[quote=”AlmightyJoshaeus” post=5528]’
PH: about 6.1 (don’t know why it won’t go lower…)
TDS: 19 ppm or 30 microsiemens
Water changes: 1 gallon/3.78 litres a week. Rainwater/distilled water is prepared a week before by soaking with 1/2 cup peat moss.
[/quote]
If the pH will go any lower easily depends on the buffering capacity of the water. That 30μS comes from something and in the best scenario, you would like these ions to not interfere with your lowering attempts.
Soaking peat in soft water is very inefficient. What Ghia suggest is the best way to prepare the water. Soak alder cones and different leaves in soft water, but that water must contain no alcalinity (or what is wrongly called carbonate hardness). From your description, I am worried that is not the case and therefore the process of lowering the pH will take time. If you already bought peat, at least use it efficiently. Take a PET bottle and remove the bottom. Stuff it with peat (not to densely). Put some filtration foam in to the bottle neck. Turn it upside down. Put some prepared clear container under the bottle neck to catch the prepared water.
Using this kind of device (it is called torfkanone in German :D) Leave a little space in the bottle at the top, where you will be able to pour like bigger glass of water. Start adding water glass after glass, untill you soak the peat abundantly and then leave it alone to drop in to the container. You may either use your 19 ppm water and drop the whole volume of water over the peat or better drop some tapwater over it. Dropping tap is much more efficinet, as peat is a ion echanger so if you have more kations to exchange for H+, what you will get, will be extremely acidic concentrate, that you may use to prepare the water for the tank. You simply use like 1/2 liter in to 10 liters of pure RO or rain water. You may use the peat this way for many months and you are able to prepare the water over night. However, it is best not to use peat and support such destruction of nature like peat mining.