Why not put Oysters in a SW sump

lfduty · 10/22/2008, 01:40 PM

Why dont we you put Oysters in your SW tanks I have for years I put them in my Sumps in all my tanks and my Proteen skemer help get out the trash that the Oysters cant
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1495921

tb_bucs · 10/22/2008, 02:00 PM

does that work

LOTUS50GOD · 10/22/2008, 02:16 PM

I would be afraid that our tanks werent dirty enough to keep them alive... LOL

pledosophy · 10/22/2008, 02:30 PM

I found a rather large thorny oyster in my refugium when I tore down one of my tanks after a few years. I never put it in there, must of hiked it's way in, was a very cool find, wish I would have known it was there before it died.

luv951 · 10/22/2008, 03:49 PM

anyone know where you could get one?

Randy Holmes-Farley · 10/22/2008, 03:55 PM

I would not count on it being anywhere near as effective as much faster growing organisms like macroalgae. But that said, any growing organism will be taking up some nutrients from the system, unless you are specifically feeding it.

lfduty · 10/25/2008, 06:40 PM

I have them in all my tanks and they work well My 90g tank has 20 of them in the sump and I dont have a proteenskemer on it the 90g is my Seahorse tank

IFbettas · 10/25/2008, 06:47 PM

What kind of oysters do you use? The ones from the grocery store?

greenbean36191 · 10/25/2008, 07:14 PM

The main reason is that they don't have a whole lot to eat in a reef tank. That means most of them don't do well long-term and they don't provide a whole lot of benefit. They are not at all comparable to a protein skimmer.

paraletho · 10/26/2008, 06:31 AM

Quote:

greenbean36191 The main reason is that they don't have a whole lot to eat in a reef tank. That means most of them don't do well long-term and they don't provide a whole lot of benefit. They are not at all comparable to a protein skimmer.

+1 We have very little luck with them in our lab display tank in the foyer of our office. We can culture them under the proper conditions. The problems that these filter feeders can bring to a tank from wild collections would be my concern. Not only to your livestock but you also. They can harbor some pretty nasty bugs. This is why they are regulated in Texas and most other states by the state level health depts.

lfduty · 10/26/2008, 08:03 AM

I get mine form the grocery store or red lobster Iv never had a problem with then hitching eney bad bugs and in my SH tank they do do better than a protein skimmer I have no micro bubbles you don't nee a lot of them I get so mine for my triggers.

Randy Holmes-Farley · 10/26/2008, 10:57 AM

in my SH tank they do do better than a protein skimmer

How do you know what they are doing with respect to water quality?

Majinoo · 10/26/2008, 11:09 AM

Do they need light ?
Is there any way to be sure that theyre not hitching bad bugs ?
thanks

lfduty · 10/26/2008, 11:24 AM

You can put them in a QT tank if you want to I have a totle of 75g just the sump I have 1 250 wMH on the sump as for the water quality I check it day to day and put I have a calcium reactor on the tank yes its just a Sea horas tank but I have 2 maxis in the tank and some corals that are ok for Sea horses. They never get to stay in my sump long I feed them to my 150 and to my Triggers and to my mantis un till it jumped out. I will look and see if Tom at Red Lobster I just go in and tell them I want some hole live Oysters nad as for feeding them they eat what ever is in the sump and what ever my Clams dont get

returnofsid · 10/26/2008, 01:08 PM

lfduty, I'd be interested in finding out how you "know" they're doing more for your water than a protein skimmer would. Why is it that you're so sure that they're helping? Have you done any tests, with and without a protein skimmer, measuring TOCs and such??

lfduty · 10/27/2008, 11:14 AM

no I have nothing to back my play on oyster in my refugium all I know is that they are a natril filter and I have never had a nitrate prob and my water test are better than they have ever been in my Sea horse tank I cant run a protein skimmer on the tank for I don't want little bubbles in the tank. I have put a skimmer on my SH tank with the oyster in my refugium and get little to no Froth in the skimmer Tested the tank last night and this is what we have.
Temp: 79.2*
pH: 7.79
Salinity: 1.025
Mg: 1000 ppm
Alk: 12dKH
Cal: 450 ppm
I like what they are doing as of naw and I will keep puting them in my fugis I think its falls in the what works for me will or wont work for you and so on I wish that I had the facts but I dont Im wanting as natril of a tank as I can get and oysters are as natril of a filter as I can get for my Sea horses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster#Oyster_fishing

