PH substrate

Hi all
a few numbers about PH of 4 samples. Maybe interesting:

Peat = 2.81
Coco fiber = 4.51
Litter from foliaceous forest = 6.82
Litter from coniferous forest = 2.74
(pH determination by potential measurement)

Hi Juraj,
I don't have the hard numbers any more but I have different batches of peat have some big variations in the pH with some as low as 2 and some as high as about 4.5.

The only thing I would add is that litter from some under some deciduous trees (such as oak and alders) can be acidic with pHs as low as 4 or so due to the tannins.

Ed

I'm having potential trouble with a new dart frog tank which reaches a Ph of 5, because of peat block landscaping. Has anyone any experience of using a tropical fish-type buffering solution to raise the level of alkalinity?

Interesting. I was foolish enough to believe the claims of the Bed-a-Beast (coco fiber) that it is pH neutral.

The fish buffer might work. Another idea would be to sprinkle in some Calci-sand (calcium carbonate). It might not have an immediate effect, but it should buffer the pH to some extent.

Hi Barry,
I have kept darts on peat moss for long periods of time with no problem. What symptoms are you seeing with the frogs?

Ed

Hi, Ed,

No frogs in tank yet because I'm worried about the PH level! I'v e read low Ph can kill in less than an hour.

Barry

Barry,
Do you have a reference for this with regards to anurans?
Cauadates have been shown to be sensitive to acidic substrates but many people keep anurans on low pH substrates like peat and sphagnum moss with no problems.

Ed

Hi, Ed,
I don't think it's in any of the better-known dart books, so I guess I've seen it somewhere on the Internet. Perhaps I'm getting paranoid for no good reason--or am I getting mixed up between the requirements of newts and frogs.

Anyway, thank you Jennifer and Ed for offering your opinions.

Barry