What to do with old seashells??

[xxkenny90xx]

Any ideas what I can do with these 100s of shells I just picked up? Some are broken. Can they be crushed up and used as filter material (like crushed coral) or are they too smooth? Any other ideas? Should I just toss the broken ones?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

 

[PicassoClown04]

Hi! I use them as frag plugs

 

[...]

Hi! I use them as frag plugs

Creative.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Creative.

Came from the ocean, back in my ocean . Looks a little more natural to me than a giant frag plug

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Hi! I use them as frag plugs

Nice idea for the smaller shells! Do you all just toss broken bits and pieces (I have alot)

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Hi! I use them as frag plugs

This is an awesome idea!!

 

[...]

I mean, you can also use them as shells for hermit crabs?

 

[PicassoClown04]

Nice idea for the smaller shells! Do you all just toss broken bits and pieces (I have alot)

I use all the shells broken or otherwise, people usually really like the idea and most shells can simply be glued onto a plug if the buyer so chooses. I think they’re much prettier and are more easily introduced to the reef than the ugly frag plugs are

 

[...]

I use all the shells broken or otherwise, people usually really like the idea and most shells can simply be glued onto a plug if the buyer so chooses. I think they’re much prettier and are more easily introduced to the reef than the ugly frag plugs are

And you don't have to drill a hole in the rocks to make sure the plugs stay stable, you can just glue them onto the rocks.

 

[Biglew11]

My pistol shrimp likes to incorporate them into his tunnels.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

My pistol shrimp likes to incorporate them into his tunnels.

Ah yes, mine lives between a rock and a mussel shell. Oh and above an upside down 6 head acan frag that I just noticed was missing....

 

[ichthyogeek]

I bet you could do some sort of enrichment item using gel food and the empty shells. Like clams on a half shell...but instead it's a gelatinized fish goop.

With all the rough and broken parts, I get you could add them to any calcium reactors you have. But if it's something like an oyster shell (nacrene), it might not be as calcium-licious as you think.

Didn't you have a giant hermit crab? If so, that conch shell looks like a pretty nice home for one.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I bet you could do some sort of enrichment item using gel food and the empty shells. Like clams on a half shell...but instead it's a gelatinized fish goop.

With all the rough and broken parts, I get you could add them to any calcium reactors you have. But if it's something like an oyster shell (nacrene), it might not be as calcium-licious as you think.

Didn't you have a giant hermit crab? If so, that conch shell looks like a pretty nice home for one.

Ya I actually bought him a shell like that a while back and he tried it on for a bit and walked around but I think it was uncomfortably heavy.
I wish he could fit this one I got today

This one is a little small but might fit him

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I bet you could do some sort of enrichment item using gel food and the empty shells. Like clams on a half shell...but instead it's a gelatinized fish goop.

With all the rough and broken parts, I get you could add them to any calcium reactors you have. But if it's something like an oyster shell (nacrene), it might not be as calcium-licious as you think.

Didn't you have a giant hermit crab? If so, that conch shell looks like a pretty nice home for one.

I dont do the calcium reactor thing but can you explain the fish goop idea to me??

 

[ichthyogeek]

I dont do the calcium reactor thing but can you explain the fish goop idea to me??

Ok, so you know how you can buy clams that are frozen on the half shell? Or mussells or really any bivalve?

Some of us make our own fish food. It's a stinky (supposedly) delicious mess. Typically, it involves blending a large amount of various fish foods (shrimp, bivalves, squid, mysis, nori, etc.) together, and then mixing a binder (like gelatin!) into that. Instead of just freezing/chilling it into blocks, I bet you could put some on the half shells, and use that as an enrichment supplement.

I guess the most applicable fish that this would work for, would be the puffers and tobies. We know that they absolutely adore clams on the half shell. So if one had a bunch of half shells (like you), they could just put the fish goop onto the them. This could probably also work well for other benthic feeders like angelfish.

And for larger puffers, you could go all patissier. Toss the food onto the frozen half shells, and then once that has frozen, dab a little bit more on, and smush them together like a macaron...a very fishy smelling macaron that only large puffers and other bivalve eating fish would enjoy.

 

[Ranjib]

They are awesome to add as soild amendments. I would buy them for cheap if i can to add in my compost. Remember anything thats of organic origin is always reusable in nature's good old eco cycle . These shells add vital minerals that are hard to get by just vegetable/green/brown compost.