Hi folks,
 
Once again a stinky shell question. I just received some Thais species from
Singapore in a trade. When I opened the box . . . Whew!! Okay, so here are
these nice rock shells with all their operculums in place, looking great.
Do I need to take them apart and try to flush out the deadly remains or
will leaving them outside in the sun for a week or so dry them out enough
to stop the stench. I think I know what the answer is going to be, but I
just thought I'd get all the input from you guys. I'm starting to feel like
I am going to have to eventually get one of those ultrasonic cleaners,
particularly since a lot of my material is coming from scallopers who have
left the shells sitting around, sometimes for weeks, so it's hard to know
when all the gunk is out (the soft parts tend to just look like stinky
dirt, so there's no distinctive "coil" to give away a successful cleaning).
 
 
So I guess I also need advice on which cleaner to get -- is there one out
there big enough to do, say, a Junonia or a Tulip without cleaning out,
say, my bank account.
 
Thanks a million people. It's really great to have you all as a resource.
Some day when I am as knowledgeable as you, I won't have to ask these
questions and we can move on to more important topics.
 
Best regards to all,
Jim Miller
Tallahassee, Florida