Freshwater clams
- Thread starter Diamondhitch
- Start date
You'd need to feed them green water or other fresh water phyto plancton. I'd place them in a a jar or bowl in the main tank so that you can keep up with them. Place it right under your outflow from the power head so that they can help clean your water some. Just give them a good dose of phyto 3 or 4 times per week and they will do ok. You'll also need to make sure that they have sufficien ca avail for new shell growth.
I'd do a very slow introduction process like drip acclimation most inverts are pretty sensative to osmotic shock. Also be sure that you never treat and the tank has never been treated with a copper based med.
hth
Max
I'd do a very slow introduction process like drip acclimation most inverts are pretty sensative to osmotic shock. Also be sure that you never treat and the tank has never been treated with a copper based med.
hth
Max
their larval form are parasitic to fish so they should be kept in a species aquarium. They release their young clamlets which are microscopic. They attach to the giils of the fish and live off the blood until they grow large enough to drop off into the substrate.
In the wild, fish would survive this because the clamlets have a lot of open water.
In the aquarium, your fish would die because it would have so many clamlets on it's gills.
In the wild, fish would survive this because the clamlets have a lot of open water.
In the aquarium, your fish would die because it would have so many clamlets on it's gills.
Meepster, that's some varieties of fresh water mussels not clams. Some of our native mussels do have a parasitic phase but, I don't think that there are very many avail in the hobby. You'd have to go and collect out of a river in order to get one.
hth
Max
hth
Max
Clams will open if they die so you'll either find an empty shell or you'll be able to catch it before your fish eat it. I dug some clams locally and put probably about 20 in my 55 gallon tank I've read that they each filter appoxomitley 3 gallons/day only one of them was eaten by my fish but the empty shell looks pretty cool in my tank. As far as why would you have something in your tank that "doesnt do anything" that's all a matter of personal opinion, I like to have to have things that make my tank cleaner like my plecos to eat the algae, the blue lobster to eat crap on and in my substrate and the clams to filter my water its cool to know that your tank is somewhat self sustaining
Sometimes I would catch those guys while fishing. How you can tell the difference between a FW clam and a FW mussel?
I had a couple in a bucket before, they STINK like no other when they die though.
I had a couple in a bucket before, they STINK like no other when they die though.
