Can I get sea shells from the ocean ?

[vcnt]

I live really close to the ocean, I’m sure the answer is yes but can I get shells and other stuff of that matter from the coast?

 

[MissMolly]

Hi, I don't know about the law in the US, but please bear in mind that hermit crabs are short of shells in many places, so be mindful when removing shells from your beach

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, you can use natural ocean shells once clean.

 

[Jesse Sunday]

Hi, I don't know about the law in the US, but please bear in mind that hermit crabs are short of shells in many places, so be mindful when removing shells from your beach

The housing shortage isn't just for people!

 

[MissMolly]

The housing shortage isn't just for people!

Nope! hahahaah

But jokes aside. This is acutally a problem for the hermits. There's people BRINGING shells to the beach for the hermits

 

[Roatan Reef]

I live really close to the ocean, I’m sure the answer is yes but can I get shells and other stuff of that matter from the coast?

I also live close to the ocean, I have a bunch(shells) in my 125 Freshwater, for some reason, if I add any to my saltwater tank, even after cleaning thoroughly, they just collect algae. I do not have hermits though.

The only stuff I add from the ocean to my Saltwater Tank comes from Tampa Bay Saltwater Live Rock and Sand stuff.

 

[CBonito]

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can save a hermit.

 

[Roatan Reef]

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can save a hermit.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Lack of suitable shells may be an issue in some locations, but in others, the snail shells can pile up in heaps on the shore.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I have the same issue as Roatan Reef in that empty shells seem to grow algae faster than anything else in my tanks. So I only use live animals with shell!

 

[OrionN]

I put sands shells from the Ocean and the Corpus Christi Bay into my tanks all the time. Collect in the summer, the sand add great fauna and flora diversity to my tanks. I also add mangrove to my sump from seed collected in the ocean.

This seedling actually from my plant so it is a “second generation” seeding. It was bobbing in the sump. I feel sorry for it and secure it so it start growing. I is a seed from flower by my plant last summer.

 

[CBonito]

I have the same issue as Roatan Reef in that empty shells seem to grow algae faster than anything else in my tanks. So I only use live animals with shell!

My Diamond goby uses them as construction materials to line his burrow so it doesnt collapse.
I sat there for a few hours one night watching him build his burrow and it was wild how they know what they're doing!

Anyway, that's a good use for shells.