Pond Plants & Supplies
Effective 30 Sept 2009 we have stopped shipping plants for the season and will start shipping plants again in the spring. Lotus Seeds and all other non plant items (supplies) are shipped all year.
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Questions & Answers
These are based on emails I have gotten or questions asked from walk in customers
Q - Why do you have so many pages of links ?
Q - I tried to bring up your topic on A Low Cost Home-Made Wal-Mart Pond Filter... ?
Fertilizer:
Q - How often do I need to fertilize my plants ?
Fish:
Frogs & Tadpoles:
Can I buy tadpoles and have them shipped ?? ~ 21 Feb 07
Insects:
Q - Do you know where I can find dragon fly larva ? ~ 21 Aug 06
Lotus:
Q - I want to buy some lotus seeds that have red flowers ?
Q - Hi. Are the seeds that you sell of the variety whose roots can be eaten?
Q - Why can't I buy lotus tubers/roots in the summer ?
Q - I got my lotus root, what do I do with it ?
Q - How do I divide my lotus root ?
Q - Can I order some Lotus flowers ? ~ Sept 2006
Misc:
Q - Hi, I am writing about your DIY prefilter page
Q - I have a dirt bottom pond and the water is always dirty looking. How can I get it clear ?
Q - I'm looking for some water hyacinth to grow in my 100 gallon bio-filter ~ added 12 March 2008
Mollusk:
Q - Freshwater mussels as filters (May 2006)
Ordering:
Q - Where can I buy freshwater jellyfish ?
Q - I live in California and I ordered a lot of plants and you cancelled my order, why ?
Q - I live in (pick a country), can I order plants from you and have them shipped to me ?
Shipping:
Q - Why do charge $15.00 for shipping plants ?
Q ~ Why do you have so many pages of links ?
A ~ Because I can. These are links I have found with what I feel is (or at the time was) useful information. I figured why not share the information with everyone. I do not make any money from these links and they actually cost me as I pay for the bandwidth they take up plus the time it takes to maintain them. If you have any useful links to share, please let me know, if you find any dead links please let me know.
If you have a web site you would like me to link to, send me an email with the site name, www address and your name and I will check it out. Your site must be related to ponds in some format ( yes, I know horses drink water at ponds but that is not a reason to link to your site). I would appreciate it if you would link back to me but it is not a requirement.
If your site is a poker, porn site ect. do not waste my time as I will just delete your request.
If your site hijacks my back button then I will not list your site (when I click on the back button I should go back to the previous page, not back to your site).
Warning, while I have found the links to be of interest, use at your own risk.
Q ~ I tried to bring up your topic on A Low Cost Home-Made Wal-Mart Pond Filter. This does not come up. Tried 3 different search engines and all I get is file not found. Could you please send this info.
thanks Steve Z
A -Thanks for letting me know about the dead link. I check them every few months and miss some dead links. At least I know someone is using the links. Don't know why but this is the only section of links where I actually saved some of the sites info on my system. Does not appear to be complete but hopefully it will be of some help. If you find any use sites you think I should add then please let me know.
Q - Where can I buy freshwater jellyfish ?
A - I get lots of email asking where can one find and or buy freshwater Jellyfish. I do not know, I have never seen them for sale.
Q - Hello there, I am looking for Nelumbo "Momo Botan" and "Chawan Basu" seeds. Wondering if you have any for sale or if you could point me to an online retailer. Thanks! Best wishes, John
Q ~ I want to buy some lotus seeds that have red flowers ?
A - I do not know why, but very few nurseries sell lotus seeds, I guess they find it too much trouble. While I do sell lotus seeds, I do not guarantee them to be a certain Lotus or produce a certain flower color. When I collect the seeds I keep them in the same storage container so I don't even know which is what when I package them.
Since the Lotus flower has to be pollinated to produce seeds the only way to guarantee a true growing seed would be to pollinate the lotus by hand from the same type of Lotus and then protect the flower from cross pollination from another type of Lotus. This is a lot of work with no guarantee of success especially as I grow several types of Lotus.
Instead all commercial growers of Lotus use vegetative means to produce new Lotus, they dig up the lotus roots in the early spring and divide them to start a new plant as this is the only way we can be sure of what we are getting. So while I might have seeds from a Ms Perry Slocum I do not know if the seeds will grow true and it would not be ethical to sell them as Ms Perry Slocum.
I do grow Lotus from the seeds and I sell them as unknown Lotus.
So while you may be able to find someone selling Lotus seeds from a XYZ Lotus there is no way they can guarantee the seeds will grow true.
