Freshwater Clam

[Bki3zo]

I Bought A FreshWater Yesterday But After Reading About Them I Found Out They Are Not Compatible With Loaches And I Have A Kuhli Loach Does Anyone Know If They Will Live Together Peacefully Or Not?

 

[Bki3zo]

Any Help Please

 

[Straydum]

i dont see how your clam could chase after your kuhlis and even catch them if it could. they should do fine. the clam however is quite a chore to keep alive. any pictures?

 

[Bki3zo]

Thanks

 

[TylerFerretLord]

i dont see how your clam could chase after your kuhlis and even catch them if it could. they should do fine. the clam however is quite a chore to keep alive. any pictures?

I think the danger was the other way around, loaches are known to eat invertibrates.However, kuhlis are quite small and peaceful. I don't think there would be a problem.

 

[Bki3zo]

Thanks

 

[nmonks]

Freshwater clams come in two basic sorts: swan mussels and Asian clams.

Swan mussels (Unio, Anodonta, etc.) are basically impossible to keep alive in aquaria. They require lots of green algae (or some substitute) as well as cold, well oxygenated water. They are perhaps viable in ponds, but otherwise of no value to the aquarist. Wild swan mussels live for decades, even over 100 years; in captivity most die after a few months. Enough said really.

Asian clams are Corbicula fluminea. They are extremely difficult to maintain in aquaria. Again, they are filter feeders, and will need to be fed daily on a filter feeder food of the sort given to corals and tubeworms in marine aquaria. Otherwise they starve to death. They ARE NOT scavengers and THEY CANNOT survive without being given filter feeder food. They prefer (need) a sandy substrate into which they can burrow. When they are healthy and happy, they are hidden from view except for their fleshy siphons. If you can see the shell, then the animal is unhappy and likely to die. Asian clams usually die in aquaria quite quickly, and when they rot, they pollute the aquarium.

Bottom line, unless you are a very experienced aquarist willing to set up a dedicated aquarium just for filter-feeding animals, do not buy clams. Total waste of money. Do not release unwanted clams into the wild. Several species, including Asian clams, are notorious pests when released into the wild.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Bki3zo]

Thanks So Far The Clam Seems Fine But Ive Only Had Him For A few Days So I Will Just See What Happens

 

[nmonks]

"Seems fine" -- How do you define that with a clam? Do you know something about molluscan physiology I don't? For a start: what are you feeding it? At minimum, you could use liquid fry food, squirted into the inhalant siphon using a small pipette. That wouldn't cost much, and could work. I'd recommend expanding your range of foods to include marine invertebrate filter-feeder food.

If you plan on doing nothing and "seeing what happens" you will soon (a few weeks/months) have a dead clam polluting your aquarium. And poor water quality means sick fish. I'm telling you what you need to do right now to keep it alive; if you have no intention of doing anything, then you'll have a dead clam. You may as well save your fish from having to live in polluted water by taking a hammer and destroying the clam right now. It'll end up the same way regardless: one dead clam.

What do you imagine it eats without being fed filter-feeder food? Do you honestly think it can survive just by drinking water?

Cheers, Neale

Thanks So Far The Clam Seems Fine But Ive Only Had Him For A few Days So I Will Just See What Happens

 

[Bki3zo]

I Am Going To Go To A Shop Near Where I Live Called DITropicals And See What They Would Recommend I Feed It

 

[nmonks]

This should be fun. If they say "Don't worry, they'll scavenge" they have no idea what they're talking about. Similarly, if they say "Don't worry, they'll eat algae from the water" again they have no idea what they're talking about. If they say "Use this marine filter feeding food" then they know what they're talking about.

There's a great article about Asian clams here:

http/www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I...olden_clams.htm

Cheers, Neale

I Am Going To Go To A Shop Near Where I Live Called DITropicals And See What They Would Recommend I Feed It

 

[Bki3zo]

Thanks As I Say The Boy Is Quite Good So He Should Point Me In The Right Direction

 

[nmonks]

Or you could just take my advice. These things need food. Let me quote from Justin Pierce's article:

Some assume that the clam is "getting its food from the water" by eating bacteria and other plankton produced naturally in the aquarium. In reality, the tank is highly unlikely to produce the type and quantity of food needed by the clam. Without adding food specifically for the clam, it is simply taking a long time to die.

I'm not making this stuff up. I'm trying to make your life easier and save the life of that poor little clam. I did my PhD on molluscs, and have a great fondness for them. Just Say No to Clam Abuse!

Cheers, Neale

Thanks As I Say The Boy Is Quite Good So He Should Point Me In The Right Direction

 

[Bki3zo]

thanks i will go to ditropicals and see if they have the right stuff