Oyster shells in filter systems

Zenith

Zenith

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Hi all

I have seen a couple of people (LFS) running oyster shels in there wet/dry filter, is there any reason/benefits to this(what does the shells do) and is it worth investing in
 
im not sure the benifit ,but i have read that they release PO4 into your system after some time
 
I'm with Junz on the phosphates. The scutes in the shells will also trap detritus
 
Not recommend it traps detritus and it will cause problems with phosphates and nitrates, the main reason why they use it is that they believe that is provide the system with calcium . But the amount of calcium leached form the shell would not make a difference in the system.
 
sweet so oysters bad idea, i suppose this is the reason for hairline algae outbreak.?
is there a good/effective natural way of removing po4.?
 
You can get probiotics like Prodibio or use the ferric or aluminium oxide based phosphate removers
 
Eish i also heard it's good as a filter, but not calcium. I use to get mine from ocean basket. I've read several home made live rock Recipies that use crushed oyster shells.
 
Kavir, I read the same, do you or anybody know where we can buy crushed oyster shells here?

Jaco.
 
Jaco - as soon as the pH drops (nighttimes, and due to detitus build-up) the shells (all/most sea shells) start "breaking down". Their structure build-up contains a fair amount of phosphates, in a compound form.

Once the compounds get broken down, by low pH, these phosphates are released into your tank.

Phosphates are the food of nuisance algaes....
 
Okay thanks, so even if used in DIY live rock and proper cooking/curing it is still not recommended?

What about crushed coral (please remember I want to do this cheaply) and if so where to buy, sorry for all the Q's but I want to try it this weekend and need to get my ducks lined up :) Also what power head would you suggest for the curing process?

Jaco.
 
Guys Jacques is right A few years ago this rumour surface and I tried it In my nano......phosphates went throught the roof, started happening slowly then after 2 months bam high phosphates followed buy high nitrates. I guess the shells took some time to start breaking down and then like I say BAM.

Trev
 
On the note of using shells in our tanks...

I've read a couple of times now on the internation forums like RC and wetweb - that shells make a great substrate for zoa frags, even to the extent of increased growth rates... Try as I might I simply cannot think why this would be the case....
Any ideas?

Thanks,
D
 
Thanx Jacques & Trevor now I can understand why the green forest has taken over. I collect barnacles & snails for my hermits but have not taken any of the shell out. Sorry just a Q Hermits & their shells how often do I have to add a shell for the hermits to change shell & if a hermit really loves his shell & won't change to a newer shell is that bad?
 
Hmmm. RE: changing shells.. It depends on the size of the hermit and the shell its in. sometimes they chose very oversized shells which will take a while to grow into... So not really a hard and fast rule. Its certainly not a problem if a hermit doesnt want to change shells despite having a wealth of shells to choose from, he just likes that one best. The herm will chose whichever one suits him best. I think you just have to provide a variety of appropriate sized options and let them pick. My hermit changed his shell the night i put it in my tank.They'll change if they find something they like more.
 
That can be hard as the hermits have chosen these long spiky shells here's a pic sorry bad quality
DSC00127.jpg
 
You don't have to offer them the same type of shell. They will use just about any discarded shell.. Just try and imagine the size of the cavity, and then choose shells that are in a range of about the same size, some slightly bigger, some slightly smaller (more larger ones to accomodate for growth..)
 
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