Saltwater Shells and Driftwood

[CSnyder00]

So I was in Ocean City this week and found a ton of nice snail shells and one big piece of driftwood. What I'm wondering is 1) whether there is any risk involved with the shells 2) what must I do/what can I do to make the driftwood safe for freshwater tanks.

Surely someone has experience with this stuff. I am soaking the shells after scrubbing them in clean water. I will scrub and then resoak once more after this. That should have them clean enough.

Thoughts?

 

[bossanova]

I like to boil everything if I can before it goes in. If not, spray with really hot water. Never had a problem with rocks from rock creek park, and other random pieces.

 

[olzkool]

Ive always just cleaned my rocks with water and rinsed. I've never used found shells but bossanovas right, just boil them. What kind of tank is the driftwood going in? If it's an African tank, and you don't want the effects of the tannins (soften water and discoloration), soak it in a mild bleach water solution first to kill any organisms, then soak several times in freshwater and scrub each time and a lot of the tannins will be removed.

 

[olzkool]

I used a big Rubbermaid tub

 

[bossanova]

Also, if you're still worried you can always put a little Chem media in the filter "just in case"

 

[CSnyder00]

I should specify that these came from the beach, not from a freshwater source.

 

[dogofwar]

I've used a bunch of (saltwater) shells that we collected in Florida in saltwater tanks. You can also use them with African cichlids or fish that appreciate the calcium carbonate that they'll give off. The main thing is to ensure that there's no critters still in them (the snail, crab, etc.). Just rinse them off and they're good to go.

Never used driftwood from the beach but can't hurt to soak it in a rubbermaid with freshwater for a few days to see if anything comes out of it (and get started on getting it to sink).

Matt

 

[mchambers]

I've used a bunch of (saltwater) shells that we collected in Florida in saltwater tanks. You can also use them with African cichlids or fish that appreciate the calcium carbonate that they'll give off. The main thing is to ensure that there's no critters still in them (the snail, crab, etc.). Just rinse them off and they're good to go.

Never used driftwood from the beach but can't hurt to soak it in a rubbermaid with freshwater for a few days to see if anything comes out of it (and get started on getting it to sink).

Matt

Conversely, definitely should not use them in a soft water tank.