Q - Hi. Are the seeds that you sell of the variety whose roots can be eaten? thanks
A - I do not sort the Lotus seeds by variety, they are all lumped together as the seeds do not grow true. As far as I know all Lotus roots can be eaten. I would think it might be easier to check a local oriental grocery store and see if they sell lotus roots for cooking. I know from growing Lotus that when I divide the roots in the spring that many of them are not of a size I would consider to be worth using for eating. I have read that lotus grown for eating (grow large tubers) produce few if any flowers (I do not know if this is true or not).
Q -Why can't I buy lotus tubers/roots in the summer ?
A - Lotus roots/tubers do not ship well once they start to produce leaves. Depending on the weather lotus tubers/roots usually ship between March and May, maybe June. You can always buy a potted lotus or wait until the next year to get the bare root. I have seen some of my sources offering Lotus in pots. I have not seen any of these in action so I do not know how well they will do plus the shipping of potted plants tends to be expensive.
Q - I got my lotus root, what do I do with it ?
A - First....Be very careful not to break the growing tip(s). These are the long pointed spear looking tips growing from the main part of the root. Break these tips and you might as well go ahead and throw the root away. Start your lotus root once the danger of frost/freezing are over. You can store them in some damp peat moss in your garage or other cool area where the root will not freeze until you can start growing then outside. If your lotus has started growing to let them get cold as this could cause them to go dormant again and they may not recover. I read of one growing method that suggest that you start your lotus in shallow water that stays warm and let the lotus start sending out roots and leaves and then plant it. I tried this method and it appears to work.
As Lotus are invasive so you need to grow them in a pot to contain them. I have read that they can send out roots up to 30 ft in one year. If you grow them in a pond you will end up with pond full of Lotus and nothing else. A large round pot about 2 ft across and at least 12-18 high is good. Place the pot where it will get at least half a day of sun. Lots of shade and your lotus will not flower. If possible place the pot where it is protected from high winds. As this pot will be heavy make sure you will not have to move it. If you place the pot in a pond do not place the top of the pot deeper than 18" for best results.
Fill the pot about half to 2/3rds full of a heavy dirt and or clay. Some composted manure can also be mixed in. Fill partially with water. I like to place the lotus root on top of the dirt and then cover the root with some sand or kitty litter so that the root is semi buried and the growing tips are exposed. The root will start growing down to the bottom of the pot. Finish filling the container with enough water to cover the root but leave the growing tips exposed. Keep it wet. The first few leaves will lay on top of the water lily a water lily. Then watch out as the next leaves will be on stalks. You can now fill the pot to the top with water. Be sure to fertilize your lotus every month as they are heavy feeders. When a leaf dies cut the stalk back to just above the water level. Once a month it helps to flush the water in the pot with fresh water.
You may not get any flowers the first year. I had one lotus that took 5 years to produce its first flowers. To grow flowers Lotus need lots of sun and hot weather. When they do bloom the flowers will last about 3 days.
Q - How do I divide my lotus root ?
A - Come fall your Lotus growth will slow down and the leaves will die back. Cut the dead stalks back to just above the water. Your lotus will over winter if the roots do not freeze. If freezing is a problem you can place the pot at the bottom of a pond (remember these pots can be heavy) or if you can move them into a garage. Next spring you can turn carefully turn pot upside down and dump out the dirt. Why turn the pot upside down, because the lotus roots grow to the bottom of the pot, trust me on this. Slowly and carefully dig thru the dirt (you can use a stream of water from your hose to help) until you uncover the roots. They will look something like tan/cream colored carrots growing end to end. The roots can vary in size from a little bigger than a pencil to the size of a sweet potato. Carefully look for the growing tips. The will be growing out of the points where the roots meet. Use a sharp knife and cut a piece of root with 2 to 3 sections with one or more growing tips.. Go here for pictures on what the above process looks like.
Q - I have a sister living in Chapel Hill NC and she has a lovely, large pond in her backyard. She has beautiful Koi and some plants in the pond. She would love to have some lotus plants. I was wondering if I could get her a gift certificate for your store so she can pick out the lotus plants she wants. Please let me know. How far is Beaufort from Chapel Hill???
