Seashells in a fresh water tank.

[Todthefirst]

Can I put seashells in my fresh cold water tank?
Or will it poison the water?

 

[BristlenosePleco]

I have a rock in my tank from the north sea. All I did was boil it, and now its what I strap cucumber to for my bristlenose.

 

[Doomhed]

they can effect the hardness of your water by a ton, so unless you are running african cichlids, you cannot put seashells in the tank.

 

[Newman]

agreed. this will raise your pH, KH and GH by a lot because they leech calcium, magnesium and other ions into the water. african cichlids and marine systems are the only ones that can handle this becuse those systems are best with very hard water.

I had shells in my goldfish tank. HORRIBLE idea. I wonder how many goldfish died as a result of this stupid mistake (my mom put them in there cuz they looked nice >_< )
The GH in my tank was often 44 dGH or 700+ppm. this is considered deadly to some fish..

 

[littletankbigworld]

I made the same mistake with carnival goldfish. Definitely not a good idea.

 

[BristlenosePleco]

Could that rock have done the same in my tank? Because now that I think about it I had like 3 or 4 guppies die like a week or so afterwards.

 

[bassbonediva]

Test the rock using vinegar, Bristlenose. If the vinegar bubbles when it touches the rock, the rock will mess with your pH. If the vinegar doesn't bubble, the rock should be fine.

 

[BristlenosePleco]

Cool thanks bassbone!

 

[aglowe00]

whoa thats an awesome tip brassbone!!