Re: [Killietalk] Peat Moss for Annuals

["coveney" <LCOVENEY at swfla_rr.com>]

Hi Bobby!
Thanks for your reply on the peat moss (thanks also to Mark - I will try
some of your techniques with the finer moss!).  I remember hearing something
about the new "clay" used for breeding.  Can you tell me about the basics of
this as I am always interested in finding out about spawning substrates.
What does it look like and what is the consistency of this?  What are the
advantages of the clay to peat?  Is it easy to find eggs in?  I would be
interested in hearing from anyone who has had experience with this already.

I wish I had the opportunity to hear Bobby's talk on the history of the
killie hobby.  I hope it will be available to all of us in some way or
another in the future.  It is incredibly important to preserve the past,
especially for those of us that are relatively new to the killie hobby.  The
people who set out to breed and keep killies in the early days deserve
credit for what they pioneered.  They had to overcome much more than what us
newcomers to the hobby have had to go through.  With the internet today, one
can easily catch up on 50+ years of knowledge and experimentation with just
a few key strokes.  Of course, nothing replaces good old experience!

Joakim Coveney
Naples, Florida
AKA #06590


From: "ROBERT ELLERMANN"  AM
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] Peat Moss for Annuals

> Hi Joakim,
>
>     I boil my peat (using Premeir brand) in a large blue Mexican enamel
pot (no steel, etc, use glass or enamel) for at least an hour in my hard
alkaline water. I let it cool and then rinse it in a fishnet under the tap
for a bit letting alot of the dust wash out. I then use it. I plan on trying
the new "clay" additives that are becoming popular and that we discussed on
here. They sound promising. I have never had a problem with peat. I too keep
it in spawning containers to help keep food out of it and I use large wide
containers that hold alot of peat. I believe alot of peat is better for a
more stable risk free storage. For a 30 gallon full of symoensi I might have
2-3 six to eight inch wide 3 ich tall containers full of peat -- around 2
quarts when collected altogether. I leave most peat on the moist but not wet
side in storage and I fluff it up before sealing it away in fishstore style
kind of heavy mil plastic bags that have air trapped in them. Buy your peat
in bales o!
>  r half
>  bales and make sure it has zero additives. You can call the company and
ask about the pH rating of your peat as peat differs. Acid peat can
drasticly drop pH in soft water, especially in the amounts I use.
>
> Bobby
>

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