Milky water

[sissy]

says they are good for ponds because they need a lot of shall we say waste and eat decaying vegetation and waste matter from fish and anything I guess.Gosh says some weigh there them every month to make sure they are gaining weight

 

[j.w]

Uh oh hope the game warden doesn't see this and come and raid your pond

Freshwater mussels are eaten by otters, racoons, some ducks, and geese.

They are also endangered, and should be left for the above creatures to eat.

Humans should not eat these, as there are bacteria that can do serious harm to us.

 

[sissy]

it is only in the U.S.that you can't have them

 

[Vanquished]

They an not multiply without fish being present.

There are male and female Swan Mussels, some other bivalves are hermaphrodites.

The fertilised eggs are stored inside the female during the winter, I think, until they develop into glochidia, a free swimming larval stage with a short "tail".

These glochidia become detached from the parent and find their way into the gill structures of fish where they attach themselves to live as parasites for a few weeks.

They transform into tiny swan mussels and drop off their hosts into the mud to live happily ever after.

Information taken from Internet.

 

[addy1]

Interesting! Thanks for the information.

 

[vertigo72]

I got 5 giant mussles today (gf bought them). Been googling and reading and the opinions seem very contradictory. Some say they are great for keeping water clean and healthy, others say they are a great risk to Koi, because of the parasites and if they die, apparently they make quite a chemical/biological mess. Then again others say if they die, their shell opens up and Koi will eat them in no time, and the "parasites" they produce to reproduce are no threat to Koi.

I also read they need mud to hide in. So I put 2 in my iris filter bed (which has clay) and the rest in the pond, but Im not sure Im gonna keep them. Any more conflicting opinions here ?

 

[koiguy1969]

I dont know anything about them, but...at least pond store or pet store ones would likely be alot more safe than ones from the wild, as theyre probably farmed and cultivated in an controlled enviroment. exposure to harmful parasites, bacteria etc..would likely be minimal. or you would think (hope).

 

[mogsie]

i read up on giant swan mussels a while ago, and learned that they are good water cleaners, and ime sure i read that they are only of concern to fish when they breed/reproduce, as the young baby mussels live as parasites on fish until they grow a bit then detatch themselves,

 

[vertigo72]

Yeah thats the issue (or isnt lol):

The larvae (glochidia) of freshwater mussels are parasitic on fish. They are released into the water by adult mussels and, when a fish passes close enough to disturb them, the glochidia attach themselves to the skin or gills of the fish by means of their barbed valves. Irritated host tissue then grows and forms a cyst over each glochidium. Development from glochidium to small mussel takes about 10 weeks, at which time the mussel bores through the cyst, leaves its host and settles to the substrate. The presence of a glochidia infestation is indicated by numerous white or greyish "bladders" on the gills, skin and fins of the fish. Fish may be severely stress by the attachment of large numbers of glochidia, particularly when the infestation affects the gills and may greatly impair respiration. Glochidia are able to affect most native species but are not known to affect introduced species.

http://rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/Specific.htm

I dont think Koi is native to australia, but it doesnt sound very comforting. Next question I think will be about freshwater mussels recipes

 

[sissy]

oh well dinners on

 

[vertigo72]

Well, I told you information was contradictory. Here is a more reassuring note:

Most freshwater mussels are relatively long-lived creatures, so you need not worry about your mussels reproducing and thus, the need for proper fish hosts for the parasitic mussel larvae (glochidia). However, mussels are safe for your fish. Even if the fish in your pond are appropriate fish hosts, research has shown that glochidia will have little or no effect on the fish they parasitize.

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/misc/mussels_pond.htm

From that same page:

Individual freshwater mussels have been known to filter as much as 0.5 to 1.25 gallons of water per hour.

Maybe I should keep m after all lol.

 

[Vanquished]

Well, I told you information was contradictory. Here is a more reassuring note:

Most freshwater mussels are relatively long-lived creatures, so you need not worry about your mussels reproducing and thus, the need for proper fish hosts for the parasitic mussel larvae (glochidia). However, mussels are safe for your fish. Even if the fish in your pond are appropriate fish hosts, research has shown that glochidia will have little or no effect on the fish they parasitize.

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/misc/mussels_pond.htm

From that same page:

Individual freshwater mussels have been known to filter as much as 0.5 to 1.25 gallons of water per hour.

Maybe I should keep m after all lol.

Vertig72, I have just 3 mussels which I have marked for identification, I have their sizes and weight on record this will tell me they are feeding and keeping healthy. They do like to dig themselves into the mud, but once weekly I will move them so I can see they are opening therefore still alive. They soon find their way back to the mud.

I have to say, the water to my pond is now crystal clear thanks to the Barley straw and my new slimey mates.

 

[vertigo72]

Yeah, but what worries me is the potential effect on Koi. Do you have any?

 

[Vanquished]

Yeah, but what worries me is the potential effect on Koi. Do you have any?

I don't have any fish, if I did I don't think I would take the chance as it's not clear whether the parasites can do harm........... My pond is for plants and wildlife, our visitors include swimming hedgehogs.

 

[addy1]

Vanquished, I have a bunch of different birds bathing every day in my bog right where it flows into the pond, so far no bubbles like you showed in the beginning. I don't think it would be the birds doing that.

Wow a hedgehog! how neat................post a picture if you can.