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Shells?

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  dramaqueen 
#1 ·
Has anyone here ever used shells as decorations in their tanks? Obviously I would have to clean them since I found them on the beach, but other than that does anyone know of any reason not to use shells? and how would you recommend cleaning them, soaking without soap or just rinsing them off? Thanks!
 
#3 ·
If they are flat shells you could boil them in water and that will kill any germs. Or if they are spiral or hollow to where boiling air could get trapped and explode if boiled, you can just boil water, and then rinse the shellswith the boiling water. That would also kill all the bacteria and such.
 
#6 ·
thanks for the advice, I'll try boiling the flat ones and just using hot water to rinse the others. His tank is kind of a beachy theme, palm trees and a tiki man thing he likes to sleep in :) so I thought some shells might look neat in there, I'll make sure they dont have sharp edges. I have this huge conch ( i think thats what its called) shell that I was thinking about using once I get him a bigger tank. Its big enough he could easily go in it and hide. Do you think this is a good idea?
 
#7 ·
That sounds beautiful! I bet the conch is nice, I would just make sure your lil guy wasn't able to get stuck in it. My fish tends to get himself wedged pretty easily. You wouldn't want him to go all the way in the inside and not be able to get back out. A beach theme is a really cool idea though! You should put some pictures up!
 
#8 ·
Seashells are calcium carbonate. It'll increase both pH and KH thus making your betta more prone to finrot issues.
 
#9 ·
I always thought shells could change the pH too much.
 
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