The pea mussel, pea clam or fingernail clam as its sometimes known, is a small native freshwater clam species that feeds by filtering small particles of algae, bacteria and organic matter from the water ,in the wild they are found in many different habitats from small ponds to large lakes and rivers, pea mussels can be kept in outdoor ponds, coldwater and tropical aquariums where they will grow to a maximun of 1.2 cm, so excellent for nano aquariums aswell as wildlife ponds.
Pea clam/mussel (Sphaerium corneum)
The pea mussel is fairly hardy and can survive a wide range of conditions. Unlike larger species such as the swan mussel whos larvae (glochidia) go through a parasitic phase, the pea mussel producees between 1 and 20 live young at a time which are exact miniatures of the adults and begin filtering water soon after birth. They are also a fairly active mussel species and will sometimes climb rocks and plants. They are hermaphrodites and quiet easy to breed and dont need any special care to do so.