theresa Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Does anyone have MUSSEL CLUSTER in their tanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 OK I'll bite. What's a mussel cluster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thanks for bitting Ric, I read the article below and was wondering what anyone had to say about them Mussels are bivalves, and are a very important form of marine life. They feed by filtering water through their shells. As the water is pulled into their shells, it is circulated through their systems and removes dissolved organics from your aquarium's water. This helps to remove all types of undesirable toxins from your water as well, including ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.Mussels will attach themselves to your live rock and act as the natural filters that they are, benefitting your aquarium by filtering up to 40 gallons of water per day! That's a LOT of water for these little critters to clean! The oceans of the world have a natural balance of marine animals that each have a specific job to execute. All the different forms of marine life, acting together, create a perfect environment.In a closed system, like your fish tank, it is very important to attempt to replicate the natural oceans. The most successful way to go about this is by adding as many of the different forms of marine life to do their natural jobs in keeping the water clean and "healthy". For example, the macroalgae filters the water by absorbing water and removing toxins such as nitrate from your water. Crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp consume uneaten food, fish waste, unwanted nuisance algae and any die off that may occur in the aquarium. Snails will glide across the glass and ive rock and remove unwanted nuisance algae as well. Bivalves have their own job and do it very well. Not only are bivalves important as a part of your clean up crew, but they are a beautiful addition to your aquarium and make your tank look much more like the natural seas of the world. The picture you see above is a close up shot of a small cluster of mussels. Mussels are also a food source for many fish (such as parrotfish) that consume mollusks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I haven't seen any tanks with mussels that I am aware of. I confess I thought mussels were freshwater. I have used cleaner clams, conchs, all kinds of snails and crabs, and starfish in an effort to keep my tank clean. I haven't tried mussels tho. Sounds like they would work well in a refugium or possibly a sump. BTW, the picture you reffered to is not there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Not allowed to ust the imagine extentions, so the picture would not paste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Are mussels like clams,scallops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Are mussels like clams,scallops? Mike, the short answer is yes. I would tend to belive my clen up crew would make a "happy meal" out of them. If I was to use them I would do like Ric suggest and use them in a sump. I would do the same thing with scallops (red 'tentacle' might get nipped at) I'm sure someone will correct me if I have given wrong information. Be gentle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Not allowed to ust the imagine extentions, so the picture would not paste. ?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Not allowed to ust the imagine extentions, so the picture would not paste. If you are trying to post a picture from the web, PM me where you are trying to get it from and I will see if I can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Just a quick note filter feeding bivalves such as mussels and clams do not directly reduce nitrates. They do however filter out small foods / particlate matter and disolved organics which can impact nitrates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I have a few hitchhiker mussels growing on some rocks. Popped-up out of nowhere. I've seen how they aqua-farm mussels in New Zealand. The grow these huge clusters that hang from poles/rods that are suspended at the water surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viet-tin Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 As Gonobob mentioned they filter out small food particles so you need to feed them otherwise they will starve and die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Ok kool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 If you are trying to post a picture from the web, PM me where you are trying to get it from and I will see if I can help. PM sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viet-tin Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Would love to try out those green lipped mussels if I knew where to find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Here is the picture you were trying to show: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Man you are good. thanks you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooric Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Well you can buy live clams & mussels from the grocery, but those come from cold water environments usually so I don't know how they would fare in a reef tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 You might be able to aculmate then with a drip system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viet-tin Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Last time I tried they ended up dying during qt. I wanted to purge their systems before putting them into the DT. The qt tank stayed around 80 +/- a few degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 How cold they like their water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Would love to try out those green lipped mussels if I knew where to find them. Central Market? I've wondered how some of the live clams would do but felt awkward just asking for just 1 to try it out. Has anybody out there tried them? I too have found an occasional one on the backsides of rock I've moved around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatfouz Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 we had them in my high school class. the teacher bought six, dumped them in her tank in the class room. although it had no heater, just a small sponge filter. it was just a thing of salt water and sand that sat there for 6 months. they lasted the entire semester from what i remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 I would stay clear of the blue mussels they are cold water, kinda like people who put periwinkles in there tropical tank it dramtically shortens there life if they last at all. I have seen the green mussels up for sale online. I'm originally from Maine and I can tell you the blue ones grow like weeds so if you find the green ones I'd keep them in the sump. I have seen on ebay oyster clusters wich are supposed to be in the sump: http://cgi.ebay.com/3-oyster-clusters-aquarium-fish-tank-filter-reef-safe_W0QQitemZ200454441606QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2eac040a86 I however am not advertising for them this is purely an example Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatfouz Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I would stay clear of the blue mussels they are cold water, kinda like people who put periwinkles in there tropical tank it dramtically shortens there life if they last at all. I have seen the green mussels up for sale online. I'm originally from Maine and I can tell you the blue ones grow like weeds so if you find the green ones I'd keep them in the sump. I have seen on ebay oyster clusters wich are supposed to be in the sump: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item2eac040a86 I however am not advertising for them this is purely an example i also be careful with the freshones at least because in many places they are illegal. growing like weeds is an understatement. more like a pandemic is more like it. we spent a week studying the impact non native bivalves have on american ecosystems and how far across the country they have spread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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