Thanks
Suzzanne in CA
A - Beaufort is located on the coast about 3-4 hours away from Chapel Hill (I grew up in Durham and spent a lot of time in Chapel Hill). It is the end of the growing season and the lotus plants are starting to die back so I would not recommend getting any right now. Also due to the size of the plants and the weight of the container they grow in she would need a SUV/Van/pickup to transport the lotus in ( I ended up delivering the last lotus plants I sold because the customer could not get the pot in her car ). I would suggest that you order the lotus tubers that would ship out this coming spring and she could grow them her self. Lotus are one the few pond plants that do not ship well so reputable aquatic nurseries only ship the tubers in the spring while the lotus tubers are still dormant or just coming out of dormancy. If you get just one lotus I would recommend the Ms Perry Slocum, I have found it to be the easiest Lotus to grow, it has large leaves and large flowers that change colors over three days (also my wife’s favorite). If she wants a established plant the best time to get those is May/June before they get too big. I sell the established Lotus in a large container. I can do a gift certificate if you want.
Q - Can I order some Lotus flowers ?
A - Sorry, I only sell the tubers or the whole plant. Lotus flowers only last about 3 days under the best of conditions and would be hard to ship. I do not know if you cut the flower before it bloomed if it would bloom properly.
Q - Why do you charge $15 for shipping plants ?
A - These is more to it than the just the price to ship a box. The cost of shipping covers boxes, packing tape, shipping lables, packing peanuts, gas for the truck taking the packages to the post office ect. Also there is a lot more work involved in preparing water plants for shipping than an order of fertilizer.
Some places hit you up with a "boxing charge" and or a "packing charge" and or a "handling fee" plus the shipping charge ( I know of one place that has a $18 boxing charge plus the shipping ). Others offer "free shipping" but they charge you two to three times what I charge for the same plants. You can always go in togeather with another water gardening friend and combine orders and split the cost.
Normal procedure for shipping plants..
- Prepare plant labels for order
- Pick plants for order
- Inspect for pests and or other problems
- Clean off any dirt/mud
- Arrange for inspection from state Agriculture Inspector if needed
- Trim roots as needed
- Wrap roots in damp newpaper if rquired
- Place in plastic bags and drain excess water
- Box plants and add packing peanuts or newspaper for cushion
- Weigh box and print shipping label
- Keep box in cool area until transported to Post Office that afternoon
- Take box to Post Office in afternoon so plants are not sitting around in post office all day
- All plants are shipped the same day they are boxed
Q - Hello, I placed and paid for an order in December for no name water lillies and fertilizer. When will it ship ? Jan 2008
A - Did you read TERMS ? I do not ship plants after September and start shipping plants again starting in late March early April depending on the weather and plants. Currently all my ponds are covered in ice. I can mail the fertilizer now if you want but had planned to ship everything at one time.
Q - Can you send me a catalog ?
A - I do not have a catalog or flyer. All our plants and supplies can be found on the web site. You can print a copy of the page you are interested in.
A - Yes to established nurseries, pet stores, landscapers ect. You will need to provide proof of business (business license, tax id, established web site ect, $100 min, 4 of each plant).
A - No, I leave that for contractors with the proper equipment. My wife and I enjoy growing the plants and its enough to keep us busy. Check with local garden centers and or check with local landscapers. Before you hire anyone be sure to get references and check out their work. Ask if they are members of the International Professional Pond Contractors Association at IPPCA
Q ~ I'm looking for some water hyacinth to grow in my 100 gallon bio-filter.
I'm Jeff S... At any rate, I mentioned to you awhile back that I was helping my son with his koi rescue efforts. I've taken-on 3 koi, and they are surviving in a 300 gallon poly horse trough, until I can get the bigger pond set-up.
I'm looking for some water hyacinth to grow in my 100 gallon bio-filter. It's a simple home-made "Skippy" filter. I read some (internet) info where you can plant these botanical gifts from God, directly into the scrubby pads (filter media) and they'll root & flourish. They absorb the bad bacteria, which produces ammonia.
Do you, or can you stock these plants? Or.....similar plant that's durable.
Thanks for your time, Jeff S
A ~ Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce would work. Unfortunately its still too cold for these two as they are tropical plants (early March). While I have some Hyacinth, it dies back each winter and I have to wait until things warm up (water and weather over 60 degrees for at least couple of weeks) to see it survived and even then they are very small. Water Lettuce will not over winter here (Zone 8). While they do not mind moving water, they do not tolerate water splashing on their leaves
Anacharis is a possible plant you can use. It is a submerged plant and is winter hardy in this area and is something I stock. Anacharis is also used in many aquariums.
