Some questions by a beginner...

[crisboo]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. For many years, i've collected seashells here in my country, Chile, and i discovered a beautifull part of the marine living forms.
A week ago, i found this webpage, and it´s amazing. The live shells phtos are beautifull. I congratulate every one who had contribiute to this great website.

Here are the questions:

1.-  is naturally possible to obtain a little/micro specimen of Tridacnidae: Tridacna squamosa (Lamarck, 1819)?


2.-  Do the microshells have a special classification, rarity or price? i have a micro clam that is 2mm long.

3.-Could anyone give me a few tips for classifying and conserving  seashells without using bleach? (cause i'm a little scared about using it)

4.- could anyone give me some tips/techniques for beachcombing? like what tools to use, where to  put the shells, what techniques to use, etc.


thanx for the help

c ya!

[pilsbryi]

Dear Crisboo

There is no problem using bleach. 1/3 bleach for 2/3 clean water ; 1-2 days and take out the shells. Let them dry and if they have calcar on it with patiente take out the attachments. At the end if they have operculum put the cotton inside the empty shell and glue on the operc. You can put some natural oil ( babys oil or coconut ). The shells will appear to much brilliant at the beginning; then after a week or so they will present a normal bright. This procedure prevents the colors to fade away and then you`ll have a spoiled shell .

Avoid the moisture and hot . Cold and dry places are the best to preserve. Direct sunlight it is dangerous, so keep them away inside drawers.

When you catch a shell try to put all the info avaiable. day /year ; habitat ; how you caught .

 Kind regards

pilsbryi

[dave r]

Hi Crisboo, welcome to the forum. I will attempt to answer some of your questions.
1/ Yes it is possible but you would have to find a place where they were spawning to find such tiny examples.
2/ Certain families of shells are all 'micros', they are classified along with all the others. Any good local giude will have a chapter or section on the micros but it is a specialised area. There is not much call for them for sale as most people collect locally so they do not go for high prices.
3/ Pilsbryi has covered that in his answer above. But be sure to remove the operculum before you put the shell in bleach as this will dissolve thin corneous opercula.
4/ When beachcombing beware of tides and also strong sunshine, it is surprising how quickly you can get sunburnt with the aid of a sea breeze, wear a hat and tee shirt. Check the local tide tables and aim to get there when the tide is about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way out so you can follow it as it recedes, when it starts to come in again you can walk steadily ahead witout fear of being stranded. A low spring-tide is the best as it goes out farther than normal.
When I go I usually just take some plactic bags and a strong knife plus some small plastic containers. Any specimens I find go into the bags, self-sealing ones are the best, to keep the smell in! The knife is used to prize limpets or oysters off the rocks and the containers are good for puting very small shells or shell grit in, they can then be examined and identified in comfort at home. When you get live shells these are best cleaned of the occupants by boiling for about 5 minutes, this toughens up the tissue making it easier to extract the mollusc with a pin. If it is a periwinkle or mussel etc you can always eat them too! Any parts that remain in the shell will quickly start to decompose and stink to high heaven, flush them out with a jet of water as much as possible then soak in the bleach solution. Let them dry in a warm place and plug the aperture tightly as far in as you can with cotton wool, this should eliminate any smells.
I hope this has been helpful, any other questions, just ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging shells? I would love some of the Limpets etc that live in your part of the world.
Dave

[paul monfils]

Hi Crisboo,

I have a 68 mm Tridacna squamosa I don't need.  Not exactly a "micro" but a small specimen. Not gem condition but still attractive.  If you can use it I'll be glad to send it to you.  Email me at <!-- e --><a href="mailtoaulCyp@cox.net">PaulCyp@cox.net</a><!-- e -->

Regarding microshells, keep in mind that nearly all shelled mollusks begin life as "micros".  A shell a few mm in length could be either a fully grown adult of a minute species, or a newly hatched specimen of a species that would have eventually reached 200 mm.

Regards,
Paul  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2008-12-19 05:19:08 --</span>

[towmanmike]

hello everyone, my first post n need some help... my daughter just got into collecting sea shells and wants to know the best way to clean and polish her new shells. thank you

[paul monfils]

Hi.  The best way to clean shells (most shells anyway) is to soak them in a bleach solution, about 1 part liquid bleach to 9 parts water, if she is old enough to do that safely by herself.  Then just rinse thoroughly with water, inside and out, and allow to dry.  It won't hurt the natural colors of the shell, but will remove stains and algae and other kinds of debris from the outside of the shell, as well as any smelly little remains of the former inhabitant that might still be inside. Collectors don't usually polish their shells, but prefer to keep them looking natural.  Some types of shells, like cowries and olive shells, are very glossy naturally, but other types are not naturally glossy and shouldn't be made to look artificially glossy.  Just cleaning is all they need.  If she has shells she picked up on the beach that are dull looking and faded, some of the color can be brought back by rubbing them with mineral oil or baby oil, and then wiping off all the excess oil.  There is also a section on cleaning shells on this website. If your daughter needs any help identifying her shells you can post a picture on our identification forum on this website and experienced collectors will provide the names. And finally, if she would like a small selection of pretty, colorful tropical shells for her collection, email me - <!-- e --><a href="mailto:paulcyp@cox.net">paulcyp@cox.net</a><!-- e --> - with a shipping address and I'll send her (or you) a little box of nice things.  I'm a long time shell dealer and have thousands of shells I can easily spare, so I always like to share a few with a beginner.