Fingernail clam ... info for Jinx

[jaylin]

Hey Jinx - I spoke with Dr. H today about the fingernail clam. He's certain I ID it correctly and he did say that they do not have a parasitic larval stage ... but ... they are monecious and are capable of self fertilizing. Hrm ... the worst part, they can have offspring in the tens of thousands.

He suggested you don't try to keep that one at home.

 

[JinxXx0085]

you joking me? ha, what would happen if I tried keep it home? zillion of clams growing in my tank? I always can harvest them and throw them back in the river will that be ok? No parastic larval stage is awesome.

 

[OrionGirl]

No--nothing from your aquarium should EVER be put back in a wild water. Even if it came from there originally--once it's been in an aquarium with other organisms, the potential exists for a parasite to be spread into the wild, or for an animal to be introduced to a new area.

Clams that have free swimming larval stages seldom survive in an aquarium--they get trapped in filters, and die. FW clams in general don't do well in the aquariums--there just isn't enough food in the water for them to survive.

 

[jaylin]

No, I'm not joking Jinx. They are reproductive monsters! I don't know if it will survive or if it will reproduce, but ...

If you're not going to keep it, I say baggy and trash.

How are your snails doing?