I do not plan to order Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce for another month (+ - depending on the weather)
A - There are many possible causes but here are some of the main things to check:
1. Are you on city water ? If so it is usually treated with chemicals that while they (chemicals) do not hurt us, the chemicals are deadly to fish. Check with your local pet store or city water department to find out what your will need to do to treat your water to make it safe for fish.
2. How many fish do you have in your pond ? Most people have way too many fish for the size pond they have. The more fish the more stress on the pond, what goes in one end comes out the other end and can overload even a good filter system. When it comes to fish, the fewer the better.
3. Are you over feeding them ? All the food should be consumed within five minutes, if not you are feeding to much and the excess food is probably rotting away placing a strain your pond. I do not know who coined the phrase "Koi are pigs with fins" but its true, they always act hungry so be careful not to overfeed them.
4. When you are buying your fish check all the fish in the tank/pond and if any of the fish look sluggish, have white spots (ich), sores ect, do not get any fish from that tank.
Q - How often do I need to fertilize my plants ?
A - For strong healthy plants you need to fertilize them on a regular basis. Lotus and water lilies are heavy feeders and must be fertilized at last once a month during the growing season for best results. Bog/Marginals should also be feed once a month. Most manufactures of aquatic fertilizer tabs recommend one (1) tab per gallon of container.
When I first pot a plant I throw in some slow release fertilizer into the bottom of the pot (the larger the pot the more fertilizer, I estimate the amount I use based on the size of the container). Then each month I add 1-4 aquatic fertilizer tabs. I use my finger to make a hole in the dirt and shove the fertilizer tab down the hole. If I can not make a hole then the plant needs to be replanted in a larger pot and or divided. I do not use pea gravel to cover the dirt in my pots as it is hard to stick your finger through the gravel when it comes time to fertilize your plants. The pea gravel also makes to harder to repot your plants. I top off all my pots with a layer of sand. I know some people are using kitty litter (use the cheap non fragrant non clumping kind) to top off their pots which should work as well as if not better than sand. I use sand as my neighbor hauls dirt for a living so I get it at a good price and he brings it to me as needed.
Q - My Water Hyacinth/Lettuce are not doing good, the leaves are turning brown and mushy ?
A - Water Hyacinth (and Water Lettuce) are a tropical water plant and need warm water, warm air and full sun to do well. If your water temp is below 60 degrees it is probably too cold for them and the leaves will turn brown and mushy. Water Hyacinth do best in really dirty water (that’s why they can be a good plant to use in filter systems). If you watch any of the educational TV shows where the snake hunter is in South American after Anacondas (very large snakes), you see them looking for these snakes in large patches of Water Hyacinth growing in shallow muddy water and they look great. If your pond is too clean you may have problems growing Water Hyacinth. Some of the best looking Water Hyacinth I have ever seen was in the Florida Everglades in a shallow muddy area.
When you get Water Hyacinth or Lettuce home try to duplicate its growing conditions from where you bought it. If the nursery you bought them from had them growing in full sun then you are OK. If they were growing in shade then you will need to slowly introduce them to full sun. If you bought then via a mail order place (like Muddy Waters Nursery) then the plants have had a traumatic experience being shipped. Get the plants out of the box and into a shaded container of some kind. I like to use a children’s plastic wadding pool with some mud in the bottom. It is common for the Hyacinth to loose its roots after shipping. Not to worry, they will grow back Give the plants a week or so to recover and you should be good to go.
Q - I am looking for a certain plant and I do not see it listed on your site ?
A - Email me with you request and I will try and track it down for you.
Q - I live in (pick a country), can I order plants from you and have them shipped to me ?
A - No! I do not ship outside the US, too many restrictions; export & import regulations, duties, VAT's, inspections ect. I have enough problems keeping up with the various restrictions in this country.
Q - What plants will grow in my area ?
A - Most water plants will grow any where in this country during the summer time. However some plants may not do their best if you are growing them at high elevations like lotus that needs really hot weather to produce flowers. Likewise some hardy water lilies may die back if the water gets too warm (they usually come back when the water cools down some). Bottom line, ask friends who have ponds what grows well in your area and be prepared to experiment.
Q - I have a dirt bottom pond and the water is always dirty looking. How can I get it clear ?
A - If you have a dirt bottom pond then the chances are it will stay dirty looking. Don't know of any foolproof methods to make it clear.
Q ~ Can you tell me if a bareroot Equisetum hyemale would equal a 1 gallon pot (in terms of root/plant size) or larger/smaller? I’m just trying to figure out how many I need for a landscape job. Thanks for your help.
