Freshwater pearls at home?

[P34RL]

Hey guys,
I would like to try and create my own pearl at home, reason for it, is I am kinda intrigued by it all and thought I might try and cultivate my own.

So basically, I have a 6 foot freshwater tank in my house with a ph of around 7.0 and a nitrate level of around 20-40. I have feeder fish in their and haven't fed them for 2 years so there is food there.
I live in Melbourne in Victoria, Australia and can change the water temperature to an extent.
I am patient and don't really mind how long the pearl will take to harvest.
If you guys could just give me some advice on what species to get, how to look after it, how to place the irritant inside it, harvesting etc. would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks heaps,
P34RL

 

[pattye]

Welcome, P34RL,

It is an intriguing thought to grow pearls in a fish tank. However, it's really very complex, or someone would be market kits to grow your own pearl mussels by now!

There are videos somewhere on this forum showing the various stages in the cycle of pearl production. I hope you will stick around do some reading on the forum, especially in the freshwater category, since your tank is freshwater rather than saltwater. If I find the videos I'll link them here.

 

[P34RL]

Thank you heaps, will do some reading

 

[Mostawesomecoffee]

If one were to do something like this, does anyone know of a source for adult mussels (not spat) to be bought in the USA?