Aquarium Guide » HousedPet.com

Every aquarist tries to make their tank look attractive, adding various types of decors and other things like live aquatic plants to their tank. When we talk about decors, there are numerous types of decors present, like sunken ships, terra cotta pots, driftwood, caves, and seashells. Of course, adding seashells to your tank is the most natural way to make it look attractive, but can we put them in our tank? So, Can I put seashells in my fish tank? Let us find out. You can add seashells to your fish tank after cleaning it properly to get safe from pests and parasites. However, if you can keep a regular check on your tanks pH and maintain it at an appropriate level, then only prefer adding seashells as seashells will elevate the pH level of your tank. This article will discuss whether we can add seashells to our fish tank. Also, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of adding seashells to a fish tank. So, let us get into it. Is it ok to put seashells in my fish tank? Seashells are good decors for both freshwater and saltwater aquarium. Many aquarists love to add seashells to their tank as it helps them mimic the environment of the ocean and seas. Also, the aquarium looks great when we keep seashells in it. However, seashells can come with issues that can make your fish suffer. Seashells contain calcium, which will cause a chemical imbalance in the water. Adding seashells will increase the pH level of the water. However, if you can keep a regular check on pH levels and maintain the pH level at the appropriate level, you can add seashells to your fish tank. If you don't have much time to run a proper check on pH levels in a regular manner and the pH level of your tank is already high, we don't recommend adding seashells to your fish tank. Let us thoroughly discuss the disadvantages and advantages of adding seashells to a fish tank. What are the disadvantages of putting seashells in a fish tank? All these are the disadvantages of putting seashells in a fish tank: It increases the pH level of the tank.There can be a presence of organisms and pests in your fish tank.Seashells can develop bacteria in your fish tank.There can be excessive growth of algae in your fish tank. Increases the pH level Seashells will increase the pH level of your fish tank. It contains calcium carbonate that gets dissolved in the water and raises the pH level of the tank. Increased pH levels can make your fish suffer from a life-threatening condition. If you want to increase the pH level of your fish tank, you can go by adding seashells to the tank. However, you have to keep a regular check on the pH level and should ensure that the pH level doesn't cross the recommended level. For this, we suggest you use the API freshwater master kit, as it will help you regularly check the pH level and show accurate results. Also read: Ideal pH level For Cory Catfish? Risk of pests and organisms Adding seashells to your fish tank comes with the risk of pests and organisms in the tank. As we all know, creatures lived in these seashells once, so it is possible that some pieces of it can be present in a particular area inside these seashells after their demise. Also, types of microorganisms like pests and parasites can be present in the shells, which can make your fish suffer from critical conditions. These creatures can easily move into your fish tank and multiply in a freshwater tank with no salt. So, it is necessary to properly clean the seashells before adding them to the tank. Development of bacteria The main reason bacteria bloom in the tank is debris and other waste. When we add decor items like caves, sunken ships, and seashells, the debris and other waste get trapped in them, which becomes difficult to clean out through filtration. Many types of bacteria can harm your fish, and your fish can even pass away because of these bacteria. Also, you must know that the inside of seashells is the best place for the bacteria to breed and multiply. Excessive growth of algae Putting seashells in the tank will elevate the pH level of the tank. A high pH level will result in algae growth in the tank. A tank with excessive algae will not look attractive, and your fish will suffer in a tank with algae. Algae will consume more oxygen than they produce, so a tank with excessive algae will be at risk of oxygen deficiency. What are the advantages of putting seashells in a fish tank? All these are the advantages of putting seashells in a fish tank: Seashells are a good decor for your fish tank.Seashells will provide hiding spots for your fish.Seashells will help in balancing the calcium requirement of your tank. Decoration Seashells are directly related to the seas and ocean, as you will find them on the beaches. Adding them to your fish tank will also help you mimic the natural habitat of your fish. Adding seashells to your tank will make your tank look very attractive. Put some seashells with live aquatic plants in your tank, and it will look fabulous. Hiding spots Seashells also play as a good hiding spot for smaller fishes. Seashells will provide good hiding spots if you have small fish like neon tetras, guppies, and mollies. We prefer to add many types of fish in our tank, of which some are small in size, and some are bigger. Big fish will try to bully and hunt down small fish, which is quite normal. Even a mother fish will try to feed on their fry after giving birth. So, these small fish and fish fry require hiding spots to save themselves from big fish. Seashells will provide these small fish with good hiding spots. Also read: Do Goldfish Need Hiding Places? Balancing calcium levels. Adding seashells will help you in balancing the calcium requirements of the fish and aquatic plants. Like us, fish also require calcium for the development of their bones. If you have a saltwater tank, it will contain various types of minerals but not too much calcium for the development of the fish. So, you can add seashells to your saltwater tank to balance the calcium requirements of your saltwater fish tank. However, when we talk about the freshwater aquarium, we avoid adding seashells most of the time in such an aquarium. Calcium will disturb the freshwater tank's pH level, which can result in your fish suffering from life-threatening conditions. How to safely put seashells in a fish tank? As we have discussed in the above article, seashells can contain parasites and pests that can harm your fish. Such pests and parasites can easily multiply in a freshwater aquarium with no salt. However, there is a way to ensure the seashells are safe and good to go into your fish tank. Follow this process to put seashells in your fish tank safely: Heat the water to a boiling point.Submerge the seashells into the water for 10-12 minutes.Remove the shells and get rid of debris once the seashells are cooled.Clean the shells thoroughly until you are sure that there is no waste left. We recommend not using any seashells painted or decored with other chemicals, as they can harm your fish. You can also keep the seashells out where ants are around, as they will eat on the left tissue if present. What are the items we should avoid adding to our fish tank? We cannot put any decor in our fish tank as it can harm the water chemistry and make your fish suffer from issues. These are some decors we should avoid adding to our fish tank: Sharp objectsMetal decorsPainted decorsWoodSand that is present on beaches. Conclusion: You can add seashells to your fish tank after cleaning it appropriately and ensuring no particles are left in the seashells. Seashells will elevate the pH level of the tank, so if your tank already has a high pH level, we don't recommend adding seashells to the tank. If you want to increase the pH level of the tank, you can add seashells. Seashells will provide a good hiding place for your small fish, making them feel comfortable and safe. However, clean the seashells properly as they can contain parasites and other bacteria that can make your fish suffer from a life-threatening condition. Reference: Wikipedia