snails and clams

[amityv]

We went out in our boat today and while swimming my daughter found 3 snails and 4 clams(i think is what they are called here in Ohio). She put them in a bucket with sand and brought them home and put them in her tank in her room.
We live in Ohio and these was found in a large lake.

The only other things in her tank are some crappie minnows that we had left over from fishing. She wanted to keep them alive, so she put them in her tank.
I fed the minnows fish flakes and brine shrimp flakes.

My question is, what to feed the snails and clams?

 

[johnq]

I do know that snails will eat anything they can get to but im not sure about the clams I always though they sifted through sand and ate it lol.

 

[Jamnog]

snails eat mostly alge you could feed them seperate alge wafers as for the clams im presuming this was a fresh water lake i think that they feed of small particulate insects like water flea cyclops. ive got this feeling that they have to be alive and i dont think people sell them alive as such. if you can get some pond water from a local pond and add that to the tank. you may notice that a mature pond has thease tiny creatures that seem to allmost jump in the water thease i belive are what the clams would eat if they where fresh water.

 

[amityv]

Ok i just woke up this morning and i have a tank full of baby snails.
But the clams i put in the tank excreted a clear slimy substance from inside there shell, and it killed all my minnows. The minnows look paralyzed!
What is that?
One clam has a minnow up to shell and he seems to be eating it.Do they eat dead fish?

And yes they came from a freshwater lake in central Ohio.

 

[Tanked]

I began reading this and was going to warn you about the snails breeding but then I saw your most recent post. as far as clams go the only thing I know about them is they are great steamed in cream sherryand seved with lemon and cocktail sauce.

 

[amityv]

I dont i think i will steam them lol! Besides there are only 4, so its hardly worth it.

Whatever this stuff is thats coming from inside there shells is clouding my water. I scooped all the dead minnows out this morning,but the tank looks like i dumped milk in it. And its long strings of clearish slime.

Does anyone know anything about these clams?
Any websites or anything?

 

[amityv]

I'm just wondering if it would be safe to move the snails and babies into my 10 gallon tank?
I only have 1 fish in there,a lionhead goldfish.
We enjoy watching them but cant hardly see them because the clams have my tank a cloudy mess!

 

[steve-0]

I wouldn't suggest moving the snails unless you want a few hundred of them in there. They are very hard to get rid of them all.

Imo i would take out those clams and throw them away. They will probably begin to stink real bad and the water will just get worse.

 

[Jamnog]

are you shure the clams are still alive sounds to me as once of them is dead and the clear stuff is them melting into the water. i could be wrong but thats what it makes me think. as for the snails well im not shure stevo that if they wanted the snails dead they would have saved them from a lake could be wrong thats what i read into it. yes snails are prolific and they eat alge and plants. moving them would probably save them if you want them saved. as for the minows sory about that. have a look in one of the clam shels if they dont close when you take them out of the water then they are prolly dead. sory for all this bad news