HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I'm not sure I'm putting this in the right section...I just put two calcium coated (heavy) pica/magpie shells in a dish of vinegar. They are fizzing like crazy. My hope is to remove the calcium.Does anyone think it will harm the shell? If so, I can get more, but I would take them out of the vinegar immediately.So far it has been 15 minutes and they are fizzing steadily.*** update*** after 45 minutes of fizzing, the calcium is getting slimy but the shell seems to be the same. I think I'm on to something here!!

Someone did this before, I forget who. I think it should be fine though. Just remember to rinse the shell thoroughly with fresh water and let it dry before using it (and check for a smell too before putting it in the tank). Vinegar is acidic but I don't think for that short time it would eat away at the shells themselves. It doesn't affect eggshells when we dye them with vinegar water and fizzy tablets and the eggshells are much thinner than those shells.My crabs used to like to eat the calcium off of the pica shells when I kept them in the tank. My now-departed jumbo came in one of those shells and I kind of have a soft spot for the calcium-coated magpies.

Thanks Nicole.That is kind of what I was thinking but I don't know what shells are made of and what vinegar will do. It can harm marble.I won't worry so much, just check on them every now and then.About 2 hours now and the lightest coated one is slimy and shedding the coating.The larger might take overnight at this rate- it is very thick!

Are you trying to make them more light weight and thinner? I will be interested to see how this turns out since I have a few shells that are pretty heavy. Is that calcium on the inside or the outside? I know silly question but I thought I might ask anyways.

quote:I know silly question but I thought I might ask anyways. Not so silly. The calcium is the white stuff on the outside of some larger shells.The shells are like this. It is kind of clunky looking and the biggest one I have almost looks like it was covered with cement it is so thick.After about 3 hours, the smaller shell, pictured here on the left is looking good. The black and white markings are showing and the calcium deposit (white crud that looks like bird droppings) is almost gone.This is without any effort on my part aside from pouring vinegar into a dish and putting the shells in.

About 3.5 hours later, and two minutes with a nailbrush, and it looks good for the smaller.before- the one on the left and after take a look at that pearly mouth. Not at all bothered by the vinegar.

it isn't shiny new clean yet, kind of like a powder coat paint.I'm not sure it will ever be super smooth, but it is a vast improvement over what it was. The tip is kind of pearlized looking, probably from the snail bumping into stuff.I am leaving the really thick one in overnight- I may have to change vinegar soon as it is getting pretty nasty.I'll be getting 5 more shells and plan to soak them right away.

quote:It doesn't affect eggshells when we dye them with vinegar water You ever let one sit overnight? The egg turns rubbery, shell and all. We did it as a science experiment in grade school of course sea shells are much thicker and harder to penetrate than egg shells.

I boiled a shell in 50/50 vinegar water (because it stunk bad) and it seems to have lost most of the mother-of-pearl on the inside. That may have been because of the combination of vinegar and boiling, I don't know. Let us know how the overnight shell turns out.

I'm getting much more mother of pearl on the inside, I think it was coated as well. Simply rubbing it with my fingertip rubs off a white film and I have a very pearly opening.I left the big one in vinegar overnight, and in the morning the vinegar was almost black and the black and white shell outside is coming off and it is looking pearled in spots. Since I am getting 5 more next week, I am going to keep it in and see if I can get pearled.

After almost 2 days in a vinegar bath, my large coated shell is pretty pearly.

Honestly, those were my only shells big enough for the largest guys and they were just not taking them even though they came from shells identical without the calcium.I am a geek, therefore remembered something from chemistry about acids and calcium carbonate being in antacids, so figured it was worth a try.The downside, if you leave them in too long they could get pitted as Rachael said. It took a couple of days and I stopped when I did because at last look my large shell had a pit in it and the tip is looking thin.I have 5 more coming within a week from the same guy I got the crabs and those shells from, so it was worth the risk.