Opinions on using Peat Moss?

Cleo1668 · Member Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 53 Location: NJ

I would like to get some experienced opinions on putting peat moss in the filter to soften the water.

How much are you supposed to add? And how quickly does it take effect?
What are the down sides of using peat moss in the filter?

I have a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon long. The majority of my fish are Tetras.

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3437

What are your current readings for pH, KH and GH?

-Chelle

Cleo1668 · Member Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 53 Location: NJ

Have you ever used peat moss before?

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3437

No, I've never had a need for it. Most fish do just find in a wide variety of hardness & pH, so 9 times out of 10, it's best to just leave things alone.

-Chelle

Cleo1668 · Member Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 53 Location: NJ

Ok, thanks anyway. I was looking for opinions from people who have used it.

kc5gvn · Moderator Joined: 15 Mar 2004 Posts: 1147

I used it only one time and changed it out. It wasn't really necessary for the fish I had and made the water too dark. It does work well for a Tetra or Discus only tanks and is much less expensive than blackwater tonic. If you do decide to use it I would recommend putting it into a bag in the filter and rinsing it a couple of times to keep the water from getting too dark.

Cleo1668 · Member Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 53 Location: NJ

Thanks for your input Very Happy