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Re: Peat Questions



Sphagnum peat, according to what I have read, has less organic mass than
other peat, and doesnt break down as quickly. However, even spahgnum peat
should be used very sparingly in the substrate. The last thing you want is
any concentration of decaying organic matter in the substrate. Things can go
foul pretty quickly, particularly if the substrate becomes compact. I used
peat "plates" for the aquarium and within six months they turned jet black,
smelled like rotten eggs, and created or contributed to large dead zones in
my substrate.

When I later used sphagnum, I only sprinkled a couple of handfulls across
the bottom of the tank. The main benifit it holds is providing some CEC and
enough organic acid to bring some minerals into solution. If you use enough
to alter the pH of the water, you have far too much in the substrate.

Robert Paul H
http://www.aquabotanic.com
plants, SAEs, CO2 equipment and testers, substrate heaters, fertilizers,
Substrate Gold, Hydrologix, Bioplast, Aquarium Landscapes