ChrisKirkland · 10/27/2008, 11:19 AM

How about your nitrates and phosphates? What are they at currently?

corbett_n · 10/27/2008, 12:29 PM

A few oysters can filter the entire tank in no time. At work we setup cloudy tanks with oysters and within an hour the tank is completely clear. They have filtered the entire water volume many times within a small amount of time. i am a marine biologist and co-workers setup this demonstration to show people how important oysters are.

masonicman · 10/27/2008, 12:42 PM

I would like to hear more testimonies about this. Does anyone else keep oysters in their DT or sump? I was reading online and one article said one oysters can filter up to 50 gallons in a day. That would def. be a big help.

thor32766 · 10/27/2008, 12:54 PM

wow sounds like an interesting idea. The grocery stores have live ones?

corbett_n · 10/27/2008, 01:07 PM

They do carry lots of hitch hikers. They have crabs that live inside of them (pea crabs), there could be just about any kind of hitchhiker you think of.

R.L.Young · 10/27/2008, 01:20 PM

Tagging along on this one to see the out come do they need light, and what kind of dip or qt would they need?

Randy Holmes-Farley · 10/27/2008, 01:48 PM

I've yet to hear what significant benefit they might be, or any quantification of that benefit. Removing the particulate foods that other tank organisms might well consume or even require doesn't necessarily seem a desirable goal, IMO. That's one reason that heavy mechanical filtration is often not recommended, and why there are many particulate foods sold to reefers. Trying to keep other filter feeders like oysters alive long term is quite challenging. I've tried a number myself, like tropical mussels, and without specific feeding, they did not survive long.

Also, depending on where the oysters came from, they may not live long in the warm waters of a reef tank.

corbett_n · 10/27/2008, 02:41 PM

They may also take up a lot of calcium

leemik · 10/27/2008, 02:59 PM

Apparently the State of Massachusetts also has the same idea for cleaning up the Charles river

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gree...e_charles.html

10/22/2008, 01:40 PM	#1
lfduty Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: McLeod Montana Posts: 1,408	Why not put Oysters in a SW sump Why dont we you put Oysters in your SW tanks I have for years I put them in my Sumps in all my tanks and my Proteen skemer help get out the trash that the Oysters cant http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1495921 __________________ Thanks: Lfduty Research, each individual species you intend to own. This will ensure a lengthy life of your livestock. Current Tank Info: I have 150g mixreef 1-90 fishonley with a Oceanic trickle filter(M150) with a ehime6000 pump 40g breder zoa tank with 30g sump/fuge with mag7 pump 1-75g pipefish tank with 30g sump/fuge and 1-80g SH 1-40hex softy all run on a 250gal sump/50gfuge

10/22/2008, 02:00 PM	#2
tb_bucs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: west chester ohio Posts: 94	does that work __________________ Todd Ferrill Current Tank Info: 40 breeder sps closed loop ,asm skimmer,250 watt pheonix

10/22/2008, 02:16 PM	#3
LOTUS50GOD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,210	I would be afraid that our tanks werent dirty enough to keep them alive... LOL __________________ Vertex Alpha 300 Skimmer, AI SOL Blue, Neptune Apex Controlled 360 gallon Reef Current Tank Info: born 6/26/2008- 340 reef + 100 fuge, 300lbs of figi LR

10/22/2008, 02:30 PM	#4
pledosophy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Beaverton Posts: 5,290	I found a rather large thorny oyster in my refugium when I tore down one of my tanks after a few years. I never put it in there, must of hiked it's way in, was a very cool find, wish I would have known it was there before it died. __________________ 120g mixed reef 90g QT

10/22/2008, 03:49 PM	#5
luv951 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Washougal, WA Posts: 841	anyone know where you could get one? __________________ "Ummm, you do realize that you just took a picture of a cup of poo, right?" -my wife

