Could I find a Freshwater (asian) Clam? I can't finda any in my town, so I'm going to have to travel to Ocala, Brooksville, Tampa, Orlando, or Gainesville, but all of these places are at least 30 miles away... Can anybody tell me for sure a pet store that stocks freshwater clams in this area?
Where in Central Florida...
- Thread starter powellmacaque
- Start date
Have you checked your local streams and ditches? I'm not sure how entrenched they are in Florida, but in most of the eastern US Asian clams are abundant in all suitable habitats. Sift through the substrate a bit and you'll likely dig some up. Just be sure you don't take home any native unionid mussels.
How do I tell the difference?
I know for a fact that my friend digs up bivalve mollusks all the time. He calls them clams, but he could be mistaken...
Also... are there any clams native to Florida? I know that the North American freshwater clams are somewhat rare, but maybe the Floridian population is just from Asia?
I know for a fact that my friend digs up bivalve mollusks all the time. He calls them clams, but he could be mistaken...
Also... are there any clams native to Florida? I know that the North American freshwater clams are somewhat rare, but maybe the Floridian population is just from Asia?
Here's a photo and some info on the Asian clam. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=92
Unionids are varied, but no unionids have a shell that is all the following things:
1. thick
2. round-to-triangular, never elongate
3. yellowish-brown to greenish in color
4. small (never more than 1.5", usually less than 1")
5. ornamented only with concentric sulcations (fine raised ridges)
If your molluscs meet all those criteria, they are Asian clams.
Unionids are varied, but no unionids have a shell that is all the following things:
1. thick
2. round-to-triangular, never elongate
3. yellowish-brown to greenish in color
4. small (never more than 1.5", usually less than 1")
5. ornamented only with concentric sulcations (fine raised ridges)
If your molluscs meet all those criteria, they are Asian clams.
I know there is a pet store named Creature Castle in the Tampa/Brandon area that carries them but last time i was there i dont remember seeing any in the tank but that was probably 3 weeks ago and the clams may have been hiding in the gravel
How deep do they bury themselves? And how far out do I have to search? Went to my friends pond today and dug a bit, didn't find anything...
They're usually not very deep, just an inch or so. If there is a good population you will often see the dead shells lying on the surface.