boiling shells to put in my tank - have a ?

[funkincredible]

How long should shells be boiled to ensure they are sterile, should I just bring the water to a boil or is there a rule of thumbs concernign how long to boil them? thanks

 

[reefj13]

You should boil the shells for about an hour and then I would recommend freezing them overnight. Even after doing all this there is still a small possibility that something will transfer into your tank. Be careful and good luck!

 

[mr . salty]

BOIL FOR AN HOUR??????The point is to sterilise them,not cook the heck out of them.Actually just a couple minutes at full boil will kill EVERYTHING on/in them.No need to freeze them either...As soon as they are cool enough to touch,you should rinse them in freshwater.Then they can go right into the tank...

 

[goofieones]

Yeah, I only boiled mine for like 20 mins, but forgot to check it, and then after awhile started smelling something burning, because the all the water had evaporated. But other than that, you should have no problems.

 

[funkincredible]

thanks mr. salty, you's da greatest... any chance I could test drive a hovercraft?!?
-Dustin
p.s. you get a free six pack for my test drive your pick- bud light or coors light

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

I have read that you place the shells in a cup of bleach with 5 gallons of water for about two weeks and then clean them about 100 times. But I like the boiling idea much better.

 

[@knight]

i won't use bleach anywhere near my tank! Way too risky.

 

[dad]

salty is correct as always! if anything survives after a couple of minutes, it will come out and kick your a**.lol
as for bleach; alot of people do this. takes days to make sure all the bleach is gone and then there is a chance!
my 2 cents.

 

[mr . salty]

Bleach is also safe IF USED CORRECTLY...I have two pieces of dead coral in my tank that need cleaning about every two weeks.The trick is to use VERY LITTLE bleach.Just enough so you can barly smell it in the water.Then let it sit for an hour or two(overnight is best). Then rinse it a hundred times.I also use bleach to clean a new tank before setup...