Mollusks?

[Joe Willmore]

We probably all looked at snails and live plants as possible contributors to some kind of water balance issue (granted, they contribute their own debris and waste but they also contribute to some water quality as well). What about the wide range of mollusks available? I'm thinking especially about fresh-water mussels. Has anyone used those in their tank with any success with their newt population and do you have any recommendations?

Sounds interesting keep us updated if you decide to try! I haven't heard of people using mollusks.

I have never considered them because (1) I've only seen them for sale online, not in stores, and (2) I would worry about them being able to clamp together on a newt's foot. However, as i've never had any, I don't know if this is possible or not.

They were popular in aquariums in the old days (1950 through the early 1970s) (and some of the older books I have recommend not keeping them due to the difficulties keeping them alive) but in general they require high oxygenation levels as well as large amount of suspended particulates or algaes to receive sufficient nutrients to stay alive. Most of the time these mollusks die in the tanks and contribute to the pollution levels.

[Colin]

you can still buy swan mussells in the UK from aquatic shops, and they vary from 2 - 6 inches in length. I have found that they only do well if you squirt liquifry near their syphon maybe twice a week.
Its also important to make sure that the water isnt too hot... keep it below 75degF or they may die.

what about other mollusks like apple snails? thought of keeping them? they are commonly kept with fish fry as their dropping help produce infusoria which the fish eat and they will also eat up any left over food, quite handy

(Message edited by colin on April 25, 2004)

fresh water clams used to be used to test water quality-if a stream was suspect they'd use them as bio indicators-i'd say that you'd do you well-i see them for sale at my local pet shop(in colorado-about 2$ each) but i personally have never kept them alive for too long(but this was before the day of a/c in my house)

when i was about 15, i had a freshwater mussel with a couple of african dwarf frogs. one day, i found the frogs toes clamped in the mussel. it took 20 minutes of trying to pry the mussel open with a credit card and a butterknife before we got the frog out. they both survived, but i wouldnt keep mussels or clams with anything else after that.

I have a few fingernail clams in my fish tank (75F). The tank quality hasn't improved or degraded since their addition, but they're fascinating to watch. They look like the love child of a brine shrimp and a daphnia.

[Joe Willmore]

I haven't had a chance to research this topic much since my original post as I"m just coming off some travel from work. But...I do know that there are a number of freshwater mussels that inhabit lakes so they don't require lots of moving water. Additionally, a number of fresh-water mussels burrow down into substrate, mud or the bottom of a lake. My guess (and it's only a guess at this point) is that if you had a fresh water mussel or two down by an undergravel filter with plates or rocks you might be able to put the mussels down at the bottom (so there would be no risk to the newts but the mussels could also serve as a filtering source and deal with some of the "ick" that we often end up with under the filter. Again, nothing definitive but if I get more details (either from experimenting or research) I'll follow up by posting.

[Joe Willmore]

Okay, I've had a chance to chat with a couple of fresh-water fish owners who have some experience with mollusks--or specifically mussels and this is what they told me.

There is a particular species of "clam" (really a mussel" imported from Asia specifically for the aquarium/freshwater fish trade. While it works well in aquariums and hasn't seemed to pose a threat to fish at all, it is an invasive species that is evidently one of the species of mussels (not the zebra mussel) that has gotten released into the wild and started to choke out the native species.

Another owner I spoke to told me he couldn't say what type of freshwater mussel he had except that (a) he did very well in cold water (below 70 degrees F--so definitely newt temperature), (b) didn't require a lot of moving water; and (c) burrowed down into the substrate (gravel and small rocks). In fact, his "test" for whether the mussels were still alive was to pull them out of the substrate and in an hour or less they'd be buried again in the substrate (ie: if the mussel didn't move he assumed it was dead). He's had one for over a year and several others for at least 3 months with no fatalities. But...he doesn't know the name of freshwater mussel he has (and with over 200+ freshwater mussels in North America, that doesn't narrow it down much).

If I find out any more specific details in terms of a species of mussel that appears to be a good fit for newts (ie: hardy, buries itself, doesn't require an environment very different from a newt's tank), I'll pass that info on.

Hi,
I've been herping this weekend and I found a Triturus alpestris with one finger caught in a mussel:

He wasn' bothered by the mussel and swam like all others.
Greetings
Fabian

When can you see a newt is bothered? They don't have any facial expressions that I'm aware of...

Look at his face man, that is the expression of a most bothered newt!

How will you look, if you are just swimming around looking for some nice girls and all of a sudden you are caught by a giant and transferred to a foto session in a small aquarium?