Fresh Water Clams.

[PoPoV]

I found about 20 live fresh water clams on the american river today. I put them in a 10 gallon tank just to see what would happen. I woke up at night to a bunch of noise thinking I was crazy, Only to see the clams trying to dig into the substrate. they also make lots of bubbles

 

[Rugby]

thats reslly cool!
let us know how they do!

 

[PoPoV]

thats reslly cool!
let us know how they do!

They have been in for about 2 days now and so far so good. They seem to re-locate themselves at night time. you dont see them move much (Inless you catch them digging) but you definatly hear them at night. But they seem happy.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

just check to see if they are alive everyday. they will pollute your water like hell if you leave a dead one in there for a day

 

[Fate2006]

Dork, I gotta ask..... what's with the elmo signature??

 

[Iron Man]

The only problem I foresee with these being in a showtank is just be careful of "wild" algae strains entering the picture. I've kept lots of different types of tank including saltwater and I've seen a LOT of different types of algae but never have I seen what began to grow and take over my dad's tank until after he put some oyster shells in his tank after finding them in the lake.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Dork, I gotta ask..... what's with the elmo signature??

theyre my elmos you can see my fishtank in the background if you look closely

 

[t1tanrush]

Very neat, never heard of freshwater clams! Pictures are always fun...

 

[InaneCathode]

You need to feed them. Seems obvious, but it could take months and months for one to starve to death. They're siphon feeders, meaning they have a little tube they stick up like a periscope, this is how they feed. They catch detrius and plankton and such floating in the water and channel it down to the main body.
This is much like how marine invertabrates feed. You need to actually feed these things with a baster and some green water or filter feeder food of some type or they WILL starve. They can't live off whats just floating around your tank normally.

 

[Rhiannon]

What are you feeding them?

 

[nurglespuss]

They are filter feeders, the syphon is for excretion and pushing water across primitive 'gills'.

Use a pippette and squirt some ground up fish food their way.

 

[SuperColey1]

I live in the UK and in the disused gravel pits near me, which are now a nature reserve, there are freshwater oysters, which I have collected on occasion to eat, although with them not being farmed, they taste a little muddy.

I should think they could be found all over the UK in similar places.

You normally don't have to search for them because they tend to stay in the shallow parts at the sides of the lake, and last time I found 30 or so in a 10 minute picking.

I wouldn't suggest putting them in a tank unless it is going to be a species tank so you can observe them doing nothing. lol