Seashells in a freshwater tank?

[Grant]

I went to Mexico for spring break, and picked up a handful of see shells
from the Sea of Cortez. Would these be ok, granted I rinsed them well?

-Grant

[Don Bosman]

They will slowly disolve in your tank. First the color goes, then the shell
will start to thin. Some companies sell epoxy coated shells that will hold
up.

"Grant" > wrote in message
...
> I went to Mexico for spring break, and picked up a handful of see shells
> from the Sea of Cortez. Would these be ok, granted I rinsed them well?
>
> -Grant
>
>

[Dinky]

"Grant" > wrote in message
...
| I went to Mexico for spring break, and picked up a handful of see
shells
| from the Sea of Cortez. Would these be ok, granted I rinsed them
well?
|
| -Grant
|
|

Nope. I made this mistake with my first tank when I was 10 years old.
Within 2 weeks, my half-dozen neons had died. This was explained to
me in great detail once, but the gist of it is, nature seeks to
balance certain substances, and when in seawater, a shell is in good
balance. In freshwater, it is very out of balance with the water, and
substances in the shell enter the water in an attempt to balance. The
direct result is extremes in water hardness and PH.
If you really want shells in your FW tank, you're stuck with fake
ones. Or, you could start a marine tank. <g>

billy