Freshwater Clams - Aquarium Advice

Textrix · 09-13-2008, 04:06 AM

So i'm just starting out for the first time with a fish tank. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with three guppies and a zebra danio right now. Eventually I would like a spotted cory and a dalmatian molly or two. I am also considering freshwater clams but there is hardly anything on the internet about that them that says anything other than the fact that they are filter feeders. First of all, I am basically concerned with whether they will be compatible with my fish and the ones I want to get. Specifically the cory because they live on the same level. Also, my sister told me that having a clam will raise the pH of my tank. I'm not sure how true this is but I definitely am not going to ignore it. If someone has any experience with freshwater clams and can answer my questions and possibly mentioning anything else that you think is important then please do! I appreciate it greatly!

RoseHippi · 09-13-2008, 07:25 AM

Since shells raise the Ph then I am sure a clam would too.
Danio's are schooling fish so you really need more of those instead of getting the other fish you listed. Cories are also schooling fish and so you need at least five. Your tank is really to small for that many fish.
Good luck

**melosu58** · 09-13-2008, 08:26 AM

Moved to the appropiate FW forum.

JohnPaul · 09-13-2008, 09:51 AM

FW clams are filter feeders. They require a well-aged, very heavily planted tank with just tons of "stuff" in the water column and very good water circulation. And even with all of that, you hear a lot more failure stories than success stories in keeping them alive for any length of time. They also need a pretty fine sand substrate so they can bury themselves down in the sand. There would be no impact on pH unless the clam died and you left the shell in the tank for a long time after the clam's death.

There would be no conflicts with your other tank occupants, other than the warnings you've been given already that you are going to run out of room in your 10 gallon tank with your current stocking plans. 10 gallon tanks seem big at first but once you start accounting for the sizes of grown fish, you discover pretty quickly they aren't that big at all. Zebra danios are such active, fast swimmers I personally think they need a tank larger than 10 gallons. My advice would be to take back the danio, and make the focus on this tank being a guppy tank. They would be your fish for the main water column, and then you could get maybe 4 corys for the bottom (6 if you can find pygmy corys or some other "dwarf" variety of cory). Between the corys and the guppies, that would probaby max out your bioload. If you really wanted something "different" for the tank as well, you could add a few dwarf shrimp (ghost shrimp can be found in most stores, or if you have a really good aquarium store near you, you might be able to find red cherry shrimp). Shrimps would give you something unusual and fun for the tank, without adding to your bioload. Adults would be safe with the fish you have, though babies would of course be eaten almost immediately.

Oh, also, I am assuming your tank is already completely cycled? If not, add *nothing* new to this tank until the cycle is complete.

09-13-2008, 04:06 AM	#1
Textrix Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1	Freshwater Clams So i'm just starting out for the first time with a fish tank. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with three guppies and a zebra danio right now. Eventually I would like a spotted cory and a dalmatian molly or two. I am also considering freshwater clams but there is hardly anything on the internet about that them that says anything other than the fact that they are filter feeders. First of all, I am basically concerned with whether they will be compatible with my fish and the ones I want to get. Specifically the cory because they live on the same level. Also, my sister told me that having a clam will raise the pH of my tank. I'm not sure how true this is but I definitely am not going to ignore it. If someone has any experience with freshwater clams and can answer my questions and possibly mentioning anything else that you think is important then please do! I appreciate it greatly!

09-13-2008, 07:25 AM	#2
RoseHippi Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: USA Posts: 32 Images: 6	Since shells raise the Ph then I am sure a clam would too. Danio's are schooling fish so you really need more of those instead of getting the other fish you listed. Cories are also schooling fish and so you need at least five. Your tank is really to small for that many fish. Good luck __________________ 75g goldfish tank. 30g planted fish tank. Two 10g planted tanks. 6g planted tank. 2 1 gallon planted betta bowls. Check my website for info on my tanks.

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09-13-2008, 09:51 AM	#4
JohnPaul Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 695	FW clams are filter feeders. They require a well-aged, very heavily planted tank with just tons of "stuff" in the water column and very good water circulation. And even with all of that, you hear a lot more failure stories than success stories in keeping them alive for any length of time. They also need a pretty fine sand substrate so they can bury themselves down in the sand. There would be no impact on pH unless the clam died and you left the shell in the tank for a long time after the clam's death. There would be no conflicts with your other tank occupants, other than the warnings you've been given already that you are going to run out of room in your 10 gallon tank with your current stocking plans. 10 gallon tanks seem big at first but once you start accounting for the sizes of grown fish, you discover pretty quickly they aren't that big at all. Zebra danios are such active, fast swimmers I personally think they need a tank larger than 10 gallons. My advice would be to take back the danio, and make the focus on this tank being a guppy tank. They would be your fish for the main water column, and then you could get maybe 4 corys for the bottom (6 if you can find pygmy corys or some other "dwarf" variety of cory). Between the corys and the guppies, that would probaby max out your bioload. If you really wanted something "different" for the tank as well, you could add a few dwarf shrimp (ghost shrimp can be found in most stores, or if you have a really good aquarium store near you, you might be able to find red cherry shrimp). Shrimps would give you something unusual and fun for the tank, without adding to your bioload. Adults would be safe with the fish you have, though babies would of course be eaten almost immediately. Oh, also, I am assuming your tank is already completely cycled? If not, add nothing new to this tank until the cycle is complete.