Can I use these Shells in my Frontosa Tank ?

[nagukush]

Hi Friends !

I hope all is well !

I just got a bag of these Shells. I guess they're Clam shells (but I'm not sure if they're freshwater or saltwater ones) I cant take a pic right now but they look exactly like these - http://blog.midwestlakes.org/freshwater clam.JPG

They're very shiny and almost jet black with a few rare white spots. I got them from a local shop here, who bake them and sell them as chicken feed etc (I dont really know for what other things these are used... Any ideas ?)

Anyways, just wanted o request you all to kindly guide me if I can clean the properly and use them in my Tank housing FRontosas and Brichardis ? Will these help harden my water and buffer the PH ? Is it safe and useful for my tank ?

Also, can I first clean them in boiling water, before adding them to the tank or will boiling water spoil them or change them chemically ?

Kindly guide me a little...
Thanks a lot !
Regards and Care
Kush

 

[Lupin]

Boiling should be fine. Like other shells though, it can alter the water chemistry but this proves rather beneficial since your fish are frontosas that prefer hard alkaline waters.

 

[Coler]

Probably saltwater mussel shells...boil them and you should be fine.

 

[Pittbull]

They are freshwater mussels and are very tasty but with most shells they will aid in the keeping of hardness values, i am not 110% on the mussels maintaining hardness some do and some don't and some it will take decades to leach any buffers, its what you take in that counts..

If you like them than go for it and if you want them in your system to do the buffer issue i would say switch to salt water shells like snails and crabs use.

Mussels and oyster shells are not good buffers..

The photo you provided are of Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida)

They are very tasty if you bake them and put some cheese on top of the mussels part..