peat and ponds

[sissy]

I was reading a paper at the farm store and it says that peat is used to lower kh and ph and also to help with string algae and to prevent sun from entering the pond.It said also it prevents green water how and why would this work .Is it similar to barley or is it different .Has anyone ever used it .It said on the report that was from an ag. report .It says it is effectively used in home fish ponds and large farm ponds and has shown the same effects .I refer to this here as I have put it up on the net to read up on this and maybe someone here may have heard of this or even tried it .Doesn't really give enough how it prevents sun from entering the pond or at least I have not gotten to that part in the article .It says it is both beneficial to fish in the pond and plants .What bad effects it has I have not seen yet and really does not say what kind of fish .I saw that laguana sells it and pond care and tetra all sell it

 

[HARO]

Peat is rich in tannins, which tint the water brown, preventing as much light from entering the water. I did some experimenting with peat in planted aquaria in the early seventies, and noticed an increase in SOME plant's growth, while others seemed to die back. Basically, plants native to soft, acidic waters benefitted, while our natives didn't. The same holds true for fish; anything from the Amazon basin or African streams would breed more readily in the softer water, but Rift Lake cichlids and Australian rainbows led much shorter lives! The pH of these tanks generally ran around 6.4 to 6.8, so you can draw your own conclusions about koi and goldfish. John

 

[sissy]

So it seems to be similar to barley except for maybe the tinting of the water .i'm not sure which would be worse though in any cases brown water or green water ..I see there is a combo sold of peat and barley ,but not sure I would ever use it if it turns the water brown .

 

[HARO]

Barley, as you are already aware, works by breaking down into peroxide, which inhibits the growth of string algae. It apparently does nothing for the single-celled "pea soup" variety, so mixing peat with the barley helps to control both types. Only one way to find out if it works for YOUR pond is to try it. And by the way, the browm colouration is usually barely noticeable, since many ponds already have some decaying matter producing tannins anyway. John

 

[j.w]

Quite interesting. Could you buy the big bags of peat moss that you get in the big box stores if you kept it confined in a fine netted bag? Or is that something totally different?

 

[sissy]

I know I use that kind of peat in my gardens and it is fine and dusty ,blows all over on a when it is even the tiniest bit windy .

 

[HARO]

I don't see why not, I doubt there is any fertilizer or whatever added to horticultural peat. John

 

[HARO]

Sorry Sissy, we posted at the same time. The peat I used 'way back when was put out by Tetra, I believe, and was formed into pressed blocks about an inch thick. These were placed under the aquarium gravel. If you use the loose stuff, put it in an old nylon stocking, John

 

[j.w]

Good idea John and anything tiny enough to fit through those stockings would prolly not hurt anything I would assume.

 

[sissy]

great idea haro I guess the old stockings have some use after all .I know that peat in the bag is fine and that should work to keep in check

 

[j.w]

So would one use it just in the summer only as that is when the algae is prevalent and wonder how much one should use in a pond?
Wouldn't want to use too much so as to kill any plants and I do use the barley straw also in my pond.

 

[stroppy]

i just found this info but it does say put too much in and it will lower your ph too much and thats harmful for your fish, i use to use peat in my plant pots and thinking about it now i never had string algae then so perhaps thats why, but yes it does colour your water but only a tint
http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5502910_lower-ph-pond-water.html

 

[j.w]

Thanks for that article stroppy. Wonder what size is a small bag for what size pond and did not know that it would grow. Wonder if the peat moss in the big bags will grow...............just thought it was dead stuff all dried up. I know it takes a large volume of water to rejuvenate it when using it in plant pots. I have used it in tomato pots in my green house to help condition the soil.

Peat moss:

• Aerates plant roots by loosening heavy soil.
• Adds body to sandy soil.
• Saves water by absorbing and holding moisture.
• Reduces leaching of nutrients present in or added to the soil, releasing them slowly over time.

 

[sissy]

I could not find out how much either ,but still looking >i found one person who said they use one cup for every 1000 gallons and it only last 3 to 4 months .I use it to condition soil also .

 

[Waterbug]

I'd be interested in a link to that original Ag report.

I've never done any experiments with peat in a pond, or read anything about it until now, but I assume John's post is likely what drives the reasoning.

Here's what I thought was an interesting link on peat in an aquarium.

I've seen natural peat bogs and they are indeed algae free. But I wonder about about the amount needed. I see this a lot in ponding, like the peroxide thing, peroxide does kill algae, but then people kind of morph that into some tiny amount being when a huge amount is actually needed. I assume it would take a lot of peat to have any effect. I'm not sure why peat would be better for lowering pH than just using acid and there are dyes for ponds to control algae if you wanted to change the color.

My take on barley.