Question about Clams, FW, human consumption  8/7/07
Can you eat a fresh water clam from a lake? Location Northern Maine
Thanks
Betty
<Hello Betty. Almost certainly not, unless your local Fish & Wildlife agency considers that lake pollution-free and safe for shellfish fishing. Bivalves (clams, mussels, etc.) are just about the best filters on the planet, and will sift out bacteria as well as algae from the water. If those bacteria are pathogenic, perhaps thanks to nearby farms dumping effluent into the rivers that feed that lake, then those bacteria will end up in you. Bivalves can also collect heavy metals, sometimes naturally in the water and sometimes a product of local industry. Either way, not good. All that said, some freshwater mussels (mostly Unio-type things) are eaten in different parts of the world. They generally don't taste very good, so are more a subsistence food item than a delicacy. Cheers, Neale>

Freshwater Mussels 6/29/07
Hi guys
<Ave.>
I saw some freshwater mussel in the LFS. They have advised that they are natural filters. I was just wondering how effective they are in a tank and how many is required to be fully effective. And are they also able to survive in a tank with salinity of 1.010. If yes, what's the highest salinity they can tolerate? And also keeping in mind that I have the Marilyna puffer in the same tank. With its current size, it seems to struggle trying to crack open a full size mussel which I have tried to feed it once. So in the short term I believe its life won't be in danger. Thanks in advance. Wil
<Freshwater mussels -- the order Unionoida -- are exceedingly difficult to keep alive in aquaria. The irony is that they are also among the longest lived invertebrates, many species living for more than 100 years. The problem is they have very little tolerance for poor water quality or the wrong environmental conditions. This is why many species in the developed world are threatened with extinction. Another factor is food: unless you deliberately give them suitable food a couple of times a week, they will starve. Read up on marine filter feeding inverts such as tube worms and you'll have an idea on what's required to keep them alive. Despite what retailers say, they cannot live by "scavenging" or "cleaning the water". Nor will they adapt to brackish water conditions. Freshwater clams (usually Corbicula fluminea) seem to succeed a little better in aquaria, and do have (very slight) tolerance for brackish water. But really, you would be better off forgetting about bivalves altogether. I have yet to meet one that qualifies as an "easy" addition to the freshwater aquarium except, possibly, mini-species like Pisidium when kept in invert-only unfiltered tanks with lots of algae and plankton. Cheers, Neale.>

Oysters in aquarium   4/22/07
Hello!
I have a 75 gallon tank with African Cichlids( Malawian).  I am wondering if it is OK to put some oyster clusters in the tank with them.
<Should be fine. What looks great is siliconing the oysters together to make a great big reef. You can pick up silicone sealant cheaply from any DIY store. Follow the instructions, as it's pretty noxious stuff while curing. The fish will appreciate this complex habitat, and in fact many fishes (though not cichlids) exploit oyster reefs as homes and nesting sites.>
I have read about crushed oyster shells, but not about the whole oyster cluster.  My concerns are that they have such sharp edges.
<A valid concern, but cichlids are usually fine about this. They use their lateral line system to "feel" their way around, and being very maneuverable swimmers, don't normally bump into things.>
My second concern is the best way to clean them.  I have a lot of other rock work and caves for hiding but really like to look of these clusters.  Any advise is great!  Thank you!
<Rinse, rinse, and rinse again is the best way to clean things. If these are collected from the beach, then you need to "cure" them, perhaps in the sunshine for a few weeks, to allow anything organic to die off and decay. (In museums they use insects to speed this up, so why not put the shells near an ant colony and let the ants do the work!) Afterwards, it's just a case of washing away any dirt left behind. It's actually pretty unlikely anything in the shells could cause harm to your fish, particularly if the oysters were sold as food or collected from a clean, unpolluted beach.>
Christie
<Cheers, Neale>