Telling a live clam from a dead one?

[mrzap]

I just ordered ghost shrimp and a freshwater clam (thought I would give it a shot) from aquariumfish.net.

Those guys are great! They even threw in a couple extra ghost shrimp and they all arrived alive and immediately began feeding in my tank like they weren't shocked or anything.

My question is on the clam. How do I know if it is alive? I mean the shell is shut right now. I doubt I would see much movement with it, but what are signs of life from a clam?

People have told me that a dead clam is very bad for your tank.

 

[William]

If the clam is shut tight, its alive.

Its dead when it just hangs open.

 

[QTOFFER]

Not sure if this helps, but...
When shopping for clams for a clambake, I've heard that you should only choose those that keep their shell tightly closed. If the shell is open or if you can easily open it, then the clam is dead and should not be eaten.

Maybe this applies to FW clams as well?

Also, clams are filter feeders. Is there enough food for them in a well-filtered aquarium? I wonder if there is something that you should be feeding them....

 

[QTOFFER]

If the clam is shut tight, its alive.

Its dead when it just hangs open.

Beat me to the draw!

 

[William]

You beat yourself to the draw? 8O :?

 

[QTOFFER]

Oops...stupid Mac control keys...

 

[William]

Now you edited it to make me look sily!


No Alaskan king crab for you

 

[Allivymar]

Heh QT and William are right on the mark; if its closed tightly it likely alive. Also, a dead clam STINKS.

QT brings up a good point; filter feeders have a tough time in our well filtered tanks. You may want to supplement its diet with one of the microorganism foods such as OSI Micro Diets (you can find them here for example: http://www.franksaquarium.com/OSIFoods.htm ).

Oh, and theres a little info on em here: http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/clams.html . I've also read FW clams aren't great for fish; their larvae parasitize fish so the larvae don't get swept off someplace else although with one it wouldn't be a problem I guess: http://www.aquarium.net/0597/0597_1.shtml .

 

[mrzap]

Yep, my clam is shut tight. Do they pop open and dig themselves into the gravel when I am not looking? Thanks for the clam info and food links.

 

[QTOFFER]

Once again, it's Allivymar with the answers!

The only thing I know about FW molluscs is that the people who maintain the waterways in the Great Lakes states hate the little buggers!

Zebra mussels from the Caspian Sea, were introduced in 1988 by the bilge water discharge of a transoceanic vessel and have since wreaked havoc on the local ecosystems. They clog up water intake pipes and dam spillways. They grow in such numbers on the hulls of ships that they slow them down by creating drag.

Well, at least they can't blame this exotic species release on us aquarists.

 

[Allivymar]

No, they can't blame the Zebras on us, but there are other clams those with tanks have dumped into the environment. From aquariumfish.net:

Customer Comments


The clams you are advertising are most likely Corbicula fluminea - a highly invasive species that is rapidly spreading in US waters - displacing native species.

Unfortunately, when people tire of aquarium species - or they become problematic they elect to 'dump' them into a pond or lake rather than finding them a home or digging a hole and burying them. Aquarium dumping is a major pathway for invasive species.

One good example of what can happen is the snakehead problem that has been recently made national headlines. The hundreds of thousands of waterbodies across the US that are infested with elodia, milfoil, salvinia, azola and other aquarium plants are another prime example of aquarium dumping that is costing the taxpayers billions each year for control and eradication.

You have a wonderful website and I will no doubt purchase some cichlids from you in the future. However, I would encourage you - and other mail order houses - to include information that explains why these animals and plants should never be put into public waters - or even into private ponds where there is a chance that flooding may spread them into public waters.

Pamala Meacham
Asst. Aquatic Nuisance Species Coord.
Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
600 Capitol Way
N. Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 902-2741