lyndatu

Hello

We went to the market today and saw some small freshwater clams. They are being sold as food. Can I have a couple for my 20-gallon freshwater aquarium? I don't have any fish yet(I'm planning a guppy tank). I think they're the ones that can be found in rice fields. The market where we saw them is quite dirty. They might have some undesirable bacterias(zooplankton) that may harm the tank. But I read that the zooplankton they carry will soon die and we're not going to have guppies yet. We're putting them first in the quarantine tank. Can I keep them? How can I "clean" them or rid them of bacteria? Thanks in advance!

Dino

I would advise against it.
Clams carry a lot of parasites that harm fish.
Also, if they die while buried in the substrate, they can foul the water and cause a LOT of problems very quickly.

sirdarksol

I didn't have any problems with them mucking up the water when they died, but the ones sold in the market are bottom feeders from the wild. They carry the worst levels of toxins and bacteria in a particular body of water, stuff that your fish, being in a protected little tank their whole lives, wont' be able to handle.
If you really want clams (not worth it, in my opinion, as they're a pain to keep alive), find a place that breeds and sells them. You can get them at liveaquaria, but shipping is expensive.

lyndatu

I just read Beth191987's thread on keeping clams and saying that you can keep them, but you will need to have them stay in a separate tank for several months first, to "flush" out all the garbage they carry. Is this true? I'm planning to keep one because we're using some bioballs and we can't find plants that will feed on the nitrates........

Thanks in advance!

sirdarksol

That would get the toxins out of their system, but there is still the (lessened) risk of them bringing a disease into your tank. It's a good way to moderate the risk, but just be aware that there still is a risk.