Shells from the beach

[twobitt]

Is it ok to put shells that you find on the beach into your tank or do they need to be cured? Same question goes for a conch shell that we purchased. I just got back from jamaica and my wife and I collected small shells on the beach and bought a couple of larger conch shells to add to our tank but I am not sure if they need to be cured or not. The collected shells are very clean with no growth and the decorative shells have all been cleaned from any exterior growth by hand to the point that they are shiny.
thanks in advance for your help

 

[puffer32]

You can use them. I would boil them first or soak them in clorox first though.

 

[twobitt]

great thanks

 

[ironsnipes]

on the conches i wouldnt put them in if they have acrilic or some kind of sealent, may come off in your water over time

 

[lovethesea]

no bleach, just through them in boiled water for a few minutes.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by lovethesea
no bleach, just through them in boiled water for a few minutes.
Why no bleach? Best bacteria killer and cleaner without detergent. Cant hurt a thing. Great for cleaning decortive dead corals. Of course that said, you should rinse everything you bleach for the tank really well.

 

[pbienkiewi]

I am with you puffer on using the bleach. I clean all my ph and other platic parts with bleach. It kills all the algae and kills everything else, microorganisms. Rince them off well. Bleach turns into saltwater over time anyways.
All shells I collect from the beach get the bleach soak then boiled.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by puffer32
Why no bleach? Best bacteria killer and cleaner without detergent. Cant hurt a thing. Great for cleaning decortive dead corals. Of course that said, you should rinse everything you bleach for the tank really well.

I agree rinsing and drying eliminates the bleach. if your still worried its not enough soak them in a bucket of water with a triple dose of dechlorinator then re rinse.