I just bought a bag of crushed oyster shell to add to my pond. Been
having alot of trouble with acid rain and already acid tap water- which
I have to add every few days due to water loss/evaporation. Anyway,
I've been searching the forum on the subject of adding lime or oyster
shell and could only find the oyster shell. My question is, how much
should I add? My pond is roughly 2200-2600 gallons (misread the meter
when filling the pond, thus the estimate on the gallonage). I have been
adding baking soda, which did the trick until we got some rain and had
to "top-off" the pond again. Checked the water this morning and the PH
was 7.2 and the KH was around 80. It was 8.4 and 120, respectively. So,
Im hoping to add the oyster shell to have something in the pond that
will disolve as needed to help me keep up with the shifting water
quality. Just need to know how much I should add.

On 21 Apr 2006 20:28:43 -0700, "robv60" wrote:

I just bought a bag of crushed oyster shell to add to my pond. Been
having alot of trouble with acid rain and already acid tap water- which
I have to add every few days due to water loss/evaporation. Anyway,
I've been searching the forum on the subject of adding lime or oyster
shell and could only find the oyster shell. My question is, how much
should I add? My pond is roughly 2200-2600 gallons (misread the meter
when filling the pond, thus the estimate on the gallonage). I have been
adding baking soda, which did the trick until we got some rain and had
to "top-off" the pond again. Checked the water this morning and the PH
was 7.2 and the KH was around 80. It was 8.4 and 120, respectively. So,
Im hoping to add the oyster shell to have something in the pond that
will disolve as needed to help me keep up with the shifting water
quality. Just need to know how much I should add.

I don't think it matters, only as much as your pond needs is going to
dissolve regardless of how much you put in..... and hopefully someone will
back me up on this. cheesy grin ~ jan
-----------------
(Do you know where your water quality is?)

"~ janj" wrote in message
...
On 21 Apr 2006 20:28:43 -0700, "robv60" wrote:

I just bought a bag of crushed oyster shell to add to my pond. Been
having alot of trouble with acid rain and already acid tap water- which
I have to add every few days due to water loss/evaporation. Anyway,
I've been searching the forum on the subject of adding lime or oyster
shell and could only find the oyster shell. My question is, how much
should I add? My pond is roughly 2200-2600 gallons (misread the meter
when filling the pond, thus the estimate on the gallonage). I have been
adding baking soda, which did the trick until we got some rain and had
to "top-off" the pond again. Checked the water this morning and the PH
was 7.2 and the KH was around 80. It was 8.4 and 120, respectively. So,
Im hoping to add the oyster shell to have something in the pond that
will disolve as needed to help me keep up with the shifting water
quality. Just need to know how much I should add.

I don't think it matters, only as much as your pond needs is going to
dissolve regardless of how much you put in..... and hopefully someone will
back me up on this. cheesy grin ~ jan
-----------------
(Do you know where your water quality is?)
=======================
I would start with about 5 lbs and see how fast it dissolves. Then add more
as needed.
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Sounds good, thats what I was thinking but wasnt sure.

~ janj wrote:

On 21 Apr 2006 20:28:43 -0700, "robv60" wrote:

I just bought a bag of crushed oyster shell to add to my pond.
....
Just need to know how much I should add.

I don't think it matters, only as much as your pond needs is going to
dissolve regardless of how much you put in..... and hopefully someone will
back me up on this. cheesy grin ~ jan

Absolutely. I'd just put it all in.
--
derek

robv60,

I use oyster shell all the time. I put a tray of it in my filter and
let the water fall throught it as part of the filtering process. If
you can't do this with the filter you have, I have in the past made a
bag from nylon netting you can get at the fabric department of your
local Wal-Mart, or whereever, and place it where the water will run
over/through it. The bag does not have to be large, but the small it
is the more often you should check it.

Tom L.L.

