Here is another posting I just received>>>
From: Moontanman@...
Date: Wed Jun 15, 2005 3:01 pm
Subject: Re: [FreshwaterShrimp] Digest Number 946 Clams moon28401
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I have kept clams and mussels in some of my aquariums for years. The trick as Frank pointed out is feeding them. I've never had any success with clams in aquariums that are filtered in anyway. I know that most sources state that clams eat phytoplanton but it's been my experience they eat detritus. A layer of detritus (organic mud particles) on top of the sand will allow clams to live for years. This organic detritus can be composed of plant debris, fish excrement, or any other organic debris. Most aquariums are set up to eliminate this detritus so clams slowly starve to death. I have set up tanks specifically for clams and had them live for years even reproducing. the easiest clam to keep is the small Asian clam that has become a pest in some lakes. It should be remembered that no animal that has ever been kept in an aquarium should ever be released into the wild.
Michael
Local freshwater clams?
Something else of interest>>>
<< I've also done some research that suggests this species produces live
young, shell and all much like MTS, unlike some of the more parasitic
species you mentioned which latch onto the fish. >>
The Asian clam is hermaphroditic – meaning both sexes are found in the same
animal – and is capable of self-fertilization. Larvae brooded in the parent’
s gills, are released through the excurrent siphon into the water column as
active post-larval juveniles, with the ability to resist downstream
transport by currents. A single, prolific clam can release hundreds or even
thousands of juveniles per day, up to 70,000 per year. Spawning can occur
almost continuously at water temperatures exceeding l6ºF. Asian clams can
reach densities of 10,000 to 20,000 per square meter, potentially releasing
several million juveniles daily into the same area of the water column.
In warmer waters, spawning can continue year round, however in the
Connecticut River, spawning appears to occur from July through September.
Although spawning activity ceases when the water temperature drops too low,
eggs and sperm remain in the reproductive tissues, signaling that the
mollusks are ready to spawn as soon as the environment becomes favorable.
Once released, the juveniles are weak-swimming usually found near the bottom
of the water column. This is one of the reasons why they readily cause the
problems they do, because intake pipes are generally placed near the bottom
of the water column also.
This mollusk prefers running water, and sand or gravel substrates. It feeds
on plankton, requires high levels of dissolved oxygen, and is intolerant of
pollution. Water temperatures greater than 30 C (86 F) impair the organism’s
metabolic and reproductive functions, while water temperatures less than 2º
F can kill the clam. Although it is considered a freshwater mollusk, the
Asian clam’s physiology enables it to withstand slightly brackish water
(5-8‰).
From http://www.sgnis.org/publicat/nespp_4.htm
Frank M. Greco (phrankg@...)
Visit http://www.franksaquarium.com
The Freshwater Crustacean Farm
<< I've also done some research that suggests this species produces live
young, shell and all much like MTS, unlike some of the more parasitic
species you mentioned which latch onto the fish. >>
The Asian clam is hermaphroditic – meaning both sexes are found in the same
animal – and is capable of self-fertilization. Larvae brooded in the parent’
s gills, are released through the excurrent siphon into the water column as
active post-larval juveniles, with the ability to resist downstream
transport by currents. A single, prolific clam can release hundreds or even
thousands of juveniles per day, up to 70,000 per year. Spawning can occur
almost continuously at water temperatures exceeding l6ºF. Asian clams can
reach densities of 10,000 to 20,000 per square meter, potentially releasing
several million juveniles daily into the same area of the water column.
In warmer waters, spawning can continue year round, however in the
Connecticut River, spawning appears to occur from July through September.
Although spawning activity ceases when the water temperature drops too low,
eggs and sperm remain in the reproductive tissues, signaling that the
mollusks are ready to spawn as soon as the environment becomes favorable.
Once released, the juveniles are weak-swimming usually found near the bottom
of the water column. This is one of the reasons why they readily cause the
problems they do, because intake pipes are generally placed near the bottom
of the water column also.
This mollusk prefers running water, and sand or gravel substrates. It feeds
on plankton, requires high levels of dissolved oxygen, and is intolerant of
pollution. Water temperatures greater than 30 C (86 F) impair the organism’s
metabolic and reproductive functions, while water temperatures less than 2º
F can kill the clam. Although it is considered a freshwater mollusk, the
Asian clam’s physiology enables it to withstand slightly brackish water
(5-8‰).
From http://www.sgnis.org/publicat/nespp_4.htm
Frank M. Greco (phrankg@...)
Visit http://www.franksaquarium.com
The Freshwater Crustacean Farm
