| Re: fresh water mussels??
G day,
when I first started my australian creek themed tank I added an australian species of freshwater mussel. It was about 10cm long and black with a white hinge. It was really cool, it would dig into the gravel with its big foot like a pippi! Everything seemed to be going well for while then he stoped moving as much. I just left him alone, he still had his feeding tubes out. Then i guess he must have died and i didn't realise, my water parameters went haywire, I couldn't get rid of nitrates fast enough, and my ph had drastacly dropped. I was doing yet another water change when i knocked the mussell with the gravel cleaner, and bits of meat when floating everywhere, it stank to high heaven!
I'm not sure how he died but I think he wasn't getting enough food. I felt pretty bad that i had straved him to death, the guys at the pet shop said when i got him that he just filter the water and thats how hed get food. But thats just my opinion.
I would research the species mussel that you intend on getting really well, and make sure you can feed them and that they can survive long term. Maybe the aussie species wasn't suitable, but american ones are? And always check them! If they sit still for more than a cupple of days i'd do a bit of an investigation! As for water quality I couldn't measure any difference when I had him and after, but thats just what I found.
Good luck
Missfish
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