Roger Langton originally came up with a nomenclature of peat wetness around the late 70s, and Roger Brousseau expanded on the idea with practical instructions. Both methods are published here.So now if you hear somebody refer to peat as being "Langton #3" or "Brouseeau #4" you'll know what they mean and should have some idea how to get your peat relatively the same moisture.A Numbering System to Indicate Peat Wetness Roger Langton
Originally published in the Journal Of the Amewrican Killifish assocision, November/December 1979; Volume 12. Number 6#1 refers to peat that has been dried to almost completely dry but still contains some moisture.
#2 refers to peat is peat that has been dried additionally by placing on newspaper for several hours
#3 refers to peat that has been squeezed to a point where no further squeezing will remove water
#4 refers to peat that has been squeezed before being placed in an air tight container
#5 refers to peat that is completely saturated with water
Peat Wetness
Reprinted from: South American Annual Killifish Version 2.0.1 Dr. Roger D. Brousseau
The incubation period of South American annual killifish eggs is unfortunately not an exact science. There are many factors that can alter or change the amount of time needed to hatch out the fry. The two main factors are, peat moss wetness and egg incubation temperature.
The idea of how wet the peat moss should be stored at is probably the most difficult question of all to explain. "How wet is wet?" "Is my peat moss too dry or too wet?" For those of you who did not know it, there is a type of numbering system that numbers the wetness of the peat moss from 1 to 5, with 1 being completely dry and 5 being soaking wet. Of the values of peat moss wetness, most people agree on the end two numbers, 1 and 5, but cannot seem to agree on the middle three which are the most critical. All annual killifish fall somewhere between 1 and 5 with most being about a 3. So, what is 3? The answer is halfway between 1 and 5! That is the easy way out, but not a good answer to the question. Here is a "basic" idea of how the peat wetness numbering system goes like:
#1 Dry (peat squeezed in a net and placed on an absorbent substance for 24 hours or more).
#2 Semi-dry (peat squeezed in a net two or more times and then placed on an absorbent substance for one or two hours);
#3 Semi-wet (peat squeezed in a net two or more times with no other drying);
#4 Saturated (water allowed to drain off the peat for one hour in a net with no squeezing);
#5 Wet (water incubation);The only definite answer that can be given on peat wetness is that you should experiment with the different levels of wetness until you understand them. Remember that not all species like the same wetness factor, so keep one weeks collection at 3 and another at 2 or 4 and then keep records of your experiences and then try other different species at all wetness factors, if possible!