Family: Unionidae
Duck Mussel — East Asia's river mussel and bitterling host. Shell reaches 10–15 cm; keep at 15–26 °C in a mature tank.
Sinanodonta woodiana is a Unionidae freshwater mussel, East Asia's classic river mussel and the traditional host of bitterling. In the aquarium it is a harmless filter feeder that clears green water. Plan on a 10–15 cm shell at 15–26 °C in a mature tank; it needs suspended foods and stable, unheated-tolerant conditions.
Intermediate difficulty. Harmless filter feeder; keep singly or a pair.
Hold 15–26 °C and keep it stable — 15–26 °C stable range. Stable 15–26 °C; tolerates an unheated native tank.
Adults reach 10–15 cm; it is buried in the substrate — siphons at the surface. Plan for at least 100 litres.
Filter feeder on phytoplankton; benefits from green water or invertebrate foods. It forages naturally over fine sand — it buries almost completely, so let some food reach the bottom.
Yes, with care. Harmless filter feeder — pair it with Bitterling — Spawns inside the mussel in nature — a living symbiosis, Cold-hardy native community fish — Same cool, hard water and skip Copper-based medications — Lethal to all invertebrates, Loaches that dig — Disturb a buried mussel.
Comes from East Asia — China, Japan, Korea, Amur basin: still or slow waters with sandy-muddy bottoms. Expect still to very gentle current and moderate oxygen.
In the wild uses bitterling as its fish host; rarely reproduces in aquaria. No practical external difference.