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Coral Vue Hydros

Hexadron

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Hey all,

 

I thought I would get better responses here than in the Invertebrate forum, so the question is:

 

"What CUC Members are safe with Clams, and which to avoid?"

 

This would be for a nano-sized tank. Thx.

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it would be nice to get a clam-safe thread started with a list of things that are known to be reef safe but are either risky or not at all compatible with clams.. retailers usually just list "reef-safe" or "reef-safe with caution"

 

stay away from larger crabs (like emeralds and such), they'll pick at the mantle and tear it up pretty quick.. from what I've read, pop-pom crabs are one of the few exceptions (they filter feed, their claws just hold anemones)..

 

you should be safe with the standard snails, hermits, scarlet cleaner shrimp, etc..

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I hear ya! Of course everyone has different experiences, and not every crab/snail will be the same, but hopefully some clam keepers can chime in here. Zeph, where are you!?

I just have heard at various snails/shrimps/crabs picking at clams, and although of course being well fed will always prevent this, I just want to know something I can put in confidently without constant worry.

This is what