Oyster Shells for PH

[Sharon Goode]

Found oyster shells finally. NOW how to use them best? Do I put them in net bags, loose on bottom or in waterfall tub. We have had so much rain I worry about PH crashes.

 

[addy1]

They work best where water is flowing, they are slow to dissolve.

 

[sissy]

dollar store laundry bags work good you can get 3 or 4 for a dollar

 

[haver79]

I have been thinking I may add to my pond as well. But currently only running a bubbler and my heater.
Should I wait to add them when I have my pump up and running again? And should you rinse them off first?

 

[sissy]

The cloud coming off them has a lot of calcium and good for the fish and buffers the water .I keep mine in all the time.I even use a combo of oyster shell and kitty litter to plant my pond plants

 

[addy1]

I just toss it in, it does cloud up the water but, in my pond, clears within a hour or two.
I use kitty litter to plant , oyster shells in the bog tossed on top of the pea gravel where the water flow is the fastest

 

[jmajid]

so... where could i find these oyster shells?

 

[sissy]

farm supply ,tractor supply

 

[Sharon Goode]

be careful most farm and tractor places sell crushed shells for chicken supplements......finally got mine from someone who likes to roast them.
they are whole and I did soak and rinse them. Hurry spring I am Having POND withdrawal.

 

[sissy]

I would rather have the crushed one the whole ones do not work as good unless you crush them .They need broken up to work to any extent .If you put the crushed ones in a fine mesh laundry bags or tulle they are fine .The whole ones also can be harmful to the fish if they get to close to them,they can scrape themselves on them .I can get the whole ones here but to crush them is a pain .Neighbor found out the hard way .

 

[addy1]

I just toss mine in, no bag, but they are in the bog. They just slowly disappear.

 

[sissy]

aggie did that for me addy but she dumped them in the pond the whole bag and then caught her and bert rooting through it

 

[EricV]

Is there a rule of thumb for the quantity of crushed shells to use per 100 or 1000 gallons of water?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Is there a rule of thumb for the quantity of crushed shells to use per 100 or 1000 gallons of water?

Maybe someone else knows, but there is none that I am aware of. Oyster shell are extremely slow at dissolving and the rate of dissolution is determined by the existing pH of the water, Kinda an 'on-demand' buffer. Most people place them in either the skimmer or the bottom of the biofilter where the are out opf site but exposed to moving water.

 

[MitchM]

1 shell or 100 shells, I don't think it matters much without knowing the kh, gh and ph numbers beforehand.
There's no harm in placing oyster shells in the pond in case your PH drops below 7.