Fresh Water Clams??

[MrDrums]

I read an article online somewhere about frreshwater clams being a good addition to the aquarium. Just wondering if anyone has tried them? Does anyone even reccommend them? If so, how many for a 54 gallon corner tank? Thanks all.

[cocoa_pleco]

theyre good, but they do best in planted tanks with no filters. theyre filter feeders, so filters take out their food.

[MrDrums]

Do they require specific care?

[cocoa_pleco]

Do they require specific care?

not really, as long as they have no predators in the tank and enough food to filter feed off of they take care of themselves

[MrDrums]

thanks for the info.!

[tanks4thememories]

They do make good tank pets but just as mentioned above if there isnt alot of excess food then you may have to "hand feed your clam"

The Skinny on clams:

Clams are part of a larger family

PHYLUM MOLLUSCA:

This is the largest phylum (or division) of living organisms outside of the Arthropoda. It includes such organisms as the snails, oysters, clams, squid and octopuses. There are approximately 50,000 extant species and 35,000 fossil species now classified. They range in size from microscopic to the giant squids with a body length of 18m and a long tentacle length of an additional 50m. The mollusks are primarily aquatic organisms found in almost all marine and freshwater habitats. They also live in terrestrial environments although they avoid direct sunlit areas. A wide variety of mollusks are used as food. Others are more harmful, damaging wooden ships and wharves (shipworms) and eating vegetable crops (slugs).

In general, all members of the invertebrate class "Bivalvia" are mollusks with a bivalved shell (two separate sections). About 500 of the over 12,000 classified members of this class are fresh water. The rest are salt water. Bivalves typically live in sand or mud.

Anatomy of a Clam:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

External

A clam lives between two shells, or valves. The shell is made up of calcium carbonate that the clam secretes. The thickness and toughness of this shell give the animal its other common name, the hard-shell clam. A hinge, made up of intermeshing teeth, forms the joint between the shells. The tough, but pliable hinge ligament holds the two valves together. At the top of the hinge, the umbo, is the oldest section of the shell.

Internal

The clam uses adductor muscles to close the shell. It does this to avoid predators, and also if water conditions are not good. The large, muscular foot can reach outside the shell so that the clam can burrow.
Water comes into the clam through the incurrent siphon and leaves through the excurrent siphon. Together, these siphons make up what we call the "neck" of the clam. The clam sits buried in sediment, and sticks the siphons up into the water above so that it can suck in and spit out water. The water that the clam sucks in through the incurrent siphon contains oxygen and food. The water that the clam spits out through the excurrent siphon contains the animal's wastes.
The mantle is the part of the animal that forms the shell. The mantle secretes calcium carbonate, the compound that we see as the hard substance that makes up seashells.
The clams gills serve several important functions: obtaining oxygen and getting food. The gills have tiny, hair-like structures on them called cilia. By waving the cilia, the clam can create a current that moves water through its body. The gills also move food through the body. When water comes in through the incurrent siphon, particles of silt and food are trapped on the layer of mucous on the outer surface of the gills.
From there, the cilia move the particles along food grooves toward the labial palps, where they are sorted. Food particles move on toward the mouth. Other particles—such as silt or other particles—are dropped onto the surface of the mantle, where the clam eventually gets rid of them in mucous-coated balls. Food particles move from the mouth and esophagus to a multi-chambered stomach with numerous passageways and dead-end sacs.
Located inside the muscular foot are the intestines, digestive glands, and gonads.

Keeping your pet fresh water clam Happy

Clams typically prefer to lie buried anywhere from just beneath the surface, to depths of 2 feet.
Sand is the best thing for clams to live in but it's nearly impossible to keep clean. A gravel bottom is acceptable only if the gravel is at least about 4 inches deep, so the clam can burrough and feel safe. Clams prefer fairly calm water so make sure the currents produced by powerheads and tank filtration are not too powerful! Being filter feeders (Clams are one of mother natures Mechanical Filters) , they will help keep your tank clean by eating the left over fish food, as well as decomposing plant matter (if you have plants). If you feel your clam is not getting enough to eat, you can grind flake fish food between your fingers and add to the tank. If your clam develops algae on his shell, it's best not to wash it off as clams make a mucous in which they entrap food, cleaning the clam will strip him of his moucus and he will have to spend several days making more before he can eat again.

