# Freshwater Clams



## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

I would like to discuss the optimal care and habitat of freshwater clams. I currently have 3 Golden Freshwater clams in my 20 gallon and they seem to be doing fine, they have been in there for just over 2 months.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

That, my friend, is _ignorant_. If you didn't know they were filter feeders before you got them, and haven't been feeding them for the last two months, and only now because I mentioned it you wonder if there's something you should be doing?

You realize these are animals you have right? I feel ignorant when I buy something not knowing it's scientific name, despite knowing how to care for it, but that pales in comparison.


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> That, my friend, is _ignorant_. If you didn't know they were filter feeders before you got them, and haven't been feeding them for the last two months, and only now because I mentioned it you wonder if there's something you should be doing?
> 
> You realize these are animals you have right? I feel ignorant when I buy something not knowing it's scientific name, despite knowing how to care for it, but that pales in comparison.


That is why he is asking about inputs about care for freshwater clams...personally I would like some info too because I plan on getting some as well in the future.


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## freddymp (Jan 15, 2010)

Google should be able to help you:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157912
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/freshwater-clams.html


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

apparently they need very large tanks to provide sufficient food.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> That, my friend, is _ignorant_. If you didn't know they were filter feeders before you got them, and haven't been feeding them for the last two months, and only now because I mentioned it you wonder if there's something you should be doing?
> 
> You realize these are animals you have right? I feel ignorant when I buy something not knowing it's scientific name, despite knowing how to care for it, but that pales in comparison.


Wow you should write a book about how to make friends and influence people you sir are a real charmer.

This link says Quote:

Feeding: You don't have to actually feed this clam anything. This clam is a microfilter feeder and will filter out debris in the water. Crushed clam pellets or shrimp pellets can be used. They will filter particles out of the water though so they pellets would need to be crushed finely.

end Quote

so they are filter feeders but you can supplement their feeding by using crushed pellets. They sound pretty interesting where did you find them?


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

TBemba said:


> Wow you should write a book about how to make friends and influence people you sir are a real charmer.
> 
> This link says Quote:
> 
> ...


Can I finely crush flake food into a powder and then put it in tank water, then suck some out using a turkey baster to feed the clam? Do these clams open up at the bottom of the tank? Nocturnal feeders? Daytime feeders?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Keeping clams in the home aquarium is usually not recommended. This is because they will bury themselves under the substrate, making it hard to tell where they are. In addition, you cannot monitor them for signs of illness/death, etc, until they die and pollute your water column.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

Philip.Chan.92 said:


> Can I finely crush flake food into a powder and then put it in tank water, then suck some out using a turkey baster to feed the clam? Do these clams open up at the bottom of the tank? Nocturnal feeders? Daytime feeders?


Sorry if I mislead you. I have never had clams before I was just linking to a website with information.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Philip.Chan.92 said:


> That is why he is asking about inputs about care for freshwater clams...personally I would like some info too because I plan on getting some as well in the future.


*I currently have 3 Golden Freshwater clams in my 20 gallon and they seem to be doing fine, they have been in there for just over 2 months.*

No, he's saying "I got these 2 months ago and they haven't died but I'm wondering if I should feed them or something".

Sorry. Not cool.



TBemba said:


> Wow you should write a book about how to make friends and influence people you sir are a real charmer.
> 
> This link says Quote:
> 
> ...


T, your oversimplifications never cease to amaze. Actually, you need a lot of organics in your water for FW clams. Ideally a 'green water' type situation. Most aquaria are too small to house them. As DarkBlade mentioned there are all kinds of reasons why you should not keep them. Just because you found a website, which sounds like a 12 year old wrote it "You don't actually have to feed this clam anything" and want to believe it, does not make it true. There are two idiot brothers who have a radio show on the internet who once suggested to someone with a 280G tank to use 12 Emperor 400s because "you need biowheels". Does that make it true?


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

He has had them for over 2 months sounds like he has a pretty good setup and has kept them longer then most and in a much smaller tank to boot. 

Maybe I want to know his secret to success, when some others wrote they have not had much luck.

I come on these forums mainly to learn, not to give advise.

I am willing to share my experience and my mistakes and learn from it and help others.

I also like to come on these forums because i have a common interest (obsession) with this hobby and maybe enjoy some online thoughts and conversations.

Thats what I am all about.


