85 replies to this topic

[Moontanman]

I just went over to Sutton Lake and picked up about a gallon of Asian clams, all about the size of a fingernail. My newly set up 75 went emerald green a week or so ago, now we'll see if the old tale of clams clearing green water really works!

[Kanus]

Im sure they'll help but prepare for a massive die-off. I throw them into my tank every now and then and somehow can only ever manage to keep two or three alive at any given time (than I'm aware of). Most die fairly shortly after introduction. Surprising, since it is a 75 gallon with live plants of plenty (way too much) suspended debris.

[Kanus]

I've heard cutting a stem from a willow tree and sticking it in the tank will work wonders on green water. Never had an opportunity to test that though.

[Moontanman]

I've heard cutting a stem from a willow tree and sticking it in the tank will work wonders on green water. Never had an opportunity to test that though.

I've never heard of the willow branch idea, I have grown cypress and water tupelo trees in aquariums, they do a great job of purifying the water but they make it rather acidic...

I've actually had these little clams reproduce in a 125 i had, I'm not sure how they reproduce, i know lots of clams are parasitic on fish at first and the aquarium has a very heavy fish load but lots of tiny clams showed up over the time the tanks was set up..

We also have some clams here that attach to plants, their shells are very thin and fish tend to just crush them up.

I am just playing around with the greenwater, I kind of like if it's not so thick I can't see the fish. I used green water to heal wounds on paddlefish snouts when i had them.

[dac343]

Clams are not parasitic on fish. You are thinking of freshwater mussels. Asian clam eggs are brooded on the gills, transform and then disperse in the current.

[Michael Wolfe]

dac, you say "not parasitic on fish" then you say "brooded on the gills"... are you saying that they are brooded on the gills of the parent clam?

[dac343]

Sorry yes I mean brooded on the parent clams gills

[Moontanman]

Sorry yes I mean brooded on the parent clams gills

Cool, that would explain how I managed to get baby clams for sure.

[gerald]

Those are fingernail clams, family Sphaeriidae. Good floodplain pools can have high densities of them.

quote name='Moontanman' timestamp='1417402024' post='124169']
We also have some clams here that attach to plants, their shells are very thin and fish tend to just crush them up.

[al10]

I have had a few asian clams, and what I do is feed them directly with fry food/liquid food, and place near or in live plants, I am also keeping mussels right now which are awesome.

[Moontanman]

I am thinking of mussels as well, I like mussels better but i am sure the ones here are either huge or restricted in some way or both, the liquid fry food is a good idea. The tank I got clams to reproduce in was lighted by a 1000 watt metal halide bulb and had lots of plants and water hyacinths growing on the surface, it was my winter tank for all my fave fish, in the summer they went outside into kiddie swimming pools.

[dac343]

I would suggest not broadcasting keeping mussels, and strongly urge to avoid such practices. Especially if your ID skills are subpar....I'm assuming you are talking about native mussels.

[Moontanman]

I would suggest not broadcasting keeping mussels, and strongly urge to avoid such practices. Especially if your ID skills are subpar....I'm assuming you are talking about native mussels.

That is why I don't keep them but i can want, doesn't hurt to want...

[dac343]

It was mainly directed at al10, you just happened to respond right before I posted

[Moontanman]

Greenfield Lake has a huge population of very large mussels, when they draw down the lake in some years they get stranded, hard to walk in some places due to the large number of them, very large too.

[dac343]

Yea you can see similar cases around here with dams. Drawdown of lake means higher rivers once that gets cut off the river level lowers and mussels become stranded. It is something to sit and watch and realize that some of the mussels are slowly moving back to the water. Sadly the level drops too fast for many to react quick enough.

[al10]

When I got them they were lodged in some plants and I didn't see them, but I have seen these types in florida a lot but they didn't look invasive or like declining where I got them.
But asian clams are invasive so I don't know why u are cracking down on me for keeping 2 mussels.

[dac343]

Asian clams are not mussels hence the name clam....I'm cracking down on the statement you are keeping mussels which are native to the USA (unless you are talking about Dreissena, which I have no idea why any one would want them in a aquarium). Many FW mussel species in the US are in decline and honestly don't do well in captivity. In short Asian clams are one thing, fw mussels are completely different story.

[gerald]

Laws vary by state. In NC you can collect mussels and Asian clams from impounded waters only, not from free-flowing streams, except Lake Waccamaw and University Lake near Chapel Hill, which contain rare species. Except for those two lakes, all the NC protected mussel species live primarily in flowing waters, so taking them for bait or personal consumption in ponds and lakes is allowed. However it's tricky to keep mussels healthy long-term unless you culture planktonic algae in separate tanks to use as feed. Asian clams are a bit easier than mussels, since they can scavenge particles off the bottom as well as filter-feed, but die-offs of either in a fish tank can be disastrous. al10 - what are Florida's fishing laws regarding native mussels and Asian clams?

[Moontanman]

Asian clams are not mussels hence the name clam....I'm cracking down on the statement you are keeping mussels which are native to the USA (unless you are talking about Dreissena, which I have no idea why any one would want them in a aquarium). Many FW mussel species in the US are in decline and honestly don't do well in captivity. In short Asian clams are one thing, fw mussels are completely different story.

What is the difference between clams and mussels? How do you differentiate between them?