freshwater clams in tank

Yesterday while looking through a stream where I had caught my sticklebacks, I found some small white clams. I thought about getting them but remembered hearing that their zooplanktonic young will attach themselves to the gills of fish. Would it be safe for me to put some in the aquarium with the fish?

Thanks

Be sure you have clams and not mussels. The glochidium larvae of freshwater mussels (unionids) attach to fish; mussels are illegal to collect in most states.

Freshwater clams do not have an attached stage. There are small native clams (sphaeriids), called fingernail or pea clams. You could also have young Asiatic clams (actually, this is very likely what you have; they are abundant and ubiquitous). The introduced Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) may or may not be legal to collect in NY; check your state regulations.

Bivalves can be difficult in the aquarium. They require plenty of suspended food to feed on, and are sensitive to water condition changes. If one dies in your tank, it may take a while to find it; in the meantime it will contaminate your water and produce an awful stench.

Be sure you have clams and not mussels. The glochidium larvae of freshwater mussels (unionids) attach to fish; mussels are illegal to collect in most states.

Freshwater clams do not have an attached stage. There are small native clams (sphaeriids), called fingernail or pea clams. You could also have young Asiatic clams (actually, this is very likely what you have; they are abundant and ubiquitous). The introduced Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) may or may not be legal to collect in NY; check your state regulations.

Bivalves can be difficult in the aquarium. They require plenty of suspended food to feed on, and are sensitive to water condition changes. If one dies in your tank, it may take a while to find it; in the meantime it will contaminate your water and produce an awful stench.

I agree with Newt make sure you have one and not the other...down here in the lake where I live in GA we have the Mussels and the asian clams and the only time I can harvest mussels is in certain months and then the season closes. My mussels have thrived in my tank since I got them. I posted a thread about the mussels not too long ago but I took my pics down. Just be careful like newt said and check before you collect. They are nifty filterers to have though if you can keep them alive.

I agree with Newt make sure you have one and not the other...down here in the lake where I live in GA we have the Mussels and the asian clams and the only time I can harvest mussels is in certain months and then the season closes. My mussels have thrived in my tank since I got them. I posted a thread about the mussels not too long ago but I took my pics down. Just be careful like newt said and check before you collect. They are nifty filterers to have though if you can keep them alive.

IMO you should just leave them alone. Most mollusks are very sensitive and very hard to keep alive in an aquarium. Plus, their numbers are decreasing in the wild. Let them be and do a favor for our aquatic wildlife.

Edited by rockbassbud5, 21 April 2008 - 06:12 PM.

"Sticklebacks" sounds more like the pea clams belonging to the family Sphaeriidae rather than their exotic corbicula cousins.

I'm not sure about the NY laws on pea clams, this group is often hugely overlooked, although they're very covered in Ohio (no Bivalves or Bivalve material, which techically covers brachiopods that lived here 500 million years ago ).

Because of their small size, switching from filter to deposit feeding habits, and depending on the substrate, they do quite well in aquaria, especially in less coarse substrates like sand. As soon as you treat the tank for anything, however, they're dead. Even salt will put a sublethal to lethal effect on them.

In any case, my recommendation is to get a couple dead valves that are still attached and figure out what they really are, either here or with books and the internet before you do ANYTHING with a live specimen.

Todd