Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Can we put sea shells in our freshwater aquarium?

Can we put sea shells in our freshwater aquarium and if so how can we clean them and get all of the salt out without using any chemicals? any help appriciated. thanx!

Can we put sea shells in our freshwater aquarium?
You can use them just make sure you clean them first. Best thing is boil them then soak them overnight in some pure water. Any salt that does leech out afterwards will be minimal and not enough to effect anything.
Reply:Just rinse them off good, I always put a little sea salt in my fresh water tanks, it helps keep the fish clean. Ask a professional pet store owner about it, he'll tell you the proper amount.
Reply:Some things That aren't specifically manufactured to put in freshwater aquariums can change the chemistry of the water. I don't know the specifics on seashells but the only concern would be them leeching and changing the hardness or pH of the water.
Reply:Yes you can just wash them REALLY good. I took my shells, washed them and put them into another container, and then after 2 days i washed them again and then put them in.I had to do it so thoroughly because i have snails in my aquarium. but if you want it THOROUGHLY cleaned just do that or wash it REALLY good if you don't have snails...HOPE THIS HELPS!!
Reply:no, it messes with water params
Reply:I would boil them for several minutes to make sure anything that might be transferred to your tank is removed. This will also dissolve the salt into the water. Any salt that might be left would be less then some people purposely put into their freshwater tanks and won't do any damage.



Keep in mind that shells wear away over time and slowly leach calcium carbonate into the water, which can potentially cause a rise in PH. It won't even be measurable if you use the shells moderately and do normal water changes, but it's just a warning so you don't go overboard with them.
Reply:I wont recommend it. I got some shells that i bought from the fish store. Within a week all my fish died due to some fungus and parasites. I had to quarantine my aquarium for a long time. I hate those things since then..
Reply:i have boiled some and have not had a problem a little salt will not harm fish, it depends on the size of tank in relation to the amount of shells. I have 55 gal tank and add aquarium salt to the tank. Just boil and rinse well
Reply:It should be fine but this is what you need to do.

get a good sized bucket and fill it with really hot water. Put the sea shell in and let the water cool by itself. After that do it one more time just to kill off anything you missed and then put the sea shell in. I have large saltwater rocks in my freshwater tank. but be warned if you put in the sea shell and you own catfish or tetras they might they because they are sensitive to salt.
Reply:Not unless you want to kill your fish. Even if you rinse the shells really well, over time salt will leach out of them and put enough salt in your water to kill fresh-water fish.
Reply:Not unless you want a lot of dead fish!! I did that and even though I wahsed them REALLY good, they still killed the majority of my fish...



So, I wouldn't do that if I were you...
Reply:You can boil the shells to try and remove the salt but there is always a chance you dont get it all out. I dont recommend using them.


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