10/22/2008, 03:55 PM	#6
Randy Holmes-Farley Reef Chemist Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Arlington, Massachusetts Posts: 86,233	I would not count on it being anywhere near as effective as much faster growing organisms like macroalgae. But that said, any growing organism will be taking up some nutrients from the system, unless you are specifically feeding it. __________________ Randy Holmes-Farley Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef

10/25/2008, 06:40 PM	#7
lfduty Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: McLeod Montana Posts: 1,408	I have them in all my tanks and they work well My 90g tank has 20 of them in the sump and I dont have a proteenskemer on it the 90g is my Seahorse tank __________________ Thanks: Lfduty Research, each individual species you intend to own. This will ensure a lengthy life of your livestock. Current Tank Info: I have 150g mixreef 1-90 fishonley with a Oceanic trickle filter(M150) with a ehime6000 pump 40g breder zoa tank with 30g sump/fuge with mag7 pump 1-75g pipefish tank with 30g sump/fuge and 1-80g SH 1-40hex softy all run on a 250gal sump/50gfuge

10/25/2008, 06:47 PM	#8
IFbettas Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Woodridge, IL Posts: 1,953	What kind of oysters do you use? The ones from the grocery store? __________________ Current Tank Info: 180G SPS Dominant, 75 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 3x250w Reeflux 12k in Lumenbrights, Octo Extreme 250 Skimmer, Lots of flow

10/25/2008, 07:14 PM	#9
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	The main reason is that they don't have a whole lot to eat in a reef tank. That means most of them don't do well long-term and they don't provide a whole lot of benefit. They are not at all comparable to a protein skimmer. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

10/26/2008, 08:03 AM	#11
lfduty Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: McLeod Montana Posts: 1,408	I get mine form the grocery store or red lobster Iv never had a problem with then hitching eney bad bugs and in my SH tank they do do better than a protein skimmer I have no micro bubbles you don't nee a lot of them I get so mine for my triggers. __________________ Thanks: Lfduty Research, each individual species you intend to own. This will ensure a lengthy life of your livestock. Current Tank Info: I have 150g mixreef 1-90 fishonley with a Oceanic trickle filter(M150) with a ehime6000 pump 40g breder zoa tank with 30g sump/fuge with mag7 pump 1-75g pipefish tank with 30g sump/fuge and 1-80g SH 1-40hex softy all run on a 250gal sump/50gfuge

10/26/2008, 10:57 AM	#12
Randy Holmes-Farley Reef Chemist Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Arlington, Massachusetts Posts: 86,233	in my SH tank they do do better than a protein skimmer How do you know what they are doing with respect to water quality? __________________ Randy Holmes-Farley Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef

10/26/2008, 11:09 AM	#13
Majinoo Moved On Join Date: May 2006 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 27	Do they need light ? Is there any way to be sure that theyre not hitching bad bugs ? thanks

10/26/2008, 11:24 AM	#14
lfduty Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: McLeod Montana Posts: 1,408	You can put them in a QT tank if you want to I have a totle of 75g just the sump I have 1 250 wMH on the sump as for the water quality I check it day to day and put I have a calcium reactor on the tank yes its just a Sea horas tank but I have 2 maxis in the tank and some corals that are ok for Sea horses. They never get to stay in my sump long I feed them to my 150 and to my Triggers and to my mantis un till it jumped out. I will look and see if Tom at Red Lobster I just go in and tell them I want some hole live Oysters nad as for feeding them they eat what ever is in the sump and what ever my Clams dont get __________________ Thanks: Lfduty Research, each individual species you intend to own. This will ensure a lengthy life of your livestock. Current Tank Info: I have 150g mixreef 1-90 fishonley with a Oceanic trickle filter(M150) with a ehime6000 pump 40g breder zoa tank with 30g sump/fuge with mag7 pump 1-75g pipefish tank with 30g sump/fuge and 1-80g SH 1-40hex softy all run on a 250gal sump/50gfuge

10/26/2008, 01:08 PM	#15
returnofsid Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,852	lfduty, I'd be interested in finding out how you "know" they're doing more for your water than a protein skimmer would. Why is it that you're so sure that they're helping? Have you done any tests, with and without a protein skimmer, measuring TOCs and such??

