Freshwater

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Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them
Freshwater Clams (Corbicual species)
Freshwater clams are from Asia and only grow to about 2 inches in the home
aquarium. This invertebrate has banded brown and black colors and spends
most of its time filter feeding. This type of feeding helps to keep your aquarium
clean and reduce nitrates as it removes floating particles and uneaten
food that is suspended in the water.
Freshwater clams can live in water temperatures ranging from 68–85 degrees
and are peaceful.
Singapore flower shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis)
This beautiful red shrimp is native to Asia and reaches lengths of almost 4
inches in the home aquarium. This invertebrate is able to quickly change
colors depending on it surrounding environment.
Singapore shrimp should be kept in aquariums of over 10 gallons and happily
feed on aquarium debris by filtering it with special appendages shaped like
fans that are attached to their legs.
Ramshorn snail (Marisa cornuarietis)
This peaceful cool gold or cream-colored snail has a shell that looks like a
ram’s horn. It can live in water temperatures ranging from 70–85 degrees F
and only grows to about 2 inches.
The interesting thing about this snail is that they require air to breathe. They
accomplish this using a siphon that sticks out of the water, like an escaped
convict using a reed to breath underwater in an old prison break movie. For
that reason you need to leave a couple of inches of open airspace on the top
of the aquarium water.
The ramshorn snail is great for cleaning up debris in the aquarium.
Freshwater Coldwater Fish
and Invertebrates
Freshwater creatures that live in coldwater tanks do not require heating,
because they generally live at lower temperatures than do tropical ones.
The rest of the coldwater aquarium equipment is the same as for tropicals.
However, if you keep fish in an outdoor pond during the freezing winter
months, you may have to move them into a warmer area such as a holding
tank in your garage until the frigid weather passes. Goldfish secrete a lot of
waste, so good filtration is a must.