*Side effects**
Clams do leech calcium carbonate into the fresh water although im not sure if fresh water clams release less of this than salt water ones do. But it is important that you match the other tank mates that tolerate higher end PH and Hardness (Results of calcium carbonate leeching). Frequent water changes can also moderate this issue.

GoOd LuCk!!!:18:

[TRDNiteLife]

I've heard freshwater clams are difficult to take care of. In most tanks, people need to directly feed the clams. I think they use things like turkey basters.

[Drip Loop]

They do make good tank pets but just as mentioned above if there isnt alot of excess food then you may have to "hand feed your clam"

The Skinny on clams:

Clams are part of a larger family

PHYLUM MOLLUSCA:

This is the largest phylum (or division) of living organisms outside of the Arthropoda. It includes such organisms as the snails, oysters, clams, squid and octopuses. There are approximately 50,000 extant species and 35,000 fossil species now classified. They range in size from microscopic to the giant squids with a body length of 18m and a long tentacle length of an additional 50m. The mollusks are primarily aquatic organisms found in almost all marine and freshwater habitats. They also live in terrestrial environments although they avoid direct sunlit areas. A wide variety of mollusks are used as food. Others are more harmful, damaging wooden ships and wharves (shipworms) and eating vegetable crops (slugs).

In general, all members of the invertebrate class "Bivalvia" are mollusks with a bivalved shell (two separate sections). About 500 of the over 12,000 classified members of this class are fresh water. The rest are salt water. Bivalves typically live in sand or mud.

Anatomy of a Clam:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

External

A clam lives between two shells, or valves. The shell is made up of calcium carbonate that the clam secretes. The thickness and toughness of this shell give the animal its other common name, the hard-shell clam. A hinge, made up of intermeshing teeth, forms the joint between the shells. The tough, but pliable hinge ligament holds the two valves together. At the top of the hinge, the umbo, is the oldest section of the shell.

Internal

The clam uses adductor muscles to close the shell. It does this to avoid predators, and also if water conditions are not good. The large, muscular foot can reach outside the shell so that the clam can burrow.
Water comes into the clam through the incurrent siphon and leaves through the excurrent siphon. Together, these siphons make up what we call the "neck" of the clam. The clam sits buried in sediment, and sticks the siphons up into the water above so that it can suck in and spit out water. The water that the clam sucks in through the incurrent siphon contains oxygen and food. The water that the clam spits out through the excurrent siphon contains the animal's wastes.
The mantle is the part of the animal that forms the shell. The mantle secretes calcium carbonate, the compound that we see as the hard substance that makes up seashells.
The clams gills serve several important functions: obtaining oxygen and getting food. The gills have tiny, hair-like structures on them called cilia. By waving the cilia, the clam can create a current that moves water through its body. The gills also move food through the body. When water comes in through the incurrent siphon, particles of silt and food are trapped on the layer of mucous on the outer surface of the gills.
From there, the cilia move the particles along food grooves toward the labial palps, where they are sorted. Food particles move on toward the mouth. Other particles—such as silt or other particles—are dropped onto the surface of the mantle, where the clam eventually gets rid of them in mucous-coated balls. Food particles move from the mouth and esophagus to a multi-chambered stomach with numerous passageways and dead-end sacs.
Located inside the muscular foot are the intestines, digestive glands, and gonads.

Keeping your pet fresh water clam Happy

Clams typically prefer to lie buried anywhere from just beneath the surface, to depths of 2 feet.
Sand is the best thing for clams to live in but it's nearly impossible to keep clean. A gravel bottom is acceptable only if the gravel is at least about 4 inches deep, so the clam can burrough and feel safe. Clams prefer fairly calm water so make sure the currents produced by powerheads and tank filtration are not too powerful! Being filter feeders (Clams are one of mother natures Mechanical Filters) , they will help keep your tank clean by eating the left over fish food, as well as decomposing plant matter (if you have plants). If you feel your clam is not getting enough to eat, you can grind flake fish food between your fingers and add to the tank. If your clam develops algae on his shell, it's best not to wash it off as clams make a mucous in which they entrap food, cleaning the clam will strip him of his moucus and he will have to spend several days making more before he can eat again.

*Side effects**
Clams do leech calcium carbonate into the fresh water although im not sure if fresh water clams release less of this than salt water ones do. But it is important that you match the other tank mates that tolerate higher end PH and Hardness (Results of calcium carbonate leeching). Frequent water changes can also moderate this issue.

