my mother has alot of sea shells and i was wondering if its safe to add them to my tank? i dont see why not, i should just boil them real well first correct? thanks
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adding seashells to tank
- Thread starter onefish2fish
- Start date
If the shells are ones collected on the beach, I'd soak them in a solution of bleach for a few days, and then in several changes of FW, until you can't smell the bleach anymore.
If they are shells purchased from a shell shop or similar place, make sure nothing like lacquer or paint was used on them. Then soak them as above.
Bivalve shells work best, since there are less places to trap dirt, but any shell will be ok
If they are shells purchased from a shell shop or similar place, make sure nothing like lacquer or paint was used on them. Then soak them as above.
Bivalve shells work best, since there are less places to trap dirt, but any shell will be ok
momof6kids
NJRC Member
I would be very careful. A friend gave me shells that she bought at a pet store (she was told they could go into a fish tank) and I soaked them for a week in a bleach/water solution. Changed and kept rinsing once a week for 3 more weeks and then put them in my tank. Two days later I lost all my fish in the tank. This was in my fish only tank. I lost over $300 worth of fish. Never again.
I put real shells from a beach in Italy by my father's house and the shell just attracts diatom algea. The top (which was a beautiful orange)is brown and looks like garbage.
Not worth it.
Not worth it.
yea momo lol i heard a story similiar to that today from asking a guy at a fish store, he said he knew a guy who put shells in but didnt know there was a dead hermit crab or something of the sort up inside it.. his tank was fine for a few days, next thing you know everything was dead. guess it was the nitrate spike that did them in... anyways i didnt put the shells into my tank yet, they were boiled for maybe 20 minutes and are now soaking in water.. i dont know if ill add them but i got hermit crabs that are going to need some shells sooner or later so maybe ill soak really long.. i mean im still weary about doing it as i was from the very start.. you really dont know the pollutions, bacterias, parasites and what its going to do to the water so im not sure if its worth wiping out a tank.
i have a couple giant conch shells that make up my main rock formation.... looks nice and natural, and i like to use small clam shells as natural frag discs for pieces i know i'm gonna want to keep for things like rics and zoos... but thats just my experience... i suppose i could have gotten lucky...
sounds pretty interesting and shells with alot of spirals are the ones to be careful of from my understanding because you really dont know what crawled up there and died or what kind of stuff is packed up in all the chambers and spirals of the shell
I soak them in bleach solution first.
I soak them in a vinegar solution next.
Then I cook/cycle them just like liverock for at least a month.
Then I worry about stories like Erna's, and then sometimes I use them and sometimes I put them in my wife's bowl of seashells and just forget about them. ;D
I soak them in a vinegar solution next.
Then I cook/cycle them just like liverock for at least a month.
Then I worry about stories like Erna's, and then sometimes I use them and sometimes I put them in my wife's bowl of seashells and just forget about them. ;D