Concle Shell.?

[guppy77]

hi
i think this is a concle shell and was wondering if i can add this to my tropical freshwater set-up. sorry about the gravy. (just for an idea how big it is). i know it was in a marine set-up for a couple of months
thanks
john

 

[three-fingers]

Rise it under the tap and it will be fine.

It will raise the pH of your water though, so if you have some sensitive fish that like acidic water it's a bad idea.

Will also look out-of-place .

 

[Colin_T]

and if you add some gravy mix you should be able to have fish stew

 

[raptorrex]

Rise it under the tap and it will be fine.

It will raise the pH of your water though, so if you have some sensitive fish that like acidic water it's a bad idea.

Will also look out-of-place .

how much could it effect the PH. sure i understand the "science" behind the comment. but just how much difference would it make, in reality. even in a 10g tank, how long would it take, without water changes, for it to have a noticeable effect on the tank as a whole?

 

[three-fingers]

That all depends on the water stats already.

If you already have water that's fairly acidic then in a small tank like a 10gal it could affect it very fast, within a couple of days IME.

Calcium carbonate dissolves much faster in acidic water, and it will raise the pH up fairly quickly than start dissolving more slowly once the water is alkaline.

If you pH is already above 7.0 and you do weekly water changes (or just keep fish that like hard alkaline water) you wouldn't need to worry about it at all.

And really, even if you have water with a pH around 6.0, you wouldn't need to worry about it being raised up above 7.0 quickly when you add the shell unless you are keeping sensitive acid-loving fish, as changing the water conditions away from their preference for the sake of a peice of decor would be a bit pointless IMO.

 

[raptorrex]

That all depends on the water stats already.

If you already have water that's fairly acidic then in a small tank like a 10gal it could affect it very fast, within a couple of days IME.

Calcium carbonate dissolves much faster in acidic water, and it will raise the pH up fairly quickly than start dissolving more slowly once the water is alkaline.

If you pH is already above 7.0 and you do weekly water changes (or just keep fish that like hard alkaline water) you wouldn't need to worry about it at all.

And really, even if you have water with a pH around 6.0, you wouldn't need to worry about it being raised up above 7.0 quickly when you add the shell unless you are keeping sensitive acid-loving fish, as changing the water conditions away from their preference for the sake of a peice of decor would be a bit pointless IMO.

so, in essence, for most of us, it will have little noticeable effect then? and i take it a Conch without its shell weathered (complete with shiny covering) will have no effect whatsoever. as without abrasion it will take decades for the seal to be broken.
I realise they may not, seem, to have a place in a tropical fresh tank. but they make very nice homes and hides for things like Dwarf frogs, khouli loaches and even small cory.

 

[three-fingers]

Conch's seem to have very thick protein coats (shiny covering) on the outside, it would depend on the condition of the shell and possibly species of conch. Again, the more acidic the water, the faster it will likely break, though that may be the case for the more alkaline the water is...im not sure about the chemistry of that part of the shell.

As far as water stats go it can have a very noticeable effect for people with soft acidic water (overall I don't know if that would be most people), but would only really be worth considering if your keeping things like rams, discus or wild bettas, or trying to breed things like neons.

If you like the look of the, go for it .

The out-of-place comment was just me being cheeky.

 

[guppy77]

the reason i was gonna use it was mainly cause it would make a good hidey place. it probhably will look odd. i will see how it looks with a few plants concealing some of it. grateful for all your comments