10/27/2008, 11:14 AM	#16
lfduty Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: McLeod Montana Posts: 1,408	no I have nothing to back my play on oyster in my refugium all I know is that they are a natril filter and I have never had a nitrate prob and my water test are better than they have ever been in my Sea horse tank I cant run a protein skimmer on the tank for I don't want little bubbles in the tank. I have put a skimmer on my SH tank with the oyster in my refugium and get little to no Froth in the skimmer Tested the tank last night and this is what we have. Temp: 79.2* pH: 7.79 Salinity: 1.025 Mg: 1000 ppm Alk: 12dKH Cal: 450 ppm I like what they are doing as of naw and I will keep puting them in my fugis I think its falls in the what works for me will or wont work for you and so on I wish that I had the facts but I dont Im wanting as natril of a tank as I can get and oysters are as natril of a filter as I can get for my Sea horses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster#Oyster_fishing __________________ Thanks: Lfduty Research, each individual species you intend to own. This will ensure a lengthy life of your livestock. Current Tank Info: I have 150g mixreef 1-90 fishonley with a Oceanic trickle filter(M150) with a ehime6000 pump 40g breder zoa tank with 30g sump/fuge with mag7 pump 1-75g pipefish tank with 30g sump/fuge and 1-80g SH 1-40hex softy all run on a 250gal sump/50gfuge

10/27/2008, 11:19 AM	#17
ChrisKirkland Reef and Coral Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Lexington, Ky. Posts: 1,739	How about your nitrates and phosphates? What are they at currently? __________________ Chris Kirkland Reef Nerd. Current Tank Info: Getting back into the hobby.

10/27/2008, 12:29 PM	#18
corbett_n Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SC Posts: 1,271	A few oysters can filter the entire tank in no time. At work we setup cloudy tanks with oysters and within an hour the tank is completely clear. They have filtered the entire water volume many times within a small amount of time. i am a marine biologist and co-workers setup this demonstration to show people how important oysters are.

10/27/2008, 12:42 PM	#19
masonicman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: NJ Posts: 1,313	I would like to hear more testimonies about this. Does anyone else keep oysters in their DT or sump? I was reading online and one article said one oysters can filter up to 50 gallons in a day. That would def. be a big help. __________________ It is better to ask for forgiveness then to ask for permission.......... Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef, 216w LED, Remora Pro skimmer, HOB fuge, 400w htr, ATO RO/DI, 90lbs LR and 1" SB.

10/27/2008, 12:54 PM	#20
thor32766 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chuluota, FL Posts: 6,072	wow sounds like an interesting idea. The grocery stores have live ones? __________________ "Live your life so no one has to lie about who you were at your funeral" click on my red house to see my tang compound! Current Tank Info: 29 gallon in Wall!

10/27/2008, 01:07 PM	#21
corbett_n Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SC Posts: 1,271	They do carry lots of hitch hikers. They have crabs that live inside of them (pea crabs), there could be just about any kind of hitchhiker you think of.

10/27/2008, 01:20 PM	#22
R.L.Young Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pennsylvaina Posts: 154	Tagging along on this one to see the out come do they need light, and what kind of dip or qt would they need? __________________ R.L. Young Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef

10/27/2008, 01:48 PM	#23
Randy Holmes-Farley Reef Chemist Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Arlington, Massachusetts Posts: 86,233	I've yet to hear what significant benefit they might be, or any quantification of that benefit. Removing the particulate foods that other tank organisms might well consume or even require doesn't necessarily seem a desirable goal, IMO. That's one reason that heavy mechanical filtration is often not recommended, and why there are many particulate foods sold to reefers. Trying to keep other filter feeders like oysters alive long term is quite challenging. I've tried a number myself, like tropical mussels, and without specific feeding, they did not survive long. Also, depending on where the oysters came from, they may not live long in the warm waters of a reef tank. __________________ Randy Holmes-Farley Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef Last edited by Randy Holmes-Farley; 10/27/2008 at 01:59 PM.

10/27/2008, 02:41 PM	#24
corbett_n Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SC Posts: 1,271	They may also take up a lot of calcium

10/27/2008, 02:59 PM	#25
leemik Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Quincy, MA Posts: 21	Apparently the State of Massachusetts also has the same idea for cleaning up the Charles river http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gree...e_charles.html __________________ Tank1: 55g Elos 70 Tank2: 22g ZeroEdge