Oyster Shells

[magical26]

Hi reefers, I rem seeing some people put oyster shells in their sump. Does anyone know whats the purpose of it? Would appreciate any advise...

Thanks in advance. Cheers...

[Silentlurker]

For fresh or salt water? In fw, it's done to maintain the water hardness so that ph doesn't drop

[magical26]

For fresh or salt water? In fw, it's done to maintain the water hardness so that ph doesn't drop

For saltwater bro...

[Guest]

Release calcium? Stable ph

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[magical26]

Release calcium? Stable ph

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Thanks bro. Does it buffer KH too?

[Harlequinmania]

Thanks bro. Does it buffer KH too?

I don't think so.. oyster shell can be hard to clean and collect debris.

[veliferium]

Oyster Shells are mainly used in FW setups to buffer kH and maintain/raise pH due to to its calcium carbonate nature.

However, in marine setups, the buffering capability of the oyster shells is negligible as compared to saltwater.

Saltwater has a high pH which automatically buffers your kH to desirable levels (~7 dkH) and together with the coral sand and live rock in your setup, it should be sufficient.

Also, HM is right. Due to its structure and porosity, it is likely that the shells tend to trap dirt and detritus. And reef aquarist often strive to reduce such occurences in order to keep nutrient levels low.

[Guest]

True I've use coral chip with proper mesh so the detritus won't enter. But every time I take out that bag, a lot nitrate is release. Won't advice you to use .

Reefing @east

[magical26]

Thanks everyone for chipping in.

[ReDDeviLs]

i have oyster shells in my sump, but i use them to glue frags as gifts