# Where to find peat moss/peat pellets?



## Andrew M. (Aug 28, 2012)

I need to lower the pH for gbrs. My pH is 7.6 in the tank and the tap is about 6.8 but something in my tank is buffering it (I believe it may be something in my substrate but I dont want to stir it up). I want to use peat moss but dont know where to find it. I know eheim has filter peat but I dont know which store carries it in Vancouver.


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## Algae Beater (Apr 21, 2010)

Fluval also makes it, the pellets that is.


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

You can get peat moss in any garden supply centre. You would have to put it in a bag to use in your filter because it is loose fibers.. Be sure to get 100% peat moss without any fertilizers added. Very likely the reason the tap water rises from 6.8 to 7.6 in the tank is that there may be CO2 dissolved in the tap water which is released in the tank. The CO2 acidifies the water and it rises to its true pH once the gas is gone . I have that with my well water here .


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## Andrew M. (Aug 28, 2012)

Thats good info. Another question, how long does it take for peat moss to lose its acidifying properties? I don't want my fish to go into shock when that happens without my knowledge. Also, say I add enough peat to get the tank water down to 6.8 which is the initial pH of tap water. When I do water changes with the tap water that is 6.8 "initially", will the pH in the tank remain the same or will it fluctuate knowing that the added tap water will become more basic later? I hope that makes sense..


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

The fluctuation in pH will depend on how much water you change. It will initially drop a little with the fresh water and then rise again as the CO2 dissipates. The peat doesn't cause a huge change in pH except possibly when first put in .. It will also give the water a brownish tint from the tannins in the peat that are largely responsible for the acidification. I can't give you a time frame for the peat to remain effective. There are just to many variables.. The mineral content of the water , and the initial tannin content of the peat both influence that. Unless there is a source of alkaline buffer in the tank, the water naturally naturally moves toward the acid side of the pH scale too from the fish and plant metabolism.. Water changes have a lot of influence on the effects of the metabo0lism in the tank. That's the main purpose of a water change.. To reduce the water chemistry changes brought about by the metabolism of the inhabitants and the dissolution of the substrate , and evaporation of the tank water.
There is no simple formula that says add so much of this or change water so often to achieve the goals you want . .There are just too many variables . The only way to know is to follow a routine and do tests to learn just what you need to meet your requirements


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## Andrew M. (Aug 28, 2012)

Alright, I guess it'll just be a lot of trial and error. But I'm sure fish won't get shocked by slight pH fluctuations right.


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

A slight (about a 0.2) change in pH is what most sources recommend over a day is completely tolerable when raising or lowering the tank pH. Most fish will tolerate more than that if it is an occasional change, but remember pH is a logarithmic scale , so a change of one whole number is a change 10 x acidic or alkaline than the previous number..
Most tanks will have a natural pH change from morning to night, but it will be very low; fluctuation not much more than a 0.1 to 0.2 maximum unless the tank is being dosed with CO2 or it has a heavy bio load.


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