Mussel

Question
I work in a kitchen and I "rescued" a mussel that was going to be cooked. I identified it as a blue mussel...i think that's the common type sold in grocery stores? and just realized that it needs to live in saltwater and feed on plankton and stuff. Any idea how I can take care of it so it doesnt die? (I know I probably sound crazy, but I don't want "Lucky" to die). Right now i have it in a container in freshwater and tried to feed it crushed salmon hahaaa.

Thanks!!

Answer

Blue Mussel   Good morning Jasmine,

Firstly, thank you for putting a great big smile on my face this morning. I say this because you are very compassionate, in regards to marine life, as am I. I can remember when I was a kid, rescuing a crawfish that crawled out from the back side of a seafood restaurant. I immediately took it home and made a pet of it... the crawfish actually lived for a long time in my 10 gallon aquarium that I had at the time.

In regards to trying to keep the blue mussel alive, it will need to be placed into a saltwater fish tank of proper water parameters, to survive. If you live near a local pet fish store, I would recommend to get a small aquarium from them, and immediately set it up, with established water from one of their saltwater fish tanks. They may simply give you some of their saltwater tank water, once you explain the situation to them. Keep in mind, that the blue mussel is more of a colder saltwater species, meaning it thrives in temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

I wish you the best of luck with all your future saltwater aquarium endeavors.

Sincerely,
David