Amazon theme with peat moss?

[JMurphy97]

I'm trying to find out what plants I can get besides the amazon sword. Any suggestions? And to get the nice color and soft water would using peat as a substrate work? I know it would be like mud but it should make the water soft. Maybe it's a bad idea.

 

[wmgorum]

if you use peat, your water is going to turn a tea-color brown from the release of tannins... it's not very attractive IMHO. I had a similar issue when I put driftwood into my discus tank... it took it weeks for all the tannins to leach out of the wood and the water to clear up.

 

[spdskr]

Peat will soften your water and also turn it tea colored. Creating an Amazon "blackwater" ecosystem with plants may be somewhat difficult as blackwater streams and rivers in the Amazon typically have few true aquatic plants. The pH of these streams can be very acidic (< 5.0) and the substrate is often composed of sand and decomposing tree leaves (hence the tannins and tea colored, acidic water). Other amazon streams are "white" water that lack the acidity and tannis. Aquatic and marginal plants are often present in these later systems.

If you plan to house various species of tetras, discus, dwarf cichlids, and the like and do not have access to RO water, placing a bag of processed peat in a canister filter can help condition your water. For lower light levels, try various sword plants, vallisneria and saggiteria as these species are either semi-aquatics or true aquatics native to the western hemisphere.

I would stay away from peat as a substrate if you plan to have larger fish in the tank as things will get messy. I use a thin layer or peat under my substrate in my planted tanks, but it is more for the plants roots than a water conditioner.

Sorry for the long post. Best of luck with the new setup.

Duane

 

[JMurphy97]

Peat will soften your water and also turn it tea colored. Creating an Amazon "blackwater" ecosystem with plants may be somewhat difficult as blackwater streams and rivers in the Amazon typically have few true aquatic plants. The pH of these streams can be very acidic (< 5.0) and the substrate is often composed of sand and decomposing tree leaves (hence the tannins and tea colored, acidic water). Other amazon streams are "white" water that lack the acidity and tannis. Aquatic and marginal plants are often present in these later systems.

If you plan to house various species of tetras, discus, dwarf cichlids, and the like and do not have access to RO water, placing a bag of processed peat in a canister filter can help condition your water. For lower light levels, try various sword plants, vallisneria and saggiteria as these species are either semi-aquatics or true aquatics native to the western hemisphere.

I would stay away from peat as a substrate if you plan to have larger fish in the tank as things will get messy. I use a thin layer or peat under my substrate in my planted tanks, but it is more for the plants roots than a water conditioner.

Sorry for the long post. Best of luck with the new setup.

Duane

Thanks for the reply. I actually want the tan color with swords and vals. Along with some driftwood that is water logged, and some that is going to be actually floating. I have a mesh bag that I filled with peat that is soaking now so it can go into the filter. My own question is will the carban in the filter pad take out the tannis?

 

[spdskr]

Activated carbon when fresh will remove the tannins but this will only last for a couple of weeks until the carbon becomes used up. Soak the peat for a few days before adding it to the filter and this will cut down on the tannins. You may find the driftwood will produce more tannis than the peat, so give it a good soaking also.

 

[Clint]

Use Purigen.

 

[JMurphy97]

What will the Purigen do? What about not using carbon? Once it starts to not take it out then I have to change the pad and then I will lose the color.

 

[Clint]

It's probably going to be pretty dark at first. Darker than you'd like.

You could always just use extract you can buy at the store. A peat substrate seems like it'll be messy.

You don't have to use anything if you just like really dark water. Carbon will interfere with any fertilizing you do, anyway.

 

[JMurphy97]

Well I'm just gonna put a couple sprinkles in the gravel that is going to be mixed with some laterite. In the filter I'm cutting the pad to take the carbon out, then puttin some peat in and sealing it back up and that should be good to go. Throw a powerhead on, add some swords and vals, driftwood and there you go. The blackwater extract does not stay in that long anyways. I think the carbon takes it out.

 

[DavyJones]

I never look this far down on the forum, but, I have interesting info to share. I've been keeping a tank with tetras in it for years and years now. I was at the petstore just the other day, and found a bottle of stuff from TetraAqua called, "Blackwater Extract." I talked to some people, looked online, etc., and then bought it and used it just today. From the bottle...

"Blackwater Extract contains trace elements, vitamins, and valuable extract of peat. It creates an environment similar to parts of the Amazon River and other natural, blackwater biotopes. Blackwater Extract promotes fish activity levels. When added to the aquarium, a light yellow color will appear. blackwater Extract is an excellent conditioner for all soft water fishes included: discus, angelfish, tetras, and killifish."

Ingredients: Vitamins B2, B6, B12, Nicotinic Amide, Panthenol, Biotin, and Peat Extract.

Supposedly this will soften the water a bit, and will imitate natural blackwater conditions without all the dirty hassle.

Seeing as I only added it today, I can't attest to any long term effects, BUT! I will say it did make the water become tinted light yellow/brown. I have not seen any immediate adverse effects to the fish, and really like the color the water has taken on. Hope you get this before you start making huge expensive decisions. This might save you some time/money/trouble!

 

[JMurphy97]

I've used it and it looks good but I'm pretty sure that the carban hook it out of the water in just a couple days. So all I really did was went to walmart and got some padding and rubber bands, cut my filter pad up, filled it with peat moss, covered it and now I have it running. I figure if it works I don't need to keep buying filter pads and the blackwater extract.

 

[DavyJones]

Please let us know if it works, or if it just makes your water dirty.

 

[JMurphy97]

Well it's been about three days and the water has gotten a nice tanish color to it. So far I'm happy with it.

 

[DavyJones]

What kind of peat moss did you use in your filter media? Is there a special kind for use in aquariums, or did you just use stuff from the garden center?

 

[JMurphy97]

I just used the same stuff that you get from the garden center.