Shells

[TheMerovingian]

a good freind of mine handed me some shells for my tank. can i add them to it? how should i clean them so they are ok to put in my tank?

 

[corey01]

not a good idea IMO most if not all shells dissolve in water meaning it will increase your PH

 

[TheMerovingian]

argh! ok thanks

is there anything i can coat it with?
silicon or something?

 

[Arachnidzone]

I can vouch for the dissolvin thing! (Speaking from experience a long while ago!) didnt test PH then and all the fish lived BUT it was a 6ftx18"x18" tank with a few large and small shells in so probably only got away with it due to the sheer gallonage!

Dunno about coating em, suppose you have to decide if its really worth it, if you feel it is and have spare cash then i would personally fill the shell with sang to remove bubbles, then seal the entrance with silicone a little inside for viewing purposes (further if for fish to hide or lay in) then paint the rest with an aquarium suitable masonary paint or a pond paint for concrete, that would probably work on shell. but its very expensive way of having a shell in a tank, maybe worth it as they should last a lifetime if done correctly? who knows

 

[TheMerovingian]

ok, never mind.
thanks anyway guys for the help