POROXIDE AND OYSTER SHELLS

[multifasited]

I just read some blurps about heavy use of both of these items ,whats the skinny ,some swear by them others at them ,It would be nice for some one to post pros and cons so some of us unwashed ,had an idea of what is real and the other way of doing it or just warm and fuzzy feelings ,this applies to a lot of other things that are causually thrown around in the threads ,THERE MAY BE STICKIES ALREADY IF SO I FOR ONE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW SO I CAN read and understand more about what I am hearing / There are probably others in the same boat ,but no oars! Thanks Carl

 

[Waterbug]

Hydrogen peroxide in a clean pond can kill fish if levels are high enough. If there's enough stuff the pond for the HP to react with it goes away quickly.

I'm not aware of any problem with too many oyster shells being used. They're pretty stable. If there's any danger it would be depending on them as a pH buffer. They're too slow to raise KH to be of much use for that.

 

[fishin4cars]

I'm with WB on this one. Peroxide has it's benefits but needs to be used carefull, oyster shells are just good to use.

 

[buckry]

I started out using oyster shells in bags in my filter or waterfall, but it was a minor pain, now I just sprinkle it across the bottom of my pond. it gives the appearance of gravel on the bottom and it slowly dissolves as it does its job. I buy 5# bags and just dump the whole thing in evenly across the pond. You cannot overdo it because if your water isn't acid, it just sits there, when acid is introduced the shells dissolve and neutralize it. If you don't need it, it basically is just aquarium gravel. My last 5# bag is still going strong after 6 weeks but I can see a few areas that are thinner than others so I know it's working, and my PH is always between 7.5 and 8.0.

 

[Waterbug]

You cannot overdo it because if your water isn't acid, it just sits there, when acid is introduced the shells dissolve and neutralize it.

I don't know but this makes me wonder...when the shell on the bottom gets covered in muck the decomposing shell could be in an lower pH environment from the rest of the pond...depending on water current and if there was any muck of course. I wonder if it would have any effect.

Crushed shell (chicken grit) is way better for pH buffering than whole or large chunks. Having the shell in a flow of water also helps.

 

[buckry]

Not sure, I don't have any muck yet, but you're right, I probably won't do this at that point. The reason it works now is I can see it sitting on my liner, if it sinks into muck, I lose the visibility. I probably will do something different at that point, or I'll vacuum. One or the other.

You know what I'll probably do, I'll line the bottom of my stream with it. The stream only has a little bit of algae in it and it's a nice slow steady flow. That's probably the way to go.

 

[addy1]

They work best where there is good flow, I throw 100 lbs every year in my bog. Our well and rain water is acidic and very soft

 

[multifasited]

They work best where there is good flow, I throw 100 lbs every year in my bog. Our well and rain water is acidic and very soft

Any body know of a down side?

 

[buckry]

No downside, they dissolve in acid, do nothing in alkaline. Fish might peck at it, but they know it's not food so they will spit it back out.

 

[CountryEscape]

Addy, do you literally dump it into your bog, or place it in bags? So, if my water's PH is 8.4 or so, it will do nothing for me, right? I also thought that oyster shells helped keep your PH stable, keep it from going up and down, but this makes it sound like it keeps your PH from getting too low, which I don't have a problem with. I still put some on top of the algae in my stream and by the algae in the goldfish bog, just to see if it made any difference with that, but I'm pretty sure it has no affect on the algae. We'll see!

 

[multifasited]

Addy, do you literally dump it into your bog, or place it in bags? So, if my water's PH is 8.4 or so, it will do nothing for me, right? I also thought that oyster shells helped keep your PH stable, keep it from going up and down, but this makes it sound like it keeps your PH from getting too low, which I don't have a problem with. I still put some on top of the algae in my stream and by the algae in the goldfish bog, just to see if it made any difference with that, but I'm pretty sure it has no affect on the algae. We'll see!

SO it's like me only really works when motivated and then goes ALL OUT,Great!

 

[sissy]

baking soda raises ph

 

[CountryEscape]

OK, so is there anything that can lower the PH (I really don't want to use peat moss, as it makes the water brown ...) and then I could use the oyster shells to hold it there, if I remember correctly ...

 

[sissy]

good question and not sure since i have never had to raise ph .I remember awhile back someone posted how but for the life of me can't remember ,senior moment .

 

[CountryEscape]

good question and not sure since i have never had to raise ph .I remember awhile back someone posted how but for the life of me can't remember ,senior moment .

Umm ... you said baking soda will raise the PH, Sissy, but you really meant you don't know how to LOWER it, right?