[Potus]

I am looking to put some multies into a tank I have and went to the pet store to arrange a trade for fish already in my tank. When I left they gave me two nice shells that had been in their tank earlier but were removed and were sitting in a bin. When I picked them up I noticed that they smelled horribly of feces and decay. I brought them home and boiled them but they still smell beyond anything I had imagined would be possible. I now have them sitting out to dry. Is this normal?

Do shells used by fish, more specifically multies, smell horrible or should I be concerned by something like this? Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[ahud]

Sounds like something died in it. Thats a common problem with shellies.

 

[Eric_S]

Try bleach and rinse well! I've had fish die in my shells. It happens. But under normal circumstances, the shells shouldn't really stink.

 

[Potus]

If something died in it should I use the shells or should I just get rid of them?

 

[DJRansome]

I agree with Eric_S, I would reuse after cleaning (remove debris, scrub, boil or bleach).

 

[Potus]

Well I boiled them and left them to dry. Should I do anything else to clean them?

 

[ahud]

Make sure there is no debris inside.

Honestly, if it still smelled bad I would just buy more shells and skip the effort of cleaning them. Online they are like 10-30 cent each.

 

[DJRansome]

Honestly, if it still smelled bad I would just buy more shells and skip the effort of cleaning them. Online they are like 10-30 cent each.

Good idea too if you don't mind waiting.

 

[janthinajanthina]

I usually soak my multies shells. Just keep them over a night in a bucket, then if the water smells bad, twirl the shells to empty them of water, change the water, and let them soak. Repeath until the water doesn't smell bad anymore and then boil them. It may take awhile, but they'll be clean.

I don't think drying/boiling them will do much if there is something "bigger" stuck in them, I think soak, rinse, repeat would work better.