Rhyn
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 165
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Post by Rhyn on Sept 15, 2003 14:48:30 GMT -5
We bought a 20 gal trash can and are filling it up with water to sit. We've also bought some peat moss, since I've heard that's good for lowering pH.
Questions:
- How do I use the peat moss? I'm assuming it just gets put in there, but there's gotta be something more complex that I'm missing.
- Since it's gonna be sitting out open for days, do I have to add as much dechlor? If so, what *do* I have to add?
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Post by Jenny on Sept 15, 2003 16:13:08 GMT -5
I have no idea about the peat moss, but I do know that even if you are leaving the water out, you still need to use the dechlor. Letting the water sit will remove most of the chlorine from the water, but it will not remove chloramines. You also need the dechlor because your decos and tank will be rinsed in regular tap water, which will have chlorine in it.
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Post by Rachel - old on Sept 15, 2003 17:05:02 GMT -5
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Megan
Junior Bubble Nester
"Golden Pearl" Plakat
Posts: 158
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Post by Megan on Sept 16, 2003 17:46:21 GMT -5
From what I understand, using peat moss is a pain in the butt.... It is usually only used for fish that like very soft water, and very low phs, such as some species of killies and some species of soft water bettas.
What is the ph of your water? Betta Splendens do well in a wide range of phs, all the way from around 6.0-8.0... I know a few people that have successfully kept them even around 8.4. As long as they are acclimated to it, they do fine. You don't want to start messing around with your ph and water hardness unless it is absolutely neccessary... a lot of times you will just end up running into more problems from the "messing around".
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Post by BettaBGood on Sept 16, 2003 18:19:35 GMT -5
I agree w/Megan, Rhyn. Our pH runs high, too, but my bettas do much better if I don't attempt to alter it. (Do you have a garden, by chance?  - for the peat.) Just kidding... |
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Post by ILovetheDark on Sept 16, 2003 22:31:09 GMT -5
we have to change the ph though... it does effect the fish. PB got really bad one night he was getting really sick from it. when we tested the ph was at 9.1 that is way to unhealthy. its why we had to use the ph down because the fish were having spasms and getting sick from it. we talked to a woman at the pet store *the good pet store* and she explained how the water around here is very hard, and gave us water softner. she said that even with using the ph down te ph can bounce right back up. she assured us that it was safe because she has to use it on her tanks. we got it home and we tried it, and the ph went from 9.2 down to 7.2 in the matter of minutes. we tested it again today (its been over 24 hours) and the ph is still in the safe range for the fish.
i think we have a return to make to the hardware store...
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Rhyn
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 165
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Post by Rhyn on Sept 16, 2003 23:17:08 GMT -5
Adding to what's been said about pH, last year I was in a dorm where the pH was 8.2. I had horrible problems with what I thought were seizures. It took me weeks to figure out what was going on, along with a lot of posts here. I suspect that the combination of high pH and hard water is the main problem we have. We bought water softener the other day (TankSoft by Mardel) and it had an immediate change to the pH, dropping it down from 9.1 to 7.2! I've tested since and it did go back up, but only to about 7.4-7.6. Considering, that's not bad at all. I'd kiss the bottle in gratitude, but it'd probably have a weird taste. |
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Post by BettaBGood on Sept 18, 2003 12:32:24 GMT -5
OMG, ILovetheDark, if I'd have known your pH was that high, I would never have made a joke about the peat moss. (So sorry.  ) My pH is between around 8. It never stabilized, either, with pH Down & my bettas became "shakey" (I assumed the fluctuation caused their shakes). Some people mix RO water w/their tap to soften it (like Wal**** brand @ 58cents/gal). Nice call on the TankSoft, though. I hope your problem is solved. (Again, sorry I joked about such a serious situation...) |
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Post by ILovetheDark on Sept 18, 2003 16:47:53 GMT -5
aww no worries... none at all..... its all gravey... yeah we really need to find away to keep the ph down and stable so the fish dont go schizo, anymore so then they already are...
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- for the peat.) Just kidding...
)