# From the sea, to the tank



## ShadowCatsKey (Jul 14, 2011)

I was really bothered by how expensive small decor items can be for fish tanks, let alone knowing the risks that they'd poison my fish... when I saw the collection of clam & sea shells on the bottom of my book case.  

The clam shells are genuine, straight from the high tide. I got them off the sand while walking down a beach in Avon, North Carolina, in April earlier this year. I just grabbed them one by one as I saw them while my boyfriend tossed starfish back into the sea. The shells are as big as my hands and it amused him greatly to see me carrying them. I picked up 5 progressively bigger shells until I found the largest one of the day.
They've just been taking up space. Once I boil & sanitize them they'll be making an appearance in my 29 Tropical Community tank/10 gallon tropical tank. ^^


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

the shell come from the ocean , not from fresh water...really is not a good idea to put them in a freshwater tank..they will also raise your PH.....not good for fish needing acidic water...


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## ShadowCatsKey (Jul 14, 2011)

It's been several months since they've seen any water. If I clean them perhaps twice as much as I would've and let them soak in some fresh water for a while, and monitored the PH, they wouldn't do much harm, would they?


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

Sadly, they would. They are made of calcium and a bunch of other natural "chemicals" that will dissolve in water unless it is of a certain pH or over. Usually, that tends to be at about 8.2 or more, given time. If there aren't too many of them per gallon, their effect shouldn't be that great. Just watch your pH and water hardness (alkalinity level), and if it starts to rise too much, remove the shells.


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## ShadowCatsKey (Jul 14, 2011)

Thank you for that advice- I didn't read that anywhere else when I tried looking for the effects. I was planning on only two or three of them, since I don't have enough room for them all, and I don't want to risk the larger ones crushing the fish. I'll lessen the tap water I use during changes and get some pure water to help that out. 

*EDIT:* I just went back and looked at the readings I'd taken for my 29 gallon. The hardness is actually lower than the optimal for Mollies & Cories, and it's almost all tap water, with 2 gallons being Pure since the gallons began to leak in the fridge. The shells may be a good thing in moderation.


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## ShadowCatsKey (Jul 14, 2011)

Another update~ I cleaned the shells and put them in the tank. After two water changes [one from the week they were put in, the weekly one I just did today] both times the water tested out fine. The shells are actually helping, keeping the hardness of my water [soft tap] stable and in the perfect range for Mollies. The well being of my fry has improved since they were put in; they're more active again  Thank you all for the information.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

Glad it all worked out!


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

Soft tap water? Jealous...


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