# Peat's Long-term pH Buffering Qualities



## Trail_Mix (Nov 12, 2011)

Hey, so I know a lot you guys mix sphagnum peat moss, or peat granules and things like that into your soil for emersed plants. I do too, the idea being to lower the pH a little for Crypts and whatnot. However, I was wondering, if you change the water in your emersed set-up say... once a week or so, each time, the peat should have less and less buffering capabilities right? So eventually, aren't you going to have to add something to keep the soil/water at the same pH? And if this is the case, then why use peat in the first place? Maybe I'm wrong about this, I dunno. Just for the record, I don't have a lot of used aquasoil, so while I know that while it is often used and preferred even, it's just not a viable option for me, and I'm looking for a cheaper alternative. Plus I like to mix my own soils, and the pH issue is especially critical for my blackwater Crypts.

It's currently hard for me to test the water in my emersed set-ups, since it tends not to be completely clear, so I can't really use the standard API test kits, and everyone tells me that the pH strips are inaccurate and can be off by as much as 1 unit which unnerves me because pH is measured on a logarithmic scale... I'm basically concerned about massive Crypt-melt and wondering what the best way to constantly maintain a steady pH is. Thoughts?


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