Glazed shells- are they toxic?

Woooow!! Birdlady! I can't even begin to imagine that!  36 inches of snow. Good gracious alive!! I knew you'd get a big laugh out of my snow storm photos. Those boots in your pic are about 4-5 times taller than Marcie, and Monty is even smaller. He didn't like the snow so he stayed inside. It scarred him. ;D

From your Avatar and your name I assume that you have a bird (s).  What kind?  Probably bigger than my dogs!

Cindy

 

I thought you might enjoy that pic ;D

 

Yes, I have a bird....and African Grey parrot...that is her pic in my avatar...she is 10 and talks her face off!!

I also lost my Peachface Lovebird last summer...she was 10 years old (and alot smaller that your dogs)

I used to breed lovebirds....then I had a kid......

;D :
Thanks for askin.....your dogs are soooo cuuuute! :-*

 

I think the African Greys are so pretty, especially yours. Our only LFS that carries SW is also big into birds. I think that is the owners first love. Wow, 10 years old. I understand that birds can live to a ripe old age. I guess they need to be included in a will. I'm not familiar with the Peachface Lovebird. Sounds really pretty, I'm sorry you lost her. My brother in law used to be big into birds, I think cockatoos, aren't they the big birds? He had two large ones and they would take them out to market or whereever they were going and they would poop on command. I thought that was a hoot! ;D After they had a child they sold them because they could be kind of unpredictable plus they make a pretty big mess especially the one that sheds powder. One of them bit the crap out of my sister in laws lip and that was pretty much the end of them.

Thanks, I think they are pretty cute too. I just love animals they are all beautiful to me-even the ugly ones.
When I first got my tank I thought my lawnmower blenny was about the ugliest thing I had ever seen. But he had such a cute personality that he quickly became one of my favorites. He died a couple of months ago. :'(I'd like to get another but I'm told I have way too many fish as it is. Oh well!

Have a good evening!

Cindy

 

I'm sure I am going to regret this

I'm no expert on Conchology, but I thought they only used oil to make the shells shiny. If that's true then a good wash would do the trick

John

 

heh.. I think they moved on John. ;D

Shiny shells are natual according to some stuff I saw here:

http://erato.acnatsci.org/conchnet/

 

[quote author=Matt Rogers link=board=General;num=1091501092;start=15#15 date=08/03/04 at 23:04:02]heh.. I think they moved on John.  ;D

Shiny shells are natual according to some stuff I saw here:

http://erato.acnatsci.org/conchnet/
[/quote]

LOL Really???

Mabe you should put down that beer mate

Quote from the website, that are talking about the inside of the shell being naturally shiny.


Someone may indeed varnish a shell, but this is not the usual way. Some kinds of shells are shiny because of the way the animal lives, but the sand isn't the polishing agent -- the animal itself is. When it is extended from its shell to crawl or feed, its body slides up around the shell like a cape; indeed, it's called a "mantle." Some mollusks cover their entire shell, others only a part. Since the mantle that covers the shell is also the part that actually manufactures shell, it can add tiny amounts of shelly substance as it enfolds the shell, smoothing and shining it, keeping its surface free of growths and encrustations, and from dulling by chemicals in the water.

 

Thanks guys!

This shell obviously has been varnished or something. It looks like a decorator piece. A friend from another board said that his brother in law used a similar type shell about 20 yrs ago in his tank and it killed his fish. This is the same guy that told me not to use the old sand when I moved my tank. Of course now I have all the problems with nitrates and phosphates since I didn't listen to him so I'm certainly not going to go against what he is saying this time. I hate being told "I told you so!". Plus most of all I don't want to kill my tank.

My husband is a dentist and suggested taking it by the dental lab here and letting them sand blast the varnish off of it. Do you think that would work pretty well or just make my varnish pitted and not really help any at all ?

What do Ya'll think?

Cindy

 

Thanks for the site Matt, however I was dissappointed to learn that you don't really hear the ocean in the shell. :'( since that is what I've heard all of my life. :-/

JohnO, I didn't realize there was such a thing as a conchologist. I just knew that had to have been something that you would have come up with.
I thought the site was pretty interesting. Who knows, maybe I'll start collecting shells. At least I wouldn't have to do water changes and keep up with the chemistry.

Ya'll have a great day!

Cindy

 

What that isn't the ocean? ;D

Ok, you have me curious, can you post a pic of this shell?

Maybe we can ID it, etc..