3")

but when it comes to lowering pH, ... not enough to worry about.
pay attention to possible ammonia as it breaks down, i didn't experience any such spike, but it wasn't something i was going to ignore the possibility of.

Edit:
a big bale of peat moss isn't that expensive considering the size


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## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

Flear said:


> peat moss doesn't lower the pH enough to worry about
> for my own tank (pH = 7.0 tap, 6.8 with peat moss in the substrate)
> 
> long term i hear peat moss will actually raise your pH, up to about 8.4
> ...


The expense I was talking about was the Eco complete or any type of that at my LFS, I got quite a bit of peat moss, more than I need, for less than $5 from the hardware/garden store.

It's good to know it won't lower it that much so that is reassuring! I want a very natural looking tank and so tanis wouldn't be hated in my tank! I'm sure the leaves I plan on getting, and my driftwood will leach tanis into the water as well. I'm just hoping it will do my plants a bit better than just straight sand  thanks


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## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

Also do I rinse the peat moss before hand? Or just wet it? Or put it in the tank dry before covering with sand and filling with water? Thanks


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

when peat moss is used to lower pH, it is put in the filter, ... i am assuming this is the more moss like peat moss, if i'm saying that right, ... it's not been ground up, much better 

then it is removed after a time before it starts to break down, ... great time to relaese it's tanic acid, the tea colored water, etc, etc., blah, blah, blah

and now you know where the legend of peat moss lowering pH is from, ... and everyone who talks about it's dangers never once thinks "well it lowers it, but how much?"

none of my searches could identify what the pH of tanic acid is, ... so the 6.8 i gave earlier is from my own experience

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in my tank that has a bunch of the ground up peat moss, LykeOMGee, sounds like the same stuff you are dealing with, ... you have never seen tank water get so dark, ever, and that's going to be very very surprising.

if you are fine with levels being that high till plants and whatever start taking everything in, great 
otherwise water changes to prevent it from becoming excessive for too horribly long.

tanic acid, like other organic acids are still chemicals, they may be organic chemicals, but still chemicals, given time they will break down and their nutrients will be available to the plants, ... like everything else in the substrate as it breaks down.

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having the pH down to 6.8 is a good thing, the lower the pH the lower the ammonia, as it's all converted to ammonium, ... well 6.8 it isn't all converted, i think it's around 6.4-6.5 that it's all converted into the completely safe ammonium, 

ammonium is great, ... except it kills your nitrogen cycle in your tank, the nitrogen cycle needs ammonia not ammonium (strange world chemistry is huh)

(this post is going to get in trouble for being too advanced, ... sorry)

but as it isn't all ammonium, there is going to be enough to allow the nitrogen cycle to start, ... if you have an established tank, great, use media from that to give you a boost 

personally i love the foam filter blocks for HOB filters, actually i end up removing everything else and using 3 of those foam blocks, then i have loads of extra  in addition to the one i put over the intake (usually a larger block so that it will fit) ... this keeps little fish from being sucked up

but your pH is still going to be really really low, that may inhibit the nitrogen cycle some

good news is the plants love ammonium better than nitrates, so you are also helping your plants out.

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a heavily planted tank, ... like you've let it grow wild for 3-6 months at least, ... will also lower your pH, actually the plants will be sucking up minerals and nutrients out of the water column faster than they can be replaced, and so you get an equally low pH of about 6.8 as well

people talk about this being unstable, and talk about high pH being stable, ... don't believe them, ... stable is stable, that's what stable is

so long as you don't do any sudden massive pruning you are fine, the plants will keep the pH stable.

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... also from personal experience, ... if you do do massive pruning, ... this is what happened to me...

with the low pH the nitrogen cycle in the tank was inhibited.
with the sudden loss of plants, they are not sucking back nutrients like they were before, (including ammonium)

the pH climbs, ... a lack of established nitrogen cycle bacteria, ...

and i've got a pH of about ... beyond the range of the low pH test kit
i've got ammonia through the roof (as it's not being converted to safe ammonium, it stays as ammonia)
i've got dead fish all over the place, ... i lost about half my fish before i got things under control, ... and a whole bunch of additives for the tank

so do your trimings slowly, monitor your pH, ... monitor your ammonia

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as for how to add peat moss to your tank, ... this is what i did, ...

dry, about 1-2 inches, threw on a cap of basic small aquarium gravel ontop, then added water.

dry is easy as it stays where you put it, ... damp would do the same, really wet would do the same too, ... so long as it's not swiming in water so when you add your sand ontop it doesn't mix everything into the water column and you get a bunch of sand mixed in (unless this is what you are after) while the peat that was thrown up into the water settles ontop of the sand afterwards

my personal idea (when i do this again), ... lay down the peat, wet it, set the plants ontop throw on sand to cover the roots, ... works great i'm assuming for everything except rhizome plants... i think that's what anubias is (checking) ... nope, always get those confused, ... rhizome plants you can put the root base thingy under the sand, anubias despite being called a rhizome plant is not, if you treat it like one you will kill your anubias, ... Stolon, that's it, ... stolon type plants ensure you put the root base thingy above the substrate cap (in your case sand), just ensure it's ancored in place so it can sent out it's little root things into the substrate as proper 

rhizoids are another type, ... i'm actually not sure where to plants these, ... hornwort falls into this group (like algae actually), ... the "roots" these things have aren't traditional roots, but finer and primarily used for anchoring, ... i'm sure these plants will (if anchored to the substrate much like anubias) do their own thing to hold themselves in place

well that should be enough for now, ... if there are any questions, let me know


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I soak my peat moss outside an tubs for a month or so after it has sunk/waterlogged

I then rince it a couple of time during that time to help remove the fines/litter.

When I'm ready to use it I put it into tubes made from $ store panty hose.

when you have tied up your tubes rinse them well and lay them over roots of large plants
or line the tank botom with them as a base and then add your sand/media for tank bottom and plant with your plants.


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## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

mikebike said:


> I soak my peat moss outside an tubs for a month or so after it has sunk/waterlogged
> 
> I then rince it a couple of time during that time to help remove the fines/litter.
> 
> ...


Thank you for that info! I forgot to check this before I put the peat and sand in so maybe if this doesn't work I will try it that way!

As for Flear, thanks that is super informative! I read the whole thing and will probably re read it a few more times before it all settles in my brain! I decided to soak the peat moss so it was wet but not dripping and puddley. I placed about an inch of it down ontop of a small layer of sand and kept it about an inch away from the edges of aquarium so I could cap it with sand nicely without having a dark layer of peat moss showing through my sand. As I began to fill it with water I realized I should probably plant some plants first before the water got too deep. I used my huge tweezers to help push the roots into the moss underneathe and I still had a bit of mud come up into my water. I'm not worried about the little bit of dirt being around the roots though it might make it look nice still. I also have a very nice piece of arbutus that I found at the lake which I cleaned and tried my hardest to water log. Didn't water log enough so I ended up putting it into the tank and then piled wet peat moss over parts that were down and so it's under peat moss and sand which will hopefully keep it down. If not I might place a couple rocks onto it to help. I've been taking pictures on my phone so I'll try to post them once I'm all finished.

Also yes I have a tank set up already and I'm thinking of putting my filter onto my 60g just for now to get some good bacteria going. I'm also going to steal a bit of my water from that tank and do a quick water change.


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## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

Hopefully these pictures work. Took them with my phone


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## LykeOMGee (Apr 23, 2014)

Hit reply too quick haha


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