I wrote this article in 2004. At the time I couldn't afford to buy or run a reverse osmosis unit, so was looking for ways to soften water to keep discus. A simple, yet effective way to lower your pH and hardness.
Aquarium water chemistry can be one of the most frustrating aspects of fishkeeping. If you decide to adjust the water chemistry to suit the particular fish you keep, there is a cheap and highly successful method of producing large amounts of soft and acid water. Filter it over peat!!! Remember all water chemistry adjustment should be carried out away from the aquarium, hence the method detailed below. This is a simple and cheap method which should cost you less than a tenner and will produce thousands of gallons of peat filtered aquarium water. You will need:
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| Filter Floss | Clean, new bucket | Peat moss |
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What a waste of a good bucket, still it is all for the good of your aquarium fish. The bucket must be new and thoroughly rinsed. A hole needs to be drilled in the bottom, about 8- 10mm should be sufficient. |
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Filter floss should now be placed on the bottom of your bucket. Make sure it is a good layer, about 2- 3" thick. Remember, this will compact under the weight of the peat and the water. Make sure you give it a good rinse, preferably in hot water prior to use, this should help to rinse off any nasties. |
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You should now fill your bucket with peat until it is about 3/4 full. Try to compact it down a bit and then add a little more. At this time you should fill a watering can or similar with hot water. Pour this over the peat and allow it to drain (onto the garden, down the drain). Once this has been done you are able to start filtering water for your aquarium. |
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Find yourself a suitable receptacle to suspend your peat filter over, I choose a water butt as it will hold 40 gallons. You are now ready to pour water over the peat and allow it to drain into your water butt. Depending on the size of the hole, you can reckon on about 12 gallons per hour. If you can adjust your hose to run slow enough, this is preferable to walking back and forth with a watering can. A bucket of peat this size should filter about 200 gallons of tap water, depending on your individual water supply. |
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Water comes out of the tap at a pH of 8.3 and with a carbonate hardness of 13, enough to stand a spoon in!! After filtering, the results are pH 5 and KH 3, quite a difference huh? As with reverse osmosis and other purification devices, it is necessary to rebuild your water to the required consistency using plain tap water. You will find that the filtered water is a "teas stained" colour. This is the tanins from the peat and is quite natural. Some people like me like the look (it is an acquired taste I grant you) as it makes the fish enhance their colouration. For those that don't like the look, a little bit of carbon run in the filter will soon clear it up.
TestimonialsThere are a few people who have tried the peat filtering method, comments are shown below from some who have contacted me regarding their experiences: Hi Mark, Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by ------------------------------------------------------ |