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Encyclopedia / Clams & Other Invertebrates / Fingernail clam
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Variations

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Fingernail clam

Sphaerium corneum · Pea clam, Sphaerium, Pisidium

Peaceful; buries in the substrate.

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1 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Fingernail clam only grows to 1 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Fingernail clam only grows to 1 cm.
Not recommended
  • Jack Dempsey eats animals up to about 8 cm. Fingernail clam only grows to 1 cm.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓1–3 years
Size in shops 0.5–1 cm
Growth Fast

Behavior

Peaceful; buries in the substrate.

  • sand

Food

Fine particles from the water.

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Male or female

Hermaphrodite; no sexes to tell apart.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Live-bearing · Moderate

Live-bearing hermaphrodite: eggs are brooded in a brood sac inside the parent and released as miniature clams. Can mature at 4 mm, in as little as three months.

Pairing

Any.

Setup

Any sandy tank.

What starts it

Warm water and food.

Eggs

A mature clam carries about 1-20 embryos at a time, occasionally more.

Raising the fry

Tiny clams.

Common mistakes
  • Not feeding enough
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionEurope & northern Asia
HabitatMuddy bottoms of lakes, ponds and rivers
Native rangeAbout 3,500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the fingernail clam

A tiny, thin-shelled brown to grey freshwater clam. It filters diatoms and other algae from the water and can also feed from the sediment, and it can climb water plants. It is generally harmless, though it can host fish-parasitic flukes.

Linnaeus described this small clam in 1758. It often appears in aquariums and ponds as a tiny hitchhiker on plants.

First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

  • It broods its young inside its gills until they are released as tiny clams.
  • It is usually less than 1.5 cm across.
  • It can crawl using its muscular foot.

Sources

10 facts checked with sources