Sea Shell

[craig855s]

Hey folks, had a sea shell sitting round the house after our friends kids brought us it last time we were at the beach, my question is can i put this shell in my tank (details in sig) Will it alter any chemistry (PH,GH,KH?) would it need boiling before putting it in?

 

[loraxchick]

it might slowly raise your pH as it is calcium carbonate...not a biggie...and yes, you should boil it to sterilize it before adding to your tank.

 

[craig855s]

my PH is already high (7.4 out of the tap) so i think ill give it a miss

 

[loraxchick]

well with the shells then, your water will have even more buffering capacity...im about to smash up some clam shells for my filter as my kH is low and my pH is crashing...all i need is about a big handful of ANY calcium carbonate source and the fish store wants like $19 a BAG of crushed coral...i seriously only need about a cup or two so had a clam steam (for $6) boiled the bejesus out of the shells and now get to have fun smashing them up to bits with a hammer...better than spending $19 for a few ounces of coral

 

[craig855s]

i dont even know what my KH is,nor do i understand how to alter it and what my inhabitants would prefer..but theyre all happy at the minute with it as it is