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sphagnum moss or peat
- Thread starter eduard
- Start date
It's best not to obsess over peat because it is not something to worry about. The reason peat is used in substrates such as Amazonia is that it breaks down and is reduced into carbohydrates which the sediment bacteria feed on. This is useful at tank startup, but later on the sediment accumulates a lot of organic detritus which can overwhelm the sediment.
A little bit of peat goes a long way, but any organic material in the sediment will work, like dried grass from your garden, which can be had for free. Collect that brown dirt from any mature filter and spread it into the sediment as an alternative. That should be free also, or, grab a handful of dirt from the rootball of any weed you pull up in the garden and kill two birds with one stone.
In terrestrial applications the acidity of the sediment is important as certain nutrient elements are converted to useful forms from non-bioavailable components, and in order to accomplish the conversion, a lower pH is needed, but in aquatic applications soil acidity is much less relevant because water column dosing provides the necessary nutrition.
Cheers,
A little bit of peat goes a long way, but any organic material in the sediment will work, like dried grass from your garden, which can be had for free. Collect that brown dirt from any mature filter and spread it into the sediment as an alternative. That should be free also, or, grab a handful of dirt from the rootball of any weed you pull up in the garden and kill two birds with one stone.
In terrestrial applications the acidity of the sediment is important as certain nutrient elements are converted to useful forms from non-bioavailable components, and in order to accomplish the conversion, a lower pH is needed, but in aquatic applications soil acidity is much less relevant because water column dosing provides the necessary nutrition.
Cheers,
