What kinds of clams/mussels are native to you? They do help clean the water. They are also pretty sensitive so need the correct conditions.
I’d very much encourage you to only consider the native options. Not only will they be more likely to live in the conditions you already have, but it will also help prevent potential future problems.
Laniidae_
Not a great idea. Non native mussles are a huge problem and they need extremely specific conditions to persist. Talk to your local co op extension office about better options.
ETA: You can’t just stock a pond with fish or shellfish either. Every state has different laws about private pond stocking.
BunnyButtAcres
Check out “Swim Ponds”. They use certain plants to filter the water. Might be something cheap and low maintenance you can let occupy one bank to help clean things.
heyitscory
Its more likely they’ll die and cloud the water more.
sabotthehawk
Depends a lot on your area, what is native, water stocking laws, size and flow of pond, etc.
A barley bale will help clear it up. It acts as a microbe city to help cycle the water and clean it.
No_Higgins
I tried this. They died. All of them.
Edit: it was a small lined pond with a few gold fish.
DeltaForceFish
Depends if you have enough nutrients for them to survive. They will ‘help’ keep it clear yes, but they are filter feeders so the food needs to come to them. You need enough water movement for that to happen or they will just starve and die. A backyard pond is unlikely going to provide that kind of constant food source. And when these die, they have the potential to kill your whole pond. One reason you dont see a lot of aquarium hobbiests keep them.
Equalmind95
Look its a cool idea and sure it work for a bit. But most clams and mussels are very environmentally sensitive. One big heat wave or major freeze and you lost your whole colony.
Ent_Soviet
Native plants will be far more effective.
Bonus points if aggressive floating plants are native to you, they really clean water and then you can regularly rake them off the top and compost them into so really good nitrogen source for composting.
Life-Bat1388
Freshwater mussels have a parasitic larval stage needed to reproduce. And generally need larger bodies of water
10 Comments
What kinds of clams/mussels are native to you? They do help clean the water. They are also pretty sensitive so need the correct conditions.
I’d very much encourage you to only consider the native options. Not only will they be more likely to live in the conditions you already have, but it will also help prevent potential future problems.
Not a great idea. Non native mussles are a huge problem and they need extremely specific conditions to persist. Talk to your local co op extension office about better options.
ETA: You can’t just stock a pond with fish or shellfish either. Every state has different laws about private pond stocking.
Check out “Swim Ponds”. They use certain plants to filter the water. Might be something cheap and low maintenance you can let occupy one bank to help clean things.
Its more likely they’ll die and cloud the water more.
Depends a lot on your area, what is native, water stocking laws, size and flow of pond, etc.
A barley bale will help clear it up. It acts as a microbe city to help cycle the water and clean it.
I tried this. They died. All of them.
Edit: it was a small lined pond with a few gold fish.
Depends if you have enough nutrients for them to survive. They will ‘help’ keep it clear yes, but they are filter feeders so the food needs to come to them. You need enough water movement for that to happen or they will just starve and die. A backyard pond is unlikely going to provide that kind of constant food source. And when these die, they have the potential to kill your whole pond. One reason you dont see a lot of aquarium hobbiests keep them.
Look its a cool idea and sure it work for a bit. But most clams and mussels are very environmentally sensitive. One big heat wave or major freeze and you lost your whole colony.
Native plants will be far more effective.
Bonus points if aggressive floating plants are native to you, they really clean water and then you can regularly rake them off the top and compost them into so really good nitrogen source for composting.
Freshwater mussels have a parasitic larval stage needed to reproduce. And generally need larger bodies of water