Seashells

[FroggyFox]

I picked up some gorgeous huge seashells today at a garage sale that I think would look great in my tank.

BUT I don't want to put them in there if they're going to screw with my water. Has anyone put seashells in their fishtank and know?

I will definitely soak them, maybe add some bleach to kill anything that was on them, then soak them in dechlorinated water before I put them in...but any ideas what I should check for or??

Thx!

 

[powrslave]

my experience has been seashells are not intended for freshwater...

the surface isnt good for the fish...and a long time ago
i placed a nice seashell inwith a single black moor.

he swam inside and i kinda had to shake him out of the shell.

he was jammed inside...

i say NO seashells in freshwater.

 

[FroggyFox]

Thanks powrslave...would the reason that you don't reccomend them be purely because of the safety to the fish? These shells I got are open...like half of a clam, just a half circle shell so there isn't anywhere for a fish to go into it and get stuck.

 

[powrslave]

well i've been told that the surface and texture of a seashell isnt appropriate for freshwater fish.

I guess you could try..just my opinion

 

[FroggyFox]

actually I've been doing some reading and it looks like I shouldn't put them in because they break down and the calcium added to the water will make the pH get higher than it already is.

SO now I'm wondering if theres something I can coat it with to make sure it wont break down? Everywhere I've found that mentions seashells and aquariums say that they're fine for salt water, but a no no for freshwater unless I bought them from a lps. SO I'm guessing that there has to be some way to cover it or treat it so that it wont break down.

I saw a thread about that cat skull, maybe its the same type of issue?

 

[SoulFish]

the only reason not to add shells is because they increase the hardness of the water which raises the pH, if you have fish that come from soft water with a low pH it wouldnt be good for them but other then that its fine

 

[FroggyFox]

well my water is originally pretty hard and has a high ph...so what are the chances that it will get too hard/high for the fish I have if I add the shells?

 

[powrslave]

i think you should just display them on a bookshelf

 

[FroggyFox]

-=pout=- or maybe just a good excuse to start a salt aquarium haha!

 

[Somonas]

I don't think it will raise it too much if at all, since your water is hard already. try it and check the water every couple days.

cat skull. yuck. who would put that in an aquarium?

 

[dana307]

I put one shell that I had for years in the tank and it kept breaking down.... little bits fell off here and there. Wasn't worth the aesthetic in my opinion.

 

[sailfinmolly]

I've put shells in mine and I have hard water too. Its taken a little over a year for any noticeable wear to be seen, and they haven't had any adverse affects on any of my plants or fish. I have DIY CO2 in the tank, and maybe its just me but I think they help buffer the water.

Just my opinion
Put the shells in see what happens
Soak them in water, and leave the bleach alone.

 

[FroggyFox]

I have no idea somonas...I wouldn't, but hey some people's idea of a cool decoration would be a skull I guess. Completely different asthetically speaking...but not so different in chemical makeup I suppose...they both have a lot of calcium in them.

Anyway...thanks for the replys you guys are great! I will have to think about it and let you know what I decide.

 

[CoNMaN]

coat the shells in sillicon, then put them in.

 

[mike the zealot]

good excuse to get some tanganyikan shell dwellers

 

[420Loach]

what kind of shells? i put sea shells in my tank for years, and nothing ever went wrong. cowries, cones and a big triton trumpet. the shells look the same today as when i got them from the ocean.

(wouldnt mind catching a triton shell with the snail in it, but they are really rare nowadays )

 

[FroggyFox]

I haven't the froggiest idea what kind of shells they are. I'll have to bring home the digital camera and get a shot of them. They're half circles, white on the outside and shiny on the inside. They're not like a shell that a hermit crab or a fish would want to live in...just open like a bowl.

Course I didn't get them from the ocean...but I think someone probably did. They're not treated or anything.

 

[420Loach]

clam shells? they should be okay. ive been putting shells in my tanks since i started, and my dad put them in when he was doing fish tanks. it take a long time to erode a shell down too, so just do regular water tests and keep an eye on the levels. if they do mess with your tank do like powerslave said and put them on a shelf, they make good conversation pieces!

 

[FroggyFox]

LOL well right now they're just sitting on the table where they have been since I got them If they're clam shells they're HUGE. The larger is probably a good 8 inches across!

Thanks for your input loach

 

[420Loach]

your welcome froggy!

are they colorful? 8 inches is a pretty good size! ive seen 8-12 inch tahitian black lip clam shells before, but they are EXPENSIVE $80-120 bucks a halve!

probably wouldnt put those in my tank! heh heh!