Freshwater Clams

[TribeOfShroom]

I've had my tank for a while now and through my wanderings around the internet I've found freshwater clams for sale for tropical tanks. Now apparently, these little critters feed by filtering the water and living on the bottom I would think that they would be good at helping a group of 6 corydoras and 6 khuli loaches do the task of tank clean up.

But the information is a bit limited about them, so I was just wondering if anyone else knows anything about them, or has some themselves and if you tell let me know if they would do well in a community tank.

Thanks

Rob

 

[jennybugs]

As far as I know, clams like to be in water that's really rich with particles of food etc and also like to have a reasonable current to be able to catch the food. With corys and khulis I'd say they'd be competing with the fish for food. I've not known anyone who's had them successfully in a tank before. Not to say it can't be done, but I don't think it's that common. I could be wrong tho

 

[dave_gray2077]

They wont do well without some care.

I was looking into getting some but they need filter feeder food, which is not easily available in my area but if you can source some go ahead. Any marine filter feeder food will do. Kent marine make a good brand. Comes in bottles like eye drops.

You need to get a pipette and manually feed them for them to survive and thrive.

Which is OK until they move and dig in somewhere. If you don’t feed them they just die from starvation. But this can take months to happen. Which is an unethical as best if you just leave them alone.

 

[TribeOfShroom]

As far as I know, clams like to be in water that's really rich with particles of food etc and also like to have a reasonable current to be able to catch the food. With corys and khulis I'd say they'd be competing with the fish for food. I've not known anyone who's had them successfully in a tank before. Not to say it can't be done, but I don't think it's that common. I could be wrong tho

Well my tank as got a nice steady flow. I use a tetra tec filter at the top (back) of the tank and another at the opposite end of the tank (front), but fully submerged about 1" above the substrate. There is a bit of a gentle eddy thats created in the middle of the tank, which my fish have realised at food time and use to their advantage. As for the particles of food... hmm my fish usually do a pretty good clean up. Wouldn't it feed off the excess (if any) and fish waste?

 

[shroob]

I've heard they are very hard to keep alive. They feed off small things in the water by filter feeding (like Jennybug said) and need vast amounts of food. It's also meant to be hard to tell if they are alive or dead, which could be disasterous for water quality potentially. I wouldn't recommend it
I doubt they would do a clean up job either.

 

[TribeOfShroom]

They wont do well without some care.

I was looking into getting some but they need filter feeder food, which is not easily available in my area but if you can source some go ahead. Any marine filter feeder food will do. Kent marine make a good brand. Comes in bottles like eye drops.

You need to get a pipette and manually feed them for them to survive and thrive.

Which is OK until they move and dig in somewhere. If you don’t feed them they just die from starvation. But this can take months to happen. Which is an unethical as best if you just leave them alone.

Ahh so I would have to feed them anyway. Hmm I think the website that I saw them advertised do sell the filter food as well. I'll just have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't disappear. Anyone else got any advice??

Any other advice? So far it seems they could be a bit more difficult than I first thought.

 

[jennybugs]

There is a bit of a gentle eddy thats created in the middle of the tank

They need more current than a gentle eddy They do need individual feeding ina tank environment. If you're in the uk, snailshop.co.uk sell them and the food. They recommend using a baster to feed them.

 

[TribeOfShroom]

There is a bit of a gentle eddy thats created in the middle of the tank

They need more current than a gentle eddy They do need individual feeding ina tank environment. If you're in the uk, snailshop.co.uk sell them and the food. They recommend using a baster to feed them.

There is a steady flow of about 10cm wide around the tank. The eddy is created in the middle is about 20cm long and extends down to just above the bogwood on the bottom. Right in the very centre is dead water (no movement/ very little movement).

Quick mention. The area of 'dead' water is usually where most the waste settles. Makes things easier when it comes to cleaning, but anyway. Back to the clams.. so I would need special food + a turkey baster just to feed them?? Ok I'd be willing to do that. But if they don't help with the clean up, how much are they going to add to the bio load?

 

[jennybugs]

They may not clean up, but they still produce their own waste.

 

[Straydum]

this is probably the third topic i've seen on freshwater clams. the previous two all ended with a big no to them you might wanna search the forum for that

 

[Iron Man]

It seems to me these are potential "novelty" livestock that you otherwise couldn't have unless you had saltwater. I myself have been a little bit of a fan of clams (used to be into saltwater) so that interest stems a little into freshwater. Of course I know they can't be compared to be just alike but the "novelty" of them is still there nonetheless.

I say if someone wants some freshwater filter feeders and is willing to feed them go for it and let us know how it works out. It would be no worse, I would think, than having ADFs. God knows I've had plenty of them and had to target feed everyone of those blind little suckers with a turkey baster.

They sure made my tank "different" than the usual fish tank though.

 

[FeroX]

I've heard they are very hard to keep alive. They feed off small things in the water by filter feeding (like Jennybug said) and need vast amounts of food. It's also meant to be hard to tell if they are alive or dead, which could be disasterous for water quality potentially. I wouldn't recommend it
I doubt they would do a clean up job either.

Actually lol, when they're dead, you can quite easily tell, because there's dead clam floating all around the tank. And if you don't close it when you pick it up to remove it, it alllll falls out. Fish LOVE it, but it's a PAIN to clean up.

 

[eschaton]

What everyone else said. They need special feeding with a baster or a syringe unless they are in "green water" so thick you can't see through it. If kept healthy they should grow rapidly, but in a regular community tank they slowly starve to death over a period of six months to a year.

Made the mistake of getting one of these guys myself some time ago when I knew less. Never grew, despite adding fry food into the water column. I ended up putting it inside my filter to try and give it a faster current. I hate to say it, but I accidentally poured it down the drain one day during a major filter cleaning (hazards of having a sessile animal in a bucket so full of filter goop it's opaque I guess)

 

[TribeOfShroom]

Hmm I'll have a good long think about it. If I am to get one I'll need to know everything before risking it.

Thanks everyone, and if you have any more advice I'm all ears