Oyster Shells

[dabgood21]

Just curious if anyone out there has experience with using Oyster Shells to help maintain water quality. I've heard it can help with PH, maybe? Anyone know anything about using them and for what?

Thanks

 

[ming]

for the PH, you'd be better off with live rock and sand. Also make sure the room is well ventilated to prevent it from becoming a co2 trap, which can lower your PH

 

[dabgood21]

Does that mean that the use of oyster shells could increase the co2 or are you just talking in general?

Right now I have a lot of live rock and a live sand bed but I put some oyster shells in my sump too. I work at a seafood restaurant so I can get as many shells as I need. We probably throw out 10-20 lbs of them a night.

 

[tosiek]

Oyster shells do act as a buffer but only in higher acidic tanks (low PH) as the higher acid levels quicken the breakdown of the shells, 8.2 norm PH reef tanks won't break down the shells quick enough for them to act as a buffer. Plus the calcium that is released as the shell breaks down is not reusable for coral skeleton growth. Clam/oyster shells as well as coral skeletons are mainly used to buffer cichlid and some FW planted tanks as well as help with keeping higher mineral concentrations as the shells release minerals as well as calcium (this raises your PH) into the water column when they break down. I have a blue ridge and pipe organ skeleton in my cichlid tank as well as crushed coral substrate and about 2 months after adding the skeletons i haven't had the need to buffer my PH back to 7.8/8.0 during larger water changes.

You should never have a problem with your PH if your dosing alk/calc correctly and doing your water changes unless there is a problem in your tank such as too much CO2 due to lack of O2 from ventilation of the tank like ming said or some other problem. Most of the time PH buffers are a quick fix for those problems and the oyster shells won't act as a bandaid. The only thing those shells will be good for are to add surface area for bacteria to grow and add to your bio filtration. LR rubble or pieces are better for that because they are more porus and give more surface area than shells. Or you could keep them in and they could be little bunkers for pods to hide in :tank:. :tub: