Need Some Advice On Peat

[fishyfeet]

Is this a good idea, ive often thought about doing this, but never taken the plunge


Add peat fibre to one of the baskets in my external filter.


Some questions that concern me


1. Will i need to replace the filter media as some point?

2. Will the peat be messy and clog up my filter, be hard to take out completely?

3. Is it a complete waste of time and not worth the effort.


Some background, i have two tanks a 25gal, and 50 gal, both with fluval externals. In essex we have very hard water, ph about 7 ish I was thinking the peat would lower that better for bettas, and other fish but i dont want the peat to stop working after a month and the ph to rise, then add new peat and the ph lowers, i think thats worse than just leaving it alone.

anyone else get peat, ive found some for about a fiver for half a litre, is that good ?

Let me know what you think. di

 

[Honeythorn]

I don't think peat needs to be replaced too often, it isn't like carbon .

You could try putting it into a mesh bag or fine stocking ( 10 denier or fine fishnet or something like that ) and stick it in with your other media to keep it all together and stop it clogging any moving parts.

To be honest PH 7 is actually neutral. 8 or more would be considered hard but 7 is fine for bettas. They will have been acclimated to your water in the store anyway so the Peat may not actually be nessescary.

My bettas are all fine in PH 7.2 ( My water )

 

[fishyfeet]

I don't think peat needs to be replaced too often, it isn't like carbon .

You could try putting it into a mesh bag or fine stocking ( 10 denier or fine fishnet or something like that ) and stick it in with your other media to keep it all together and stop it clogging any moving parts.

To be honest PH 7 is actually neutral. 8 or more would be considered hard but 7 is fine for bettas. They will have been acclimated to your water in the store anyway so the Peat may not actually be nessescary.

My bettas are all fine in PH 7.2 ( My water )

hmmm maybe i need a rethink then, in the past ive had maybe 10 bettas, and prob the same dwarf gourmi, they are both labyrinth fish, yet they all went the same way, sluggish, not eating, hiding and then a sort of growth on the chest some got a bit swollen and they died quite slowly over many days, regardless of what i did, i keep my water good, nitrates about 50 was do have about 20 nitrites reading in tapwater and nitrites and ammonia 0, like i said ph is about 7, and stable. I thought the peat might help? di