Annie
A ~While you can start it in a one gallon container, under proper growing condtions it will spread and need a bigger pot of 2 gallons or more. Once it gets some growth on it a one gollon pot would not be big enough and you would run into problems with it falling over. It does best if its feet (roots) are damp, not submerged.
Hope this helps
Q - Hi, I am writing about your DIY prefilter page. I want to thank you for making this information available on the web: it looks to me like the best prefilter I've ever seen. The best solutions are usually the simplest, and your prefilter is a great example of that axiom. And now, a question: you mentioned switching to plastic fencing material, instead of hardware cloth. How did the plastic work out for you? I want to build my first pond some time later this year and would like to know.
thanks, Priscilla
A - I am glad you found the information useful. However I did not invent this prefilter. I found it on another web site of homemade pond stuff. The person had several DIY pond gadgets on his site. Bad news is that I can not find the site again, I suspect it is gone. I would like to know who he is so I could give him credit.
Still playing with the plastic mesh, The problem I have found so far is that the plastic mesh tends to compress too much and I have not had time to try and figure out a way to keep it from happening without a lot of extra parts ect (I believe in the KISS theory: Keep It Simple Stupid). I have just about decided that changing the metal mesh every couple of years might be the best way to go.
Plasticote (sp?) makes a spray on rubber material ( I get it from Lowes hardware store, comes in spray can or a paint on version and the last time I got a can it was under $5 and came in different colors). I am going to try coating the metal mesh to see if that helps cut down on the mesh rusting.
If you come up with a solution please let me know so I can share it.
Q - Do you know where I may purchase dragon fly larvae?
Gary B.
A - I have no idea. Have never seen them for sell before. I would check biological supply houses (place that sell live animals to schools and labs)
Thank you for your reply. I did find them at www.bershirebio.com along with some interesting articles. Thanks again.
Gary B
Q ~ Can I buy tadpoles and have them shipped ??
A ~ We have had several requests from folks wanting to purchase tadploles and have them shipped. We do not ship live animals of any kind. If you want tadpoles you can come by and we will be happy to help you catch some at no charge (BYOC ~ bring your own container or we can sell you plastic bags). If you go to Google and enter "tadpoles for sale" you can find some places that do sell them.
Q -We have a large shallow pond and we would like to know which plants that we could plant around the outside. We have lily pads in the middle. We live in zone 5 and would like plants that come up every year. Thanks
A - You will have to experiment to find out what will grow best for you local area. I recommend hardy bog/marginals for around the edge of your pond. I would go for native American plants when possible to start and go from there. Tropical would do ok in the summer but would not survive your winter.
Q - I live in California and I ordered a lot of plants and you cancelled my order, why ?
A - Effective 16 Arpil 2008 I can now ship plants to California
After several years of writing to the Agricultural folks in California I finally received a reply that told me what I needed to do to be able to legally ship plants into California. I have to get the NC Agricultural inspector to come by and inspect the plants prior to shipping and certify that the plants are free of pests (insects and or plants) banned by California
Q - I am interested in finding out more about your pond fertilizer. What is the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium? Debbie
A - Fertilizer normally has three numbers; the first is available nitrogen, the second is available phosphorus and the third is potassium. So a 10-10-10 fertilizer would contain ten percent of each, with the remainder being filler and or other trace chemicals.
The fertilizer tabs I sell are by Highland Rim which are 10-26-10 and AgSafe Fertilizer tabs which has a couple of different folrmulas depending on the type.
or if you want the fine print for Highland Rim:
| Total Nitrogen | 10 % |
| Available Phosphate | 26 % |
| Potash | 10 % |
| Sulfur | 4.0 % |
| Boron | .02 % |
| Iron | .5 % |
| Manganese | .05 % |
| Zinc | .05 % |
Highland Rim tabs are about twice the size of other aquatic fertilizer tabs I have used and or sold.
Q - Subject: Hardy Water lilies (31 May 2006)
My pond is 12 wide and 3‘ deep. How many water lilies would I need? I live in Utah and my pond gets full sun most of the day I would like something that might add color to the pond I have about 25 hyacinth to give some shade to my Koi and gold fish. I have 2 Koi and 4 gold fish.
Thanks
Russ B
A - I am assuming your pond is 12 ft x 12 ft
Depending on the size of the water lily (small vrs large plants) I would think you need at least 4 to 6 water lilies. Once they fill out you could always add more plants and or divide the ones you have. I am partial to all colors of lilies. Several lilies of the same kind can make a nice presentation when they start to bloom. Hardy lilies will come back each year but if you want blue or purple lilies you will have to get tropical lilies.