GoOd LuCk!!!:18:



Now theres a response..... Good job.

[tanks4thememories]

Now theres a response..... Good job.


Thank you!!

[tanks4thememories]

I searched for any info in how much a clam effects the calcium carbonate level in a tank but I found nothing. The best thing is to play it by ear I guess. You would definantly want a hardness test kit and a ph test kit. I have never personally kept freshwater clams although I have assisted in maintaining them as part of my duties in pet store (part time job to support my habit). Most Pet stores have a massive filtration system that maintains most of thier tanks so effectively the fish are really all in the same mega gallon tank. So the calcium carbonate produced by 20 clams would have no noticable impact on such a system.

I also noticed I did not address your question on how many.
I would start with just a few mabey 3 or so and see what happens from there.
I must admit this whole thing now has me curios and wanting to get some myself to test the whole PH/Hardness issue....lol

I did find this info however:

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons
Water Conditions: 65-85° F, pH 6.5-8.0, KH 8-10
Max. Size: @ 2"
Diet: Omnivore
Origin: Asia, Burma, Thailand
Family: Corbiculidae

along with two more warnings:

One that we already knew from earlier posts:

The Freshwater Clam should not be housed with invertebrate-eating fish, such as freshwater puffers.

And one that I surely didnt know:
Freshwater Clam will not tolerate any copper-based medication. If treating the aquarium with medication containing copper, move the Freshwater Clam to another aquarium. Do not return the Freshwater Clam until the copper in the treated aquarium has been removed by means of chemical filtration.

[Kula]

And one that I surely didnt know:
Freshwater Clam will not tolerate any copper-based medication. If treating the aquarium with medication containing copper, move the Freshwater Clam to another aquarium. Do not return the Freshwater Clam until the copper in the treated aquarium has been removed by means of chemical filtration.
Yeah, it's true for all invertebrates.

Here's a study done on copper sulfate and it's effects on the environment:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Fishalicious]

I have mussels in nearly every tank and love them.... I do have to feed them extra with a turkey baster but I find them a really pretty addition

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[tanks4thememories]

Yeah, it's true for all invertebrates.

Here's a study done on copper sulfate and it's effects on the environment:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]


Thanx for info!!

[tanks4thememories]

I have mussels in nearly every tank and love them.... I do have to feed them extra with a turkey baster but I find them a really pretty addition

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Nice Pics on your Blog.

What does your PH and hardness run in your Muscle tanks?
Are those same tanks planted?
Do you have any simular tanks without muscles and if so what is the ph & Hardness in those as well?

[tanks4thememories]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Kula]

Nice Pics on your Blog.

What does your PH and hardness run in your Muscle tanks?
Are those same tanks planted?
Do you have any simular tanks without muscles and if so what is the ph & Hardness in those as well?
I'd also like to know the same thing! I've been looking into getting freshwater clams/mussels for my fantail goldfish tank after I change the substrate to Estes Marine Sand (I've heard it's really good sand for freshwater aquariums and won't add to calcium carbonate levels or alter pH). My water is sort of strange, but in a good way for the type of fish I like to keep. My pH is slightly acidic (around 6.5), though I have quite a good buffering capacity due to my aquifer being naturally filtered through limestone. I thought the total hardness was much harder than what it actually is (6.72 dKH), so I might be able to get away with freshwater clams/mussels with my goldfish. The only problem is I can't seem to find any for sale where I live. I did find a site where I could order Golden Clams. No idea if those clams are any good, but my friend always orders her plants from that site, and never had a bad experience. Are there any other sites where I could find some freshwater clams/mussels?

[TRDNiteLife]

Are there any other sites where I could find some freshwater clams/mussels?

Live Aquaria ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])

AquaBid ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])

[Kula]

Live Aquaria ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])

AquaBid ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])
Eh, I tried those already, but live aquaria didn't have much to offer, and when I searched aquabid, they didn't have anything. I guess I'll just have to check aquabid more often!

[TRDNiteLife]

I just checked AquaBid this morning and there were 2 listings:

Fresh Water Clams ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])

Asian Freshwater Golden ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])

[shockshockshad]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Scroll down for clams.

[MrDrums]

Very helpful! Thanks....my LFS has some clams for the first time, as someone else has asked about them too. I may try a couple. I think, though, I am about to lose a danio....he looks really beat up today.....fins torn, swimming funny....all other fish look good - poor thing, I think it may be his "time".