HCA: Hermit Crab Association

While disinfecting all of my tat structures (coco hut, vines and aquarium decor) of mites yesterday, I just dumped everything that needed to be cleaned in a 3.5 gallon bucket of MSW. This included all seashells which was the first thing I put in (so bottom of bucket). Out of force of habit for disinfecting, I put in like a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar and didn't think about it until this morning while rinsing everything off. All seashells for hermies are faded white. Nothing cracked but just a kind of dull white or half white and half still with color. Is that ok or do I need to chuck these??? I have another bag of seashells ready to use for the guys which I put in last night anyways but I just wasn't sure what to do about this. Advice?

Hi! I know vinegar can dissolve shells so I asked hubby about this question. He said the vinegar dissolves the calcium from the shells. This could make them more brittle so they could break easier and there could be rough spots that could be uncomfortable for the crabs.

Thanks! I was concerned about the calcium on the shells do and how sturdy they may be too. Went ahead and put in a new order at Naples Seashells. Lesson learned! Glad I keep extra on hand!

The salt also dulls the shells.

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But do u think I could still use the shells as back up shells? Although chalky looking, they seem pretty sturdy still. I had to throw away 3 because they were totally eaten up or chipped by the vinegar.

I don't think 1 tablespoon of vinegar in 3.5 gallons of water would be that corrosive? If they look sturdy enough, use them.

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Crabs don't care about aesthetics, we do lol.

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Ok! Thanks