Peat Moss/GH/KH/Total Dissolved Solids

[Wulfy]

I dont understand Wetman.
Im not having a go at you or doubting your experise, I just seek better understanding what you said.

What do you mean if Pottasium was a problem as it often is?

I thought you did not WANT potassium in your water because it feeds algea (which are tiny plants, which confirms what you say about plants using it up).

Can you please explain about why you would want
Potassium in your tank and why using it as a substitute
resin recharger for NaCl is a preferred way of inserting it
into the biosphere?

 

[RTR]

This is certainly NOT a newbie discussion. Very few experienced aquarists really understand what is going on here.

Softwater fish are not really low-pH fish - low pH is a symptom of low buffering capacity plus some significant tannins or related acidic organics in the water. They are really a specific form of low TDS fish, or low-conductivity fish, but folks are confused enough by pH, TDS is over the top fo them. The fish themselves usually adapt well to harder, higher pH water. Egg memberanes do not adapt well. To breed the fish you need to match their source water to greater or lesser degree.

The salt-exchange resisns are a consequence of good marketing taking advantage of naive fishkeepers. The water after use may be "softer" by aquarium kits, but the TDS is higher - as Wulfy's example shows so well - GH is a smoke screen for most tanks and most fish. KH is carbonate puffering and important, pH shows how well your buffer is holding. Post-exchange resin water is more different that tap from the fish's native water, not closer to it.

Wetman's technique for KCL rather than NaCl will result in the same post-resin TDS, BUT, plants eat lots of K. Planted tanks need to have K added. So in planted tanks, part of the resulting increase in TDS is absorbed and incorprated into plants in planted tanks.

HTH

 

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by Wulfy
Aaah... Thanks o wise one!

That explains why the conductivity of the Resin treated water went up to 450! (Tap water here is ~350).

Now -- I'm completely lost here in the 'newbie' forum....

 

[Wulfy]

Thanks RTR. Now it all makes sense.

80gJoe, its better to ask a hard question in the company
of students than an easy question in the company of the wise.

Not only do the n00bs learn but in if you are not sure
if the question is hard or easy you know that
you will not disgrace yourself in the company of the wise

 

[famman]

OK oh wise (crack) ones, how is a synthetic resin different from a mixed bed resin as in a deionization filter?
I have stupidly high pH like 8.2 or higher. gh8 kh5 and I wonder if I have silicates because my di filter failed after one weekend. By failed I mean it showed only a partial color change but ph shot back up to tap instead of the nice 7.0 I started with.
any thoughts?
thanks,

 

[Paul]

peat with Penguin Biowheel

I am also trying peat to see if it lowers pH. I would have put the peat into the filter medium, but I have a Penguin Biowheel 170, and you can't open their filters. So I put the peat into a Whisper Bio-Bag and shoved it down behind the Penguin filter. Is this a good arrangement, or should I try something else? Is there another make a filter that fits the Penguin, but which you can open?

 

[RTR]

The DI resins are acid/base exchange rather than "salt" exchange. With acid/base resins, H+ (hydrogen ion) exchanges for the cations (Na+, Ca++, Mg++, etc.) and the OH- (hyroxide ion) for the anions (Cl-, HCO3-, CO3--, SO4--, etc.) The H+ is acid, the OH- is basic, they combine to HOH, or more familiarly, H2O - plain ordinary water. You have removed minerals, preserved charge balance, and net result replaced the mineral salts with plain water.

Unfortunately, recharge of these columns is not a home practice - it requires strong acids and strong bases in concentrations high enough to be quite hazardous - fume hoods with neutralizing exhausts, full protective gear, and acid/base masks for the technician.

 

[Tim Bo]

Very interesting discussion. Paul, I have written up a page on my own use with peat (which I will be updating at some point with more data on TDS, since, as RTR so eloquently explains, this is one of the more important factors, atleast it has been for me when breeding especially Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi and some of the other dwarfs. Took me a while to understand this (*blush*).
If you really want to get in depth and precise in order to work your way into the best conditions for your fish with peat, you'll need to get a few test kits but it's well worth the effort IMHO.
http://hjem.get2net.dk/Best_of_the_Web/peat page.html

 

[famman]

Thanks RTR. You must have like the equivalent of a couple of Phd's in aquaria.

Any suggestions on how to deal with my silicates? Use a silcate/phosphate remover in a rechargable filter? Two di filters in tandem?

 

[RTR]

famman - your GH and KH are both lower than mine, but your pH is higher. Is that a freash reading, or after aging? Fresh from the tap pH readings are not useful.

Do you know you have silicate & phosphate problems? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I use canisters, so use of phosphate resins in no problem.