Swan Mussels

SWAN Mussels (Anodonta cygnea)

Great addition in winter, give them time to settle in cooler temps

Feeding off pond debris and other small pond organisms, these native large molluscs will help filter debris from your pond / tank and clean the water as they do so. Suitable for very large tanks, ponds and lakes (or 1 mussel per cubic metre of water) as they can grow to 17cm by 9cm in size. You will receive approx. 4-5" mussels.

Mussel Care:

The mussels will arrive in sealed bags with fresh water and oxygen, inspect them to make sure they have travelled well and their shells are intact and then simply place them gently into your pond, out of direct sunlight. If the shells are closed, they are still alive. These are very hardly creatures. 

Mussels are filter feeders and ideally will not want to be stored in clean water, they would normally bury themselves in the mud at the bottom of a pond. They feed off plankton, pond debris and other microscopic organisms, by drawing water in through an incurrent syphon and expelling cleaned liquid through an excurrent syphon. 

Because they will find food naturally in the pond they don't need feeding and can be left to their own devices. Sometimes Swan mussels can be seen with a foot like body emerging from the shell, they use this to move around or to bury themselves.

Please note that all such mussels are sensitive to aquatic medications, in particular those which contain copper.

Swan Mussels are superb in garden ponds, and make a great, and diverse introduction into wildlife ponds.

Preferred water conditions:   Will acclimatize to a wide range of conditions. pH: 6.6-8.1,

Temperature:   Cold water-temperate between 1-27 Degrees C (34-82)

Captive-bred swan mussels supplied for mature, established ponds only. Swan mussels are long-lived animals and should be purchased responsibly.

Filtration benefits are gradual and variable. Not suitable for small or newly established ponds.