I heard that keeping Freshwater clams in a tank can help filter out some of the ditritus. I was thinking of getting some for my 30 gallon tank, where I am keeping two young oscars. Are there any down sides to having clams are they potentially harmful to my fish? Are there any tricks for keeping them healthy do they need something speacial to keep them alive. (And for anyone worried about the oscars in the 30 gall I'm building a 90 gallon tank)
Freshwater clam questions
- Thread starter Veacane
- Start date
Clams will filter organic matter. They will not remove/utilize metabolized waste material. But, they're living animals that will also add to your bio-load with their waste products. Add to that; the larval stage of reproduction includes a parasitic stage where the young attach to the gills of fish and survive off the fish's blood, these are not a good choice for a comm tank.
BTW, please limit your bumps to one a day.
BTW, please limit your bumps to one a day.
wow did not know that was just about to order one from docter fosters and smith thanks for the heads up! 
They will also probably starve in your tank, slowly dying over a period of months without you realizing it. Clams aren't the best idea for a bio filter.
To add to what oddball said, another problem is that when they die, it's hard to tell. Before you realize you've got a dead clam, you may already have a water quality problem.
Do more water changes, rather than rely on some critter to keep your tank clean.
Do more water changes, rather than rely on some critter to keep your tank clean.
I keep them on hand to feed my loaches...I have had them for 6 months, and I have not had any, just flat out die on me. I have encountered no issues. I have always wondered if they are asexual? I only keep a single specimen, in any tank with fish. I keep the bulk, with shrimp. They do not provide any substantial cleaning of any kind. They do not move...If you look REALLY close, you can barely see them filtering out some food particles. They will burrow and provide a tiny amount of detritus filtering in the substrate.
You can see it behind the con fry...
You can see it behind the con fry...
I use clams as a filter bed in a sump on my 125, they are part of a bio filter i use. If you mechanically filter your aquarium don't get clams, they will die. i use Asian clams, they eat detritus and they don't have a parasitic larval stage but that isn't the reason i use them, The parasite stage of clams is short and does little or no harm to a healthy fish. I use them because they are tough, live in warm water, and they reproduce easily. I keep them in my sedimentation tank (and some in the main tank) They also need fine sand, detritus lays on top of sand and they eat it. doesn't make it go away but they do process it into easier to handle detritus for the other animals in my filter. as i said if you mechanically filter your aquarium they will die eventually. They might live for weeks or even months but die they will. If you plant to keep maybe one or two in a 125 in a sand bed they might live but you will never see them as they stay buried in the sand. the large freshwater mussels found over North America are much harder to keep and die in really warm water unless they are a species that originates in warm water. clams can do well in a Koi pond, especially a pond that tends to be green.
Oddball;1976171; said:
The small "golden asian clams" do not have parasitic larvae. Freshwater mussels DO have a parasitic larval stage, but I've never seen large mussels for sale in LFS.
First I was sure I was gonna get clams then I ws positive I wasn't, now I can't decide. I wasn't going to depend on them to filter out ditirtus I just knew that they lived on it. I do water changes 3 times a week, so they probably wouldn'y survive in my tank. Well I geuss I won't get them.