Seashells ok?

[DarkSoul]

I have just found a giant bag of old seashells at my parents house.

I picked these up along the beaches when I was in Florida about 14 years ago.

Most of them are broken or had most of the colour leeched out of them, but there are a couple of really nice ones id like to put in my tank if they could be safe to do so.

any input?

[Malbri]

I wouldnt, they can mess with the levels in your tank

[Miyavism]

Depending on the type of shellfish they come from, the level of leeching may differ.

Generally, the shells will leech calcium carbonate into the water over time and therefore affect the hardness.

[nickmcmechan]

Yes,would only be a good idea if you actually want to raise the kH (hardness) of your water, what fish do you keep?

[Mgamer20o0]

i wouldnt

[Ilikemyfish]

Another problem with shells, in addition to those already mentioned, is small fish swimming into them and getting stuck. If you decide to use shells be sure to fill them with your substrate to avoid this.

[DarkSoul]

Well, at the very least, I have to large mollusk shells, look like giant clam shells, and one has a hole in it. Its big enough to be a small cave for a small fish, nice little place to hide.

And none of the shells i have left are big enough, or of the right shape to have fish swim into.

I dont currently have fish.... working on my plumbing.

[nickmcmechan]

what fish do you intend to keep

[DarkSoul]

not 100% sure yet.

A tropical community tank is what I hope to have :)

[nickmcmechan]

then I wouldn't bother with the shells...

She sells seas shells on the sea shore....but she know better than to stick them in her tank