On 21 Apr 2006 20:28:43 -0700, "robv60" wrote:

Checked the water this morning and the PH
was 7.2 and the KH was around 80. It was 8.4 and 120, respectively. So,
Im hoping to add the oyster shell to have something in the pond that
will disolve as needed to help me keep up with the shifting water
quality. Just need to know how much I should add.

Five pounds is probably a good number, but KH is surprising when you
use ground limestone, never tried oyster shell. You may be
disappointed to see your readings don't change quickly because of the
oyster shell. To begin with the calcium in limestone doesn't
dissolve into the water until the pH allows, (below pH 7.8 I think.)
I've had readings of 1 degree KH (17.8 ppm.) immediately after a rain,
but pH still reads over 7, sometimes as high as 8 but never a crash.
I add a cup of ground garden limestone when it seems to disappear from
the bottom of my 1500 gal pond. (It doesn't dissolve quickly like
baking soda.) The quantity of limestone is pretty much a guess, I
just keep enough showing I don't run out. (I used to keep it in a
sock, panty hose, in the filter flow, but I became afraid I didn't
check it often enough.) Baking soda is very temporary for me and it
also keeps my pH so high the limestone doesn't dissolve, so I hold my
breath and use ground limestone instead, even though it reads low, it
seems to work well.

I also add a 1" x 5" diameter chunk of plaster of paris to bring up
the GH occasionally, but the fish don't seem to care one way or anther
about that, or the limestone. It is just that my KH and GH readings
stay so far below what is recommended by "Experts", so I do it
occasionally to try to improve the toilet bowl existence for the fish,
but I have no indicators that the GH wouldn't be just as well left
alone.

Regards,

Hal

get some limestone pavers... put em in there and never have a problem.
ground up dolomitic limestone... just toss it into the pond. or put it into the
filter. Ingrid

"robv60" wrote:

I just bought a bag of crushed oyster shell to add to my pond. Been
having alot of trouble with acid rain and already acid tap water- which
I have to add every few days due to water loss/evaporation. Anyway,
I've been searching the forum on the subject of adding lime or oyster
shell and could only find the oyster shell. My question is, how much
should I add? My pond is roughly 2200-2600 gallons (misread the meter
when filling the pond, thus the estimate on the gallonage). I have been
adding baking soda, which did the trick until we got some rain and had
to "top-off" the pond again. Checked the water this morning and the PH
was 7.2 and the KH was around 80. It was 8.4 and 120, respectively. So,
Im hoping to add the oyster shell to have something in the pond that
will disolve as needed to help me keep up with the shifting water
quality. Just need to know how much I should add.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

there have been some bad results tossing plaster of paris into acidic water. seems
the pH doesnt stabilize well, tends to swing in pH. stable pH is best.
Ingrid

I also add a 1" x 5" diameter chunk of plaster of paris to bring up
the GH occasionally


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

Thanks Ingrid,
I've never seen below a 7 pH reading in my pond, but had the bejeebers
scared out of me when I saw a 1 degree KH reading the first time.
The GH is usually below 100 most of the time unless I add the PP.

Regards,

Hal

On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 17:18:40 GMT, wrote:

there have been some bad results tossing plaster of paris into acidic water. seems
the pH doesnt stabilize well, tends to swing in pH. stable pH is best.
Ingrid

I also add a 1" x 5" diameter chunk of plaster of paris to bring up
the GH occasionally

I added two bags of oyster shell to the "bucket" at the top of my
falls. Used about 15 lbs. Waited a few days and took a reading and my
PH was really high. Off the charts on my test strips. I thought it
would level out around 8-8.4 or so but it was way up there. Couldnt
figure that out. KH and GH havent seemed to raise any at all. But, my
falls evaporate water out of the pond so fast that I have to top up
every two days or so with VERY acidic water with VERY low KH. I havent
put any fish in this pond yet out of fear that the water just wont
stabilize. It is a new pond. I never get any NitrIte nor NitrAte
readings, even though my tap water has a little NitrAte, I have been
adding bacteria but Im just not sure I want to risk putting the fish
in. Especially not my new Platinum Ogon.