The only problem I foresee is that your Koi will start to dig up your plants as they get bigger. If you can not isolate your Koi from the plants then be sure and place big rocks around the plants to keep your Koi from digging then up.
Hope this helps and have fun.
Q - Freshwater mussels as filters (May 2006)
Hi, My 30 gallon freshwater tropical aquarium, heavily planted, has developed cloudiness. Rather than treat it chemically, I'd like to try a filter feeder like a freshwater mussel. Is this a viable idea? Where can I obtain mussels?
Thanks. Dan Weisberg
A - I have never tried using mussels or clams although I looked into the idea. Do not know of any sites that sell clams or mussels but I have found them for sale in the past on sites selling bilogicals (frogs ect) for schools. The only draw back I can think of is if the mussels/clams get the water too clean then what do you feed them. I would research some site like the Krib to see if they have answers or more info.
I would be interested to know the results if you get some mussels.
Best of luck.
Follow up
Hi Greg, just wanted to get back to you on this. Our heavily planted 29 gal tank was having cloudy water due to a bloom of algae or bacteria. We purchased 3 Asian clams from a local pet store. After a few water changes, the water gradually cleared, the cloudiness is now gone, and the water is crystal clear. Did the clams do it all? We don't think so, but we're sure they are having some influence.
Since the water is so clean, we're going to increase our feeding of the fish and plants. Additional nutrients in the system should increase the number of microorganisms in the water, providing food for the clams. They have dug themselves under the gravel, so one downside is that if they die we won't know about it for a while. Right now I'm not that worried about it. Would we get the clams again? Yes, at this point they seem to be an interesting, benevolent addition to our aquarium environment.
Take care, Dan Weisberg
Dan also sent the following information:
The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) is a small freshwater bivalve mollusk. It has two thick, hinged shells, characterized by a series of distinctive concentric ridges. Adults rarely grow larger than 40 mm (1.5"), and are commonly about the size of a nickel. Shell coloration can be yellowish-gold, or light brown. One incurrent, tube like siphon draws water into the body, bringing food and dissolved oxygen, and a second excurrent siphon expels the water along with wastes. It moves by means of a strong, muscular foot.
The Asian clam originated from Southeast Asia. First introduced on the west coast of North America around 1924, it was discovered in Washington state in 1937. By the 1970s, the clam occupied most of the Mississippi Basin, the Gulf Coast and eastern United States. It was discovered in Delaware in 1972, in New Jersey ten years later, and on Long Island in New York in 1984. Although New England was considered environmentally inhospitable, Asian clams were discovered in the lower Connecticut River, near Haddam Neck, Connecticut in 1990.
This mollusk prefers running water, and sand or gravel substrates. It feeds on plankton, requires high levels of dissolved oxygen, and is intolerant of pollution. Water temperatures greater than 30 C (86 F) impair the organisms metabolic and reproductive functions, while water temperatures less than 2 degrees F) can kill the clam. Although it is considered a freshwater mollusk, the Asian clams physiology enables it to withstand slightly brackish water (5-8 percent‰).
The Asian clam is hermaphroditic; meaning both sexes are found in the same animal; and is capable of self-fertilization. Larvae brooded in the parent’s gills, are released through the excurrent siphon into the water column as active post-larval juveniles, with the ability to resist downstream transport by currents. A single, prolific clam can release hundreds or even thousands of juveniles per day, up to 70,000 per year. Spawning can occur almost continuously at water temperatures exceeding l6 degrees F). Asian clams can reach densities of 10,000 to 20,000 per square meter, potentially releasing several million juveniles daily into the same area of the water column.
In warmer waters, spawning can continue year round, however in the Connecticut River, spawning appears to occur from July through September. Although spawning activity ceases when the water temperature drops too low, eggs and sperm remain in the reproductive tissues, signaling that the mollusks are ready to spawn as soon as the environment becomes favorable. Once released, the juveniles are weak-swimming usually found near the bottom of the water column. This is one of the reasons why they readily cause the problems they do, because intake pipes are generally placed near the bottom of the water column also.
Humans are responsible for the dispersal of this clam. There have been inadvertent releases by researchers. Anglers use the clams as live bait, and whole clams sometimes survive. Aquaria releases into lakes or rivers also contribute to the spread of these clams. In the aquarium trade, Asian clams are known as "pygmy" or "gold" clams.
From Greg:
I would think that if the clams are still alive after a year then it would be a success. So far it sounds like you are on the right track. (Dan said he would let me know next year how he is doing)
