all new to me

[kimberlyfaye]

my daughters and i were at a lake in florida and we brought home freshwater clams and minnows. it was something i did as a child and wanted them to have the same wonderful experiences. I have 1 large clam and bout 15 smaller clams. The large clam comes out and moves alone the bottom. He seems to be thriving however the little ones never seem to do anything. We've had them bout 2 months now, and I've not lost any of them yet. So I want to make sure I dont need to do anything special for them. I was given some very large goldfish from someones pond and was told they would eat the minnows. I have not found this to be the case since everyone seems to be thriving. I recently found out that clams eat algae and reduce the nitrates. I havent had a algae problem but I did purchase a algae eater. The only thing I add to the tank is Aquarium Salt. My tank is roughly 37 gallons(i think, 36long,18wide,11 & 1/2 depth). I do have a small filter/pump. Also I was sure if i needed to add gravel, I dont have anything on the bottom cause the big clam seems to be happy coming out moving along. I only added the aquarium salt one time. We have gotten alot of enjoyment out of the aquarium and it was'nt till I found this website that I have been able to find out much bout clam lovers, which I have quickly become. So If someone has any suggestion for me and the care of my clams, please keep in mind that I'm a beginner looking to learn. Thankyou

[jdbassin]

while there is a freshwater section on the reef tank, it's pretty much all saltwater here, I would also recommend aquariacentral.com They are more dedicated to freshwater. I've gotten a great deal more responses on my freshwater questions there. fresh water clams like saltwater clams are filter feeders and they will filter nitrates, algeas etc from the water column. I've never had to add anything special to make mine thrive, other than NOT keeping the very clean. When the water was to clean and I filtered to much naturally I was taking away their food source and they started to decline in health. Unlike saltwater clams the lighting makes no difference so that's kind of a plus money wise.