Peat Extract for Water Care *
A portion of about 750 ml of garden peat is mixed with about 5 l of reverse osmosis water in a large pot and brought to the boil. Even if it looks different at first, the amount is sufficient and the peat will quickly soak up. As soon as the mixture boils, it continues to boil at only low heat (only slight bubble formation) for about 30 min, then the still hot solution is decanted and filtered through a coffee press.
The process is repeated once with another 2.5 l of water, resulting in a total yield of approx. 5 l of peat extract with a beautiful coffee-brown colour.
The pH of the extract is 3.5 - 4, the conductivity is around 200 - 250 µS/cm.
The developer of the recipe uses it to prepare the changing water of his Heckel discus fish. The dosage used is just under 500 ml for 200 l of changing water, which produces a slight brown tinge to the water.
Preservation is not necessary. Since the pH is below 4, no mould formation has been observed so far.
Aeration over 14 days also showed no particular foam formation, unlike with alder and tea extract.
Should the need for preservation still arise, one option would be to adjust the pH to a pH of 2 using mineral acid (hydrochloric or sulphuric acid), which should virtually rule out infestation with mould or bacteria.
* Recipe by Robin Bucksch