Wood For Softening Water
- Thread starter cockroach
- Start date
How easy is peat to use. How safe is it as regards to fluctuations.
Thinking about this. Can't find the exact product but it is the pHmeter, controller and ORP controller in one set. And a conductivity controller. Are these worth it, or which would be the best to get? And lastly, how do they work?
http://www.azoo.com.tw/azoo_en/modules.php?name=Product_Review&bkid=171
http://www.azoo.com.tw/azoo_en/modules.php?name=Product_Review&bkid=170
http://www.azoo.com.tw/azoo_en/modules.php?name=Product_Review&bkid=169
Thanks for all the help so far.
Thinking about this. Can't find the exact product but it is the pHmeter, controller and ORP controller in one set. And a conductivity controller. Are these worth it, or which would be the best to get? And lastly, how do they work?
http://www.azoo.com.tw/azoo_en/modules.php?name=Product_Review&bkid=171
http://www.azoo.com.tw/azoo_en/modules.php?name=Product_Review&bkid=170
http://www.azoo.com.tw/azoo_en/modules.php?name=Product_Review&bkid=169
Thanks for all the help so far.
Finally got the water params for tap water in Taichung City: Not sure what it all means. Took a while to translate it all but now that it is done I am glad I did it. Any comments welcome.
Here they are:
pH 6.9
Total Alkalinity 148 mg/L
Chlorine Salt 10.3 mg/L
Sulfate 63.1 mg/L
Ammonia 0.03 mg/L
Nitrite <0.01 mg/L
Nitrate 2.36 mg/L
Total Dissolved Solids 282 mg/L
Villiaumite 0.13------------------?
Total Hardness 169 mg/L
Iron Not Detectable
Manganese Not Detectable
Total colony Number <1 CFU/ml--------------------?
Backwoods Coli Group <1 CFU/100ml-------------?
Total Haloform 0.00024 mg/L
Lead 0.0072 mg/L
Selenium 0.0002 mg/L
Arsenic 0.0004 mg/L----------------?
Mercury Not Detectable
Zinc 0.02 mg/L
Silver Not Detectable
Copper Not Detectable
Chromium Not Detectable
Nickel 0.0002 mg/L
Cadmium Not Detectable
Barium 0.0268 mg/L-------------------?
Stibium 0.0016 mg/L--------------------?
Those with --------------? are the ones I am not sure about. I know arsenic but should it be in water. The government site says this is all below drinking water limits. What do you think?
Here they are:
pH 6.9
Total Alkalinity 148 mg/L
Chlorine Salt 10.3 mg/L
Sulfate 63.1 mg/L
Ammonia 0.03 mg/L
Nitrite <0.01 mg/L
Nitrate 2.36 mg/L
Total Dissolved Solids 282 mg/L
Villiaumite 0.13------------------?
Total Hardness 169 mg/L
Iron Not Detectable
Manganese Not Detectable
Total colony Number <1 CFU/ml--------------------?
Backwoods Coli Group <1 CFU/100ml-------------?
Total Haloform 0.00024 mg/L
Lead 0.0072 mg/L
Selenium 0.0002 mg/L
Arsenic 0.0004 mg/L----------------?
Mercury Not Detectable
Zinc 0.02 mg/L
Silver Not Detectable
Copper Not Detectable
Chromium Not Detectable
Nickel 0.0002 mg/L
Cadmium Not Detectable
Barium 0.0268 mg/L-------------------?
Stibium 0.0016 mg/L--------------------?
Those with --------------? are the ones I am not sure about. I know arsenic but should it be in water. The government site says this is all below drinking water limits. What do you think?
Villiaumite is Sodium Floride. In the States, it is added to drinking water to strengthen and repair tooth enamel. Our fish swim in it all the time. Some of them have pearly white teeth. 
The arsenic levels are so low that you could say that there isn't any.
Barium isn't very toxic in most forms. Your levels are still very low, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Stibium is antimony. It is an indicator of industrial polution, but your levels are very low. Antimony poisoning is similar to arsenic poisoning. The antimony level is so low that you can also consider it to not exist.
The arsenic levels are so low that you could say that there isn't any.
Barium isn't very toxic in most forms. Your levels are still very low, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Stibium is antimony. It is an indicator of industrial polution, but your levels are very low. Antimony poisoning is similar to arsenic poisoning. The antimony level is so low that you can also consider it to not exist.
ph fluctuations would occur if nitrification happens, but you will not allow this to happen as you will do regular water changes. there are many ways you can use peat to alter the hardness and ph
1. placing a bag of peat in a cannister filter and allowing the ph and hardness to drop as water constantly passes through the peat. every month or so you will have to replace the peat, it all depends on the quantity and quality of peat. if you do small water changes say 10% regularly, you will not have to treat the water with peat as the volume of water replaced is not significant enough to cause an adverse effect on the ph or hardness, thus eliminating fluctuations. experinment and see what ph and hardness is achieved with different quantities of peat
2. not placing peat in filtration but treating the water with peat before placing it in the tank. you could do a weekly 20-30% water change with water that has been treated with peat, this would be done by leaving a bag of peat in a seperate container with over week. ofcourse water could be prepared faster through the use of a filter with peat
personally i would go with no. 1
ofcourse ro would be the best investment, personally i would not invest in one
1. placing a bag of peat in a cannister filter and allowing the ph and hardness to drop as water constantly passes through the peat. every month or so you will have to replace the peat, it all depends on the quantity and quality of peat. if you do small water changes say 10% regularly, you will not have to treat the water with peat as the volume of water replaced is not significant enough to cause an adverse effect on the ph or hardness, thus eliminating fluctuations. experinment and see what ph and hardness is achieved with different quantities of peat
2. not placing peat in filtration but treating the water with peat before placing it in the tank. you could do a weekly 20-30% water change with water that has been treated with peat, this would be done by leaving a bag of peat in a seperate container with over week. ofcourse water could be prepared faster through the use of a filter with peat
personally i would go with no. 1
ofcourse ro would be the best investment, personally i would not invest in one
Is the water hard, soft or neutral? How much 'doctoring' to the water would I need to do to the altums an environment the can thrive in?
Titan- In part one I just leave the peat in my sump and replace it when needed?
Chompers- Thanks for the info. Would this water be considered safe to drink?
Thanks for the steller replies.
Titan- In part one I just leave the peat in my sump and replace it when needed?
Chompers- Thanks for the info. Would this water be considered safe to drink?
Thanks for the steller replies.
I've used peat moss in my discus tank. I got it free from local nursery. Rinse really well. Some companies sell it to put in as part of your filtration.
This is the design of my sump. The red circle is where I would like to put the peat. What do you think? I could put the peat anywhere in fact. The pump is rated 4500L/h. Not all of that flow goes into the tank , some is reverted to circulate through the sump again.
