I'm trying to set up some natural filtration and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with freshwater mussels and clams. Not exactly monster fish but I've heard they can reduce nitrate spikes.
Bivalve filtration
- Thread starter Aribenlaw
- Start date
maxilaria;539537; said:
I'm not too sure if they will starve that easily. In fact I am also looking to create a bivalve addition to my brackish tank for filtration purposes. I have scats and other messy eaters and hopefully the small crushed foods will be enough for the clams. The design I'm thinking would be similar to a refugium tank, but with clams that would sit right before my filters. OR putting them in a "box" inside the tank that would also house my intakes for my filters.
In either case, I'm going to try to keep them out of the main tank. And if luck would have it so that they reproduce, then I'll have more food for my puffers.
It doesn't seem like a good idea. Since the are filter feeders, anything they take up is in them (including toxins) and although it may not hurt the fish in the water, the toxins build up in the bivalves and if the fish eats one, it may die. But more importantly, it could have bad bacteria in it, which is why raw oysters and mussels are baddd!
The longest that I have been able to keep a freshwater mussel alive in a fish tank was about 9 months, that was with addition of phyto-plankton. I kept them alive about 6 months in my outdoors pond. Good-luck. (Don't keep them with goldfish as the goldfish will tear their shells apart and eat the yummy insides [personal observation]).
I believe this hobby is about trial and error. Since there is not much data out there concerning this type of set-up, why not try it. Sure take heed to all of the warnings and then try to work around them.
In nature, clams and other creature are excellent filter feeders and they are known to keep the water quality clear. Such is their lot. So yes, one should be careful when or if they are going to add them to their tank, but on the reverse, someone could possibly come with a solution that would become the standard in the hobby.
All critters are dangerous in the aquarium when they die and are left there.
All I'm saying to you Aribenlaw, consider the warnings, but don't let them deter you from trying something new. Keep track of your successes and unsuccesses. I believe it was Thomas Edison that said, "I didn't fail X amount of times, I only learned X amount of ways I COULDN'T make a light bulb." So try the bivalves if you choose. And if you need to, post X amounts of ways to keep them succesfully or X amount of ways NOT to keep them.
In nature, clams and other creature are excellent filter feeders and they are known to keep the water quality clear. Such is their lot. So yes, one should be careful when or if they are going to add them to their tank, but on the reverse, someone could possibly come with a solution that would become the standard in the hobby.
All critters are dangerous in the aquarium when they die and are left there.
All I'm saying to you Aribenlaw, consider the warnings, but don't let them deter you from trying something new. Keep track of your successes and unsuccesses. I believe it was Thomas Edison that said, "I didn't fail X amount of times, I only learned X amount of ways I COULDN'T make a light bulb." So try the bivalves if you choose. And if you need to, post X amounts of ways to keep them succesfully or X amount of ways NOT to keep them.