Cleaning shells for hermits

.stu · 01/08/2016, 03:58 PM

I was planning to look for some new shells on the beach for my hermits, what's the best way to clean them so I can add them to the tank or am I better off just buying some?

thegrun · 01/08/2016, 04:04 PM

I would soak them in a 1/3 bleach solution, rinse well and let them dry in the sun for a few days.

lespaul339 · 01/08/2016, 04:08 PM

Just boil them and let them air dry for a day before putting into your tank.

chimmike · 01/08/2016, 04:52 PM

the bigger your hermits get the more likely they will be to eat things you don't want them to eat.

JMorris271 · 01/08/2016, 07:07 PM

I always boil my crab shells.

Shawn O · 01/09/2016, 01:30 PM

If you're collecting shells on the beach, be sure to place them in some salt water and observe them for a while to be sure they're empty. My wife collected some empty shells and one of them wasn't really empty. We held them up to the light, shook them, etc. Didn't matter. We didn't realize there was a hermit in one of them until it started to smell.

All you really need to do is boil them in tap water for about ten minutes. Any bacteria in it will be killed and any stuck-on crud will have loosened up.

01/08/2016, 03:58 PM	#1
.stu Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 8	Cleaning shells for hermits I was planning to look for some new shells on the beach for my hermits, what's the best way to clean them so I can add them to the tank or am I better off just buying some?

01/08/2016, 04:08 PM	#3
lespaul339 Reefer Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Iowa Posts: 903	Just boil them and let them air dry for a day before putting into your tank. __________________ Reefer Madness! Current Tank Info: 60x24x24 150 gallon reef, 55 gallon sump.

01/08/2016, 04:52 PM	#4
chimmike oxygen abuser Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Parrish, FL Posts: 5,089 Blog Entries: 2	the bigger your hermits get the more likely they will be to eat things you don't want them to eat. __________________ -Mike Tankless wonder Geaux Noles!

01/08/2016, 07:07 PM	#5
JMorris271 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Foothills of SC Posts: 2,010	I always boil my crab shells. __________________ 120 gal mixed tank. Lightly stocked now but....

01/09/2016, 01:30 PM	#6
Shawn O Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts Posts: 1,474	If you're collecting shells on the beach, be sure to place them in some salt water and observe them for a while to be sure they're empty. My wife collected some empty shells and one of them wasn't really empty. We held them up to the light, shook them, etc. Didn't matter. We didn't realize there was a hermit in one of them until it started to smell. All you really need to do is boil them in tap water for about ten minutes. Any bacteria in it will be killed and any stuck-on crud will have loosened up. __________________ "55gal glass box full of water, rocks and some not-so-amused little fishes" 2x Occellaris, 1 Pajama, 1 Neon Dottyback. Current Tank Info: 55gal tank, sumpless, ReefOctopus Classic 90, Twin bulb T5.

01/08/2016, 04:04 PM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I would soak them in a 1/3 bleach solution, rinse well and let them dry in the sun for a few days.