Using muscles for filtration?

[gmdcdvm]

I know a few years ago saw some posts online about using muscles as part of their filtration. Just wondering if anyone has any experience. I don’t think it gained much traction. Just curious.

Gerry

 

[Srt4eric]

@Darkxerox has a bunch of clams in his sump.

 

[grizfyrfyter]

I just put 10 small maxima in my sump.

 

[MolaMola]

Clams in sump? Going to check that out with a later search!

 

[Turkeysammich]

I’ve tried muscles / clams ( Asian market ) years ago. They don’t work. Our water is too warm.
Clams like maxima, deresa, etc is the way if that’s what you want to do. I keep 3 in the sump, dunno if it does anything significant or not.

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

You could try tunicates, but they are an ugly brown color. I had a tunicate for about a year. Kinda interesting if you like unique things in your tank. Clams are the prettier option.

 

[Alexander1312]

Corals are better filters. Or real filtration.

Clams are pretty but get eaten overnight in my tank as I had to find out the hard way.

And I do not believe in lighting my sump.

 

[grizfyrfyter]

They are very small. Glad I have lots of phyto on hand

 

[SkidmarkStevie]

You could try tunicates, but they are an ugly brown color. I had a tunicate for about a year. Kinda interesting if you like unique things in your tank. Clams are the prettier option.

I just feel like I should defend my tunicates if you're going to talk about em' like that. Ugly and brown and all...

I love em, looking at internal structure they sure are built for efficient filtration.

 

[VacavilleFC]

You could try tunicates, but they are an ugly brown color. I had a tunicate for about a year. Kinda interesting if you like unique things in your tank. Clams are the prettier option.

I have 2 big red ones I got on my gulf live rock, they look like a very sunburnt scrotum

 

[Turkeysammich]

Btw. Arnold @Apon use to use clams as a form of filtration for years and years. I think you need big clams to do anything noticeable.

 

[Darkxerox]

Took me a good 30 seconds to realize you guys were talking about mussels and not physical removal lol

 

[Alexander1312]

Took me a good 30 seconds to realize you guys were talking about mussels and not physical removal lol

Same!

 

[divewsharks]

They are very small. Glad I have lots of phyto on hand


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where'd you get them from?

 

[grizfyrfyter]

where'd you get them from?

Central Valley Corals ordered them for me.

 

[PjFish]

Green muscles
(Perna viridis) are tropical and subtropical marine species native to the Indo-Pacific. They have been invasive in Florida for the last several years increasing in numbers. Only a matter of time till they show up on your Gulf Live Rock order or any other Florida live rock order. They are pretty with their emerald green colors. Several years ago after reading this article was trying to find some for my sump also which they need almost zero light to thrive but no one had them in stock. They should thrive in home aquariums with supplemental feedings phytoplankton, zooplankton probably already are in some aquariums. Don’t think they were showing up yet in Florida when the link article was written.
They are delicious and prefer them over our local mussels lol !!, if anyone finds a live source please post wondering if any of the markets in china town have them in tanks..

https://reefs.com/magazine/aquarium-invertebrates-green-lipped-mussels/

 

[PjFish]

Remembering now years ago I watched a video of an indoor shrimp breeding facility who used them mussels specifically for filtration purposes

 

[PjFish]

They are very small. Glad I have lots of phyto on hand


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Your mussels were missed yesterday!!. I had to carry your load!!Ha

 

[grizfyrfyter]

Your mussels were missed yesterday!!. I had to carry your load!!Ha

Wish I could have been there. I did not have a fun morning.