elembee Posted November 4, 2002 Report Share Posted November 4, 2002 Hi I am a new member. Live in auckland and have just set up a new tank i would be very appreciative if any one could tell me and if you can put in a freshwater tropical fish tank sea shells that have been boiled and treated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted November 4, 2002 Report Share Posted November 4, 2002 Usually the answer to putting seashells in a tropical fresh water tank is NO. It's nothing to do with diseases getting introduced, more the effect on the water chemistry. Over time the shells will dissolve, increasing the hardness and pH of the water in the tank - this could cause problems for the fish. There are a couple of exceptions to this, if the tank has been setup to house African Rift Lake cichlids or the tank has been set up as a brackish tank. In both of these situations the fish actually prefer hard alkaline water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 yeah, just like what Rob has suggested, it's best simply to avoid it. not convinced? try dipping some of the shells in vinegar. if they sizzle, esp from the white chalky bits, it indicates that they contain carbonates( i think) n r undesirable in most freshwater aquariums.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 A warm welcome to the forum LMB, great to have you join us. What sort of fish do you have? If you let us know perhaps we can suggest a setup that might suit your situation. The warnings above are valid, and even some ornaments that are added to tanks can break down and cause endless probs, mainly cloudy water. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 Unlike everyone else, I'm going to say, as long as they're cleaned well, go ahead and put them in. I'm assuming you're not going to be putting massive amounts, just a handful of shells? That wouldn't have a noticable effect on the PH. And anyway, not all fish like acidic water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 Welcome to the fishy forum elembee. How long has your tank been up and running???? My retailer started me out with guppies until the tank was matured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 Hi Elembee, Just to clarify the above and avoid confusing you further, Ira tends to keep fish that live in conditions of high pH eg, above 7.5pH, but for the general run of fish such as the tetras, guppies, gouramies, angels, swords and such, it would be best to avoid the shells. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 5, 2002 Report Share Posted November 5, 2002 Hi and welcome, I think I would avoid the shells too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuhliloach Posted November 6, 2002 Report Share Posted November 6, 2002 Hi elembee and welcome to our fish forum Definitely forget the shells even a very small amount of shell will change the PH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 6, 2002 Report Share Posted November 6, 2002 Actually, Pegasus, none of my fish prefer over 7.5. I'm just saying that unless she puts a huge amount of shells in the tank, a handful of them would likely only raise the PH by .1-.2PH...Which even discus could handle. If she put the same weight of crushed shells, that would be different because of the greater surface area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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