# Can I use my shells, shark teeth etc as decorations?



## OceanLove (Mar 19, 2010)

Hey all!

First is various shark teeth and sea shells. Ones that date recently. 

Then I have lots of various fossilized shells, corals, shark teeth and bones. Ones that are rather old.

I was wondering about using different things for decorations in aquariums. I realize though, that it may effect the water. Id like to know if these things are safe and if they are not is there a way to treat them to make them OK to use?

Thanks for your help!


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## Bacchus (Mar 8, 2010)

shells, coral, and certain types of stones will definitely raise your pH...

i dont know about the shark teeth. are they shark teeth that you collected yourself or are they store-bought? sometimes i know a store will spray them with some type of lacquer and that would not be good. a fossilized shark tooth would be cool. i think non-fossilized shark teeth and bones would probably have an effect but i am not sure what effect or how much of one...

fossilized things as i am sure you know are turned into stone, so i think you would have a better chance of _them_ not affecting your water's parameters. the shells and coral i am sure of though.


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## OceanLove (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks for your response! 

I expected as much, is there anyway to test or help eliminate that problem? I'll be a little more specific in what I'm thinking of.

Nothing is store bought, they are all ones I have collected or family collected. So that's not a problem. 

The Shells I have are both fossilized and not fossilized. The fossilized ones range in size & shape but many are med to large. 

On the non fossilized shells they are mostly from the ocean and generally not too large. 

The coral pieces are fossilized. I have small to very large pieces.

The bones are all fossilized (dinosaurs etc.) I also have some leaves, small fish, etc. fossilized. 

I have shark teeth that are not fossilized but the ones I would prefer to add are fossilized. I really like the idea of adding some Megalodon teeth.


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## Redknee (Feb 21, 2010)

Where exactly did you get megalodon teeth? They are expensive as BMWs in Japan.
And no, don't use those things in a tank, depending on the tank size it can mess up your pH and KH.


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## OceanLove (Mar 19, 2010)

I don't live in Japan, what kind of BMW was that? :lol: I live in Florida and they are among some of my finds. I thought they might have a negative effect but was hoping there was a way Fish Keepers might go about fixing it. :-D I guess not...


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## Redknee (Feb 21, 2010)

I don't live in Japan either but still BMWs are expensive there :lol:.
Any kind, but if you ask me the greatest ever made was the 850...
Nope, nobody here can alter the altering that those things do to water.


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## OceanLove (Mar 19, 2010)

I would have loved to have added any of those pieces. Oh Well. Thanks anyways! ;-)


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## Redknee (Feb 21, 2010)

Well in the end tank size is a factor here to.
in 100g 1-2 teeth can't do much but in a 10g 1 tooth can mess stuff up bad.


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## OceanLove (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh...Just for the teeth or for everything? 

Well, I have some smaller shark teeth (1-2 inches) that i was thinking of for my 20 gallon..or what about a 55 gallon or 150? What if I only used a couple small pieces....? I don't want to chance harming my fish by reeking havoc on their water chemistry though....better safe than sorry and all...


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## Redknee (Feb 21, 2010)

In a 55g u can use 2-3 pieces if they are not bigger than a zippo lighter. Just test the water for a while to make sure. In 150g... i think you can throu all your teeth, bones and whatnot. 10 teeth can't do that much damage to 560 liters of water.
Still, start with 1-2 pieces( from 55g up) and test the water for pH changes. If you see none you're safe.
But to be even safer just take a bucket(the standard 10 liter one), fill it with water, test the pH, put 2 teeth in, test pH again in 1 day. If it doesn't shift then the 2 teeth can't do damage in 75 liters(20g) either.
You can also add more each day and see at what point the pH changes in the 10 liter bucket. You might end up with 2-3 teeth, some bones, etc. and if the pH is the same in the bucket after...3-4 days i'd say it's safe to use them in the tank to.
OR you can go the really hard way and add wood that releases tannin to help drop the pH and so the teeth raise it and the tannin drops it and you can find a ballance, or use co2 to make the pH drop(this last idea of course is hardcore stuff and can be included in the do not try this at home unless you're good at it category).
And now i will stop posting before i encourage you to make even crazier stuff :lol:.


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## OceanLove (Mar 19, 2010)

ha ha I think I'll avoid the hard ways :lol: but I will definitely do the tests and if things seem to wacky I'll just abandon the idea, Id rather not play to much with little fish lives at stake. Maybe I could just artfully place them around the aquarium...or tape them to the aquarium to give the illusion of their presence in the water..... j/k :lol: but I will experiment with my favs.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

OceanLove said:


> ha ha I think I'll avoid the hard ways :lol: but I will definitely do the tests and if things seem to wacky I'll just abandon the idea, Id rather not play to much with little fish lives at stake. Maybe I could just artfully place them around the aquarium...or tape them to the aquarium to give the illusion of their presence in the water..... j/k :lol: but I will experiment with my favs.


And pictures of the final project, yes?? ;-)


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Keep in mind that the reason that these materials raise your pH and hardness is due to their calcium content, which means that they're actually dissolving in your water. Even if the water chemistry effects weren't of any concern, I'm not sure I'd want my precious collected fossils dissolving in my fish tank. Just a thought. Also, I'd be worried about shark teeth performing their, uh, intended purpose in my fish tank.


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