AW: Peat

["Erik Pfingstner" <erikpfingstner at freenet_de>]

what kind of soil are most nothos having in nature?

what kind of soil are most SAAs having in nature?

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: owner-killietalk at aka_org [mailto:owner-killietalk at aka_org]Im
> Auftrag von Tranquility Base
> Gesendet: Montag, 30. Dezember 2002 05:16
> An: killietalk at aka_org
> Betreff: RE: Peat
>
>
>
> Hi Folks,
>
>
> So, 'tis I that launches the last firestorm of the year. I concede that
> there may still be some good reasons to use peat in the killie
> fish room but
> I maintain that its popularity is fading with its usefulness. The primary
> reasons are:
>
> 1) Peat reduces the pH and softens the water until many fish
> stress and die.
> 2) Tanks with peat require more water changes.
> 3) Many Nothos spawn very well over fine black sand
> 4) Many Fp spawn fine over gravel or bottom mops
> 5) Many SA Annuals spawn in coconut fiber
> 6) Many people have water that is sufficiently soft and
> additional softening
> is not required
> 7) There are better products to reduce pH.
> 8) The best time to prepare water is before it is added to the fish tank.
> Peat may be appropriate when preparing the water but is not
> required in the
> fish tank itself.
> 9) Many top breeders have been steadily reducing the amount of peat that
> they use as better methods are developed and they are still having great
> success.
> 10) Many killies do not need super soft and acid water.
> 11) Peat can tint the water.
> 12) Peat can clog the filter
> 13) Most newbies kill more fish improperly using peat than they
> benefit from
> it.
> 14) Many people have used peat for years and will never ever change
> regardless if there is a better method. To those stubborn diehards I say:
>
> Happy New Year!
>
> Peace,
>
> ~RJ~
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-killietalk at aka_org [mailto:owner-killietalk at aka_org]On
> Behalf Of Brian R. Watters
> Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2002 6:27 PM
> To: killietalk at aka_org
> Subject: RE: Peat
>
>
> Dave Wood wrote:
>
> >
> > I've only been breeding killies for about 30 years, and (honestly) don't
> > claim to be an expert. The only problems with peat that I have had are
> > 1) it is messy. Don't use it with gravel. In a bare tank it is
> not a major
> > problem.
> > 2) if you use the wrong types you will get problems. eg avoid sedge
> > peat...my fish don't like it at all.(they die.)
> > 3) if hatching nothos, remove the fry from peat asap, and grow
> > them in hard
> > water. Since doing this I have had no velvet attacks.
> > 4) it colours water and affects pH. Not a major problem...you can
> > always use the water for tetras.
> >
>
> If the peat moss is placed in a container (with a hole cut in the lid)
> within an aquarium with a bare base, then most of these cease to be a
> problem. Most Nothos and SA annuals will readily enter such a container to
> spawn. A certain amount of peat will be thrown out and end up on the tank
> bottom but that will be minimal and can be siphoned out when doing regular
> water changes. With the peat contained in that way, there will also be
> minimal coloring of the water. It is also very easy to harvest
> the peat when
> it is in such a container and there is much less risk of the peat becoming
> polluted from uneaten food, faeces, etc.
>
> I have found some Notho species that, for various reasons, cannot
> successfully be spawned with the peat in a container and, for
> those, one is
> forced to cover the base of the tank with a layer of peat moss. It is then
> necessary to be particularly careful about overfeeding, or the fish can be
> placed in the breeding tank for short periods only, specifically for
> spawning purposes. The latter method is, for example, the only
> practical way
> to spawn N. ocellatus.
>
> In my opinion, anyone who uses gravel in a tank that is set up to spawn
> annuals, while using peat as a spawning medium, is simply making life
> difficult for themselves.
>
> I agree that it is best to remove newly-hatched Notho fry from
> the hatching
> container and away from the peat as soon as it is reasonable. They are
> especially prone to velvet at this stage. It is not the peat
> itself that is
> the culprit but rather the brine shrimp nauplii that get into the
> peat, die
> and decay. Also, if left standing undisturbed excessively long,
> the peat in
> the hatching tray will start to decay and generate gases that,
> when the peat
> is stirred up, will kill the fry almost instantly.
>
> As Tony Terciera has pointed out, coconut "peat" can be used but
> it should,
>
> as he suggests, be diluted with normal spaghnam peat moss. On its
> own it is
> too coarse and granular (many Nothos don't like it as much as finer peat)
> and it does not have the water retention properties that normal
> peat has. I
> mix it in with normal peat to the extent of about 20-25% only. I
> have proven
> to my own satisfaction that Nothos prefer fine peat but that is not always
> practical because it is more easily ejected from the container and ends up
> all over the tank, plugs up filters, etc., so some sort of a compromise is
> necessary. Very often, when I remove peat from a tank I will add
> some moist
> fine peat (from peat pellets) before I bag the medium for storage and
> incubation of the eggs. This improves the moisture retention
> properties and
> brings the eggs into contact with moist peat particles, which I feel is
> better for their incubation.
>
> Lee Harper wrote:
>
> >
> > I will add another use for peat is to reduce the number of belly
> > sliders when water incubating annual fishes...........
> >
>
> I agree and, for that reason, when hatching Nothos I have always ensured
> that there is at least a half inch of layer of peat on the base of the
> hatching container. If necessary I place additional peat (preferably old,
> well soaked or reused peat) in the hatching tray to make up any perceived
> shortfall. A long time ago I discovered that if you pick out eyed-up eggs
> from a spawning and place them in water without a reasonable
> amount of peat
> the eggs will either simply not hatch or the proportion of belly-sliders
> will be very high.
>
> Peat moss is nothing like the substrate that typically occurs in Notho
> habitats but it, nevertheless, seems to provide conditions that suit both
> the breeding fish and the eggs during incubation, and it is a very
> convenient medium for us to use.
> ___________________________________________
> Brian R. Watters
> University of Regina
> Regina, Sask. S4S 0A2, Canada
> Ph: (306) 584-9161 (home); (306) 585-4663 (work)
> Fax: (306) 585-5433
> E-mail: bwatters at sk_sympatico.ca
>
>
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