# Mussel Yellow Clam - Corbicula javanicus



## clau74 (Apr 21, 2012)

Hi , 
What do you say are good for planted tank? Water Filter and retain food debris and small particles a true biological filter in addition.

Are a challenge?


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

i have read clams in general are a challenge to keep in a tank. When one dies, it typically would polute a tank prompting a full tear down... They are a challenge but not impossible to keep.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

I'll just agree with Citydweller. If you want a point of comparison, not long ago keeping a clam in a saltwater system was reserved for public aquariums. To say the least that is no longer the case. While you can make the case that the equipment innovations in the Saltwater hobby have made it easier, I tend to think that it's more a case of hobbyists making greater strides in understanding the animal, its' needs and meeting those needs. So I don't see why the same can't apply to freshwater clams and mussels. They are a challenge but not impossible.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Most clams are filter feeders and therefore need strong flow and lots of available food in the actual water so you need to make sure food is provided the clam can eat. And as said, they die and you don't know, they will break down quickly and spike your tank and can be harmful to everything in there. They bury themselves and can die and decompose and you won't know.


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

Even if you could keep them VIA special feedings or dirty water, would you want to have one, knowing it digs and will probably disrupt your plantings?

I had a freshwater muscle for a time, lived with me for about 6months. I'm not sure if that's just how long it took it to starve to death, or if it starved after buying a better filter and being more consistent with maintenance.

I've always thought filter shrimps would be a better option. You can tell if theyre starving because they start to scavenger the gravel with their fans, don't dig, are peaceful, and they're breeding is not a parasite to fish.


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

IMHO i spent a lot of time looking at getting a clam for my tank, and i ended up getting filter feeding shrimp. for two big reasons

#1 
I can see when they die, and where they die. with a clam you will most likely not know it has passed until you smell it, and when you can smell it, it is to late. the decomposing clam can spike your water and kill even the hardiest of fish. When you realize it has died you will have look in all of your substrate until you find it. they spend 99% of their time buried under your substrate, and they love to move around the tank so you really wont know where they die

#2
i know how well a shrimp is feeding, this would be a restatement of pandacorys last paragraph.


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## clau74 (Apr 21, 2012)

Hi , 
Thanks for answers, these shells is a surprise to me. The risk of using oysters planted aquarium is large . It can damage the tank. 

What softens the water by fixing calcium in shell?


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## VivaDaWolf (Feb 5, 2012)

Im wondering if you can section off the tank, like a mini corrall of plexi or something in keep the clam in.


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