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## Abner (Apr 7, 2009)

+1 T...AM I think you mean well but seriously not cool to call someone ignorant especially when they are asking for some advice.They clams are probably doing well in his tank but could be better. Why don't you just tell him what he should be feeding them? anyways buddy best advice i can give you is research google the hell outta it. I would give my opinion but i don't want to be called ignorant cuz i'm a person of colour we apparently get angry fast lol


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

thename123 said:


> I would like to discuss the optimal care and habitat of freshwater clams. I currently have 3 Golden Freshwater clams in my 20 gallon and they seem to be doing fine, they have been in there for just over 2 months.


What else is in this 20G? Is it a normal 20G or a a 20G long? How often do you perform water changes? Is this tank in direct sunlight? I've heard of people crushing fish flakes with a mortar and pestle and then feeding the clam directly with a rubber droplet. I'm not sure how they would feed it, as it would seem that it would that it would close up before it would be fed.

You should also be EXTREMELY persistent with the clam, I've heard of people not knowing of their clam dying and their water goes comely downhill, like massive snail death from what I've heard.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Abner said:


> +1 T...AM I think you mean well but seriously not cool to call someone ignorant especially when they are asking for some advice.They clams are probably doing well in his tank but could be better. Why don't you just tell him what he should be feeding them? anyways buddy best advice i can give you is research google the hell outta it. I would give my opinion but i don't want to be called ignorant cuz i'm a person of colour we apparently get angry fast lol


I realize that it's not cool. I agree that it was perhaps not the best use of words but I stand by my beliefs here. It's not right to just randomly get something without knowing what it is or what it needs. Can't identify that mystery fish? Don't know what that snail's going to eat? Don't buy it. That's how I feel.

I do apologize to the OP though. I should not have called someone ignorant.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

"_Ignorance is where someone or something is uninformed. This should not be confused with being unintelligent, as one's level of intelligence and level of education or general awareness are not the same. The word "ignorant" is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware. The term may be used specifically (e.g. "One can be an expert in math, and totally ignorant of history.") or generally (e.g. "an ignorant person.")-although the second use is used less as a descriptive and more as an imprecise personal insult._" (From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignorance)

Since when is ignorant an insult?

I think it is the tone, not the wording


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

Goodness gracious, this forum is suppose to be meant for adults. Lest you have forgotten, this thread is meant to discuss the optimal care for freshwater clams. Let's not derail this thread any further.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Last time I was at Menagerie they had some small freshwater clams from IIRC Indonesia. Harold said he was feeding them a commercial food for marine filter feeders.


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## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

AquariAM said:


> That, my friend, is _ignorant_. If you didn't know they were filter feeders before you got them, and haven't been feeding them for the last two months, and only now because I mentioned it you wonder if there's something you should be doing?
> 
> You realize these are animals you have right? I feel ignorant when I buy something not knowing it's scientific name, despite knowing how to care for it, but that pales in comparison.


I didn't say I don't know what to feed them, I do feed them. I crush pellets and also overfeed my tank. I was asking how other people feed them, maybe there is a better way. Hence optimal and hence there is no mention of food.



TBemba said:


> They sound pretty interesting where did you find them?


I got them at big als a while ago something like 3/$6 was their price. I did note that big als Missisauga had freshwater clams two weeks ago



Joeee said:


> What else is in this 20G? Is it a normal 20G or a a 20G long? How often do you perform water changes? Is this tank in direct sunlight? I've heard of people crushing fish flakes with a mortar and pestle and then feeding the clam directly with a rubber droplet. I'm not sure how they would feed it, as it would seem that it would that it would close up before it would be fed.
> 
> You should also be EXTREMELY persistent with the clam, I've heard of people not knowing of their clam dying and their water goes comely downhill, like massive snail death from what I've heard.


Its a 20 gallon high, I do 20-30% water changes every week. Its out of any sunlight at all. I do crush flakes/pellets and do over feed but not directly to the clams. and They do hide under gravel and the fact that i dont know their condition is the biggest downside of clams.


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## freddymp (Jan 15, 2010)

If you pay close attention to the "last known location" of the clam you should see a pair of siphons coming out from the gravel. You can spray the crushed food around these locations. You should try to do a head (siphon?) count whenever you can. A pair of siphon if missing for a while might be an indication that a clam is in trouble.

With my clams I tried to feed very close to the siphons so that I can see that the food particles (the "cloudy water" from the crushed food) do get taken in.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Great stuff. I am surprise none of the salties reply. I've seem some of the salt tanks having great looking clams. So they must have been doing some thing right.
And don't mind some of the posters. Some people, like myself, find that we can only learn if we argue it out. Some times it gets a little over heat, but over all I don't think any malice was intended.

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