shells

[honeythorn]

Can I use the shell of a Giant african landsnail in my tank? after my snail vortigan died I kept his shell as a keepsake. It is clean, I left it outside for a couple of months under a bush for the insects to eat, and there was no trace of his poor little body left when I went back to the shell. I cleaned any bits of dirt out with boiling water several times and it's been sitting in a drawer for the past two years. Anyway, I found it the other day, and I wondered if it would be safe for my tank? It wouldn't leach anything into the water surely? I was thinking of packing the inner recesses of the shell that I can reach, with a stone or something? to prevent fish from getting trapped in there but still have a little place to hide. what do you guys think. any good?

[Nell]

I wouldn't reccommend it. Shells do leach minerals into the water.
Although you might be able to get away with it depending on a few things.
What size tank would you put it in? how big is the shell? Any idea how hard your water is?

[honeythorn]

The tank is 30 gallon, the shell is from a giant african land snail and is about 5 and a half inches long. I don't know the exact hardness of my water as my liquid test kit only covers the four main tests ( ph ammonia nitrite nitrate). I feel fairly confidant that I live in a hardwater area though, I know for certain that the local geology consists mostly of hard clay and sandstone. I don't mind going to get a hardness testkit though if thats whats needed.

what could the shell leach out? calcium perhaps? I kept my snail on a sandand soil mixture, and when I retrieved the shell after a few months of being outside ( after he died obv..) there was nothing left at all. then I really scrubbed it and flushed it out with boiling water.

[Sorathien]

i think you would be fine. it will leach a little calcium, but i highly doubt it would make much of a difference at all. however, chemicals in your tank and the slow leeching will deteriorate the shell over time.