Corbicula are prone to rapid die‐offs with sudden changes in temperature (hot or cold) and low oxygen.

Live Asian Freshwater Clams (Corbicula Fluminea). The Asian clam is a filter feeder that removes particles from the water column. Perfect to filter fish tanks, or ponds, or to feed puffer fish. They say clams like 35°F to 85°F. These clams are from West Virginia and are hardy. They are a non-native invasive species in West Virginia. The Chinese brought them here when they were working on the railroad. (They brought us Wineberries and Asian Pears too!) Fresh from the Bluestone River in Appalachia. Shipped Priority with a reusable cold pack or 2 when it's hot out, a $2 value each! 

Clams are mostly medium sized. A little bigger than a pea, a little smaller than a dime. I usually include a few bigger and a few smaller, but I sell what the river gives, and that's mostly medium. If you want all small or all large, attach a comment to the order, not a separate message. Keep in mind, they say these clams live 3 years, so you may not want large ones. Photo is mostly larger clams, medium clams are more gold, less brown. If you look close, there are mediums in the photo. 

Wild caught. The river is in my front yard. Most orders are pulled from the river same day.

If you live in Arizona, Utah, California, Oregon, or Washington, you should order your clams from the seller in California, due to delivery time. (I'm on the East coast)

Clams ship Monday, and Tuesday only. West of the Mississippi, Monday only. This is so that they are not enroute on the weekend. That is one reason I have a 7 day handling time.

Your clams are in the river, 75 feet from my house. All clams are dug to order. If it rains too much and the river rises, I can't get clams. The river usually goes down in 2 or 3 days. That is another reason I have a 7 day handling time.

Just like at your local supermarket, live clams are kept on ice, not in water. Live clams are shipped in a net bag, just like the Fulton Fish Market ships me live Little Neck clams to eat. Clams require a lot of oxygen. A bag of water does not have enough oxygen to keep them alive. They can breathe the air, out of water for 2 weeks or more, just ask at the seafood counter at your supermarket, those clams are alive and they're not in the lobster tank.

The USPS does not guarantee delivery dates. I pay for Priority Mail which is mostly a 2 day service, 3 to some places. Ice packs last 2 or 3 days, or more depending on the temperature. If your clams get delayed by the Post Office, they may die. If they die, I will ship another order.

Acclimate your clams the same way you would fish. Clams in particular do not survive a rapid temperature change. So, if the cold pack is still cold when they arrive, slowly allow them to get to room temperature.

Corbicula is less tolerant than native mussels to environmental fluctuations. It is extremely sensitive to low oxygen conditions, and consequently its distribution is restricted to well‐oxygenated streams and lake shallows. In its native semi‐tropical/tropical habitat, the Asian clam is rarely exposed to temperature extremes. Its northern distribution in North America is thought to be limited by a 2°C lower lethal limit, and reproduction requires sustained water temperatures of 15°‐16°C. Asian clams have been known to find temperature refuges in cooler waters heated by power plant discharge. Upper lethal limit is believed to be 30°-35°C (Foster 2012, MacNeill 2012). Corbicula has been found to be resistant to desiccation and can survive periods of low water in damp sand or mud (USACE ERDC 2007).

Corbicula are prone to rapid die‐offs with sudden changes in temperature (hot or cold) and low oxygen. However, their life history traits (i.e., quick maturity, high fecundity) enable rapid re‐colonization and population recovery, even after near extirpation. Additionally, these traits allow the Asian clam to successfully colonize habitats disturbed by human activity (e.g., channels and impoundments) that are unsuitable for native mussels.

Corbicula burrows into the bottom sediments of streams and lakes and has the ability to feed from both the water column and the substrate. It uses its siphon to filter feed suspended particles (particularly phytoplankton) from the water and its fleshy foot appendage to pedal feed on detritus in the sediment. Corbicula can live in a variety of substrates, but prefers sand and gravel, over silt hard surfaces (McMahon 1999).