Not about to send larval clams or glochidia. There is even a stage in their lives where those glochidia hitch rides on fish. Not so much parasites as passengers unless they are really numerous.

I'd start with your state's Fish and Wildlife or DNR net sites. Look for species, distribution, biology, endangered species and rules for collecting or keeping them.

I've heard there are places where it's unwise to have an eagle feather because the powers that be have no way of knowing if you found that feather in a field or on an eagle. That may apply to clam shells some places too.

If you did a search for your state and clams, mussels, shellfish, bivalves, mollusks, you will probably find a bunch of references. There are even Malacology societies, publications and museum collections. And there is a bivalves webring!

http://midwest.fws.gov/mussel/links.html

http://coa.acnatsci.org/conchnet/uniobio.html
might help.

There are several regional books on mussels (Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest , Freshwater Mussels of Texas. The Freshwater Mussels of Tennessee, The Fresh-Water Mussels of Illinois  .) Come to think of it, there is probably a Petereson Field Guide in the library or bookstores.

You have pretty good university connections (judging by comments you've made and sources quoted). Check out their library computer right after your states DNR site. ;)

Tell you what Angelee (if you haven't dozed off before reading this), since I'm going to be mailing Red Illusion anyway, is there a plant start you would like? There's about a 50% chance I have (or can wheedle) a guppy tank plant.

Let me know. List an alternative - you can't beat the price. ;)

What do you feed them and how?

As dirty as my tanks get, they would never be able to support clams. I would guess that one needs a lot of detritus for them to strain out. (My detritus doesn't stay in the water column.)

Tanks need to be sizable too. Filter feeders always are a tough feed.

Some states allow one to keep some species. Many either ban keeping of all of them or so many different species that I don't really want to get into a legal mess - and over animals I couldn't keep alive anyway.

Ironically one could experiment with those Asian clams or the zebra mussels. If a few intrusive exotics were lost, they wouldn't be mourned. However having a zebra mussel in one's possession, I hear, is a no-no.

"They" are probably right in assuming somebody would get tired of keeping those adaptable invaders and would dump them in another body of water.