Re: Kuhli Loaches Keep Dying Suddenly
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:29 pm
Peat moss is a form of organic matter that is very fine. Fine enough to act like a sodium exchange water filter.
Not all peat moss does this (I do not know why).
I have seen reports from some fish people that when the filtered their water through peat moss both the GH and KH came down.
In my own experience it has not helped very much with reducing the GH and KH. But the pH of my tap water does go down.
Other forms of organic matter that we are discussing here include coarser materials like leaves, alder cones and wood.
With a large chunk of something, or smaller surface area, they are less likely to do much ion exchange.
All these materials can release tannic and other acids into the water. If there is not a lot of carbonates or other buffers then the pH can drop from these organic acids. But if the carbonates are high, then the pH will not drop so much.
The best thing to do is to set up a few experiments. Set up perhaps half a dozen jars of water each with a different treatment.
1) No treatment
2, 3, 4) different blends of tap water plus reverse osmosis water (or distilled)
Run this, then decide if one recipe is coming closest to what you want or can do. Then go on...
5, 6, 7...) Starting with the optimum blend of tap + RO, and add 1 of the organic materials to each container. Since we are talking about a small container (perhaps half a liter to a liter, or a pint to a quart) I would not try to set up a pump to circulate the water. I would just swirl the water around every time I walked by.
If you think you are getting somewhere, but want to refine it, then go further with the set up, larger volume of water, carefully measure whatever you are adding and so on. You probably do not need to, though. Once you have a recipe for the water, and how to treat it, just go for it.
You do not need anything complex at all to 'filter the water through peat moss'.
I have done it in a couple of VERY simple ways:
Simplest: Put the peat moss in the water loose. Stir it every time I walk past. Filter out the peat moss when it is time to use the water. (Fine sponge over the intake of the pump or siphon)
Almost as simple, and the way I do it most: Put the peat moss into a knee-hi stocking. (for a garbage can with 20-40 gallons of water). Run a fountain pump in the water set up with the water rising from the bottom of the can, hitting the surface and circulating back down. I used to set it up a bit more complex by attaching a bit of vinyl tubing to the outlet of the pump and use a rubber band to make it flow through the stocking. I gave up on this when the results were no better than with the stocking of peat moss drifting loose in the can.
More complex: Set up a canister filter with peat moss and any other media you want. Run this on the garbage can of water. For a 5 gallon bucket a hang on back filter would be fine. The Aquaclear product line has a large chamber for whatever kind of media you want.
Not all peat moss does this (I do not know why).
I have seen reports from some fish people that when the filtered their water through peat moss both the GH and KH came down.
In my own experience it has not helped very much with reducing the GH and KH. But the pH of my tap water does go down.
Other forms of organic matter that we are discussing here include coarser materials like leaves, alder cones and wood.
With a large chunk of something, or smaller surface area, they are less likely to do much ion exchange.
All these materials can release tannic and other acids into the water. If there is not a lot of carbonates or other buffers then the pH can drop from these organic acids. But if the carbonates are high, then the pH will not drop so much.
The best thing to do is to set up a few experiments. Set up perhaps half a dozen jars of water each with a different treatment.
1) No treatment
2, 3, 4) different blends of tap water plus reverse osmosis water (or distilled)
Run this, then decide if one recipe is coming closest to what you want or can do. Then go on...
5, 6, 7...) Starting with the optimum blend of tap + RO, and add 1 of the organic materials to each container. Since we are talking about a small container (perhaps half a liter to a liter, or a pint to a quart) I would not try to set up a pump to circulate the water. I would just swirl the water around every time I walked by.
If you think you are getting somewhere, but want to refine it, then go further with the set up, larger volume of water, carefully measure whatever you are adding and so on. You probably do not need to, though. Once you have a recipe for the water, and how to treat it, just go for it.
You do not need anything complex at all to 'filter the water through peat moss'.
I have done it in a couple of VERY simple ways:
Simplest: Put the peat moss in the water loose. Stir it every time I walk past. Filter out the peat moss when it is time to use the water. (Fine sponge over the intake of the pump or siphon)
Almost as simple, and the way I do it most: Put the peat moss into a knee-hi stocking. (for a garbage can with 20-40 gallons of water). Run a fountain pump in the water set up with the water rising from the bottom of the can, hitting the surface and circulating back down. I used to set it up a bit more complex by attaching a bit of vinyl tubing to the outlet of the pump and use a rubber band to make it flow through the stocking. I gave up on this when the results were no better than with the stocking of peat moss drifting loose in the can.
More complex: Set up a canister filter with peat moss and any other media you want. Run this on the garbage can of water. For a 5 gallon bucket a hang on back filter would be fine. The Aquaclear product line has a large chamber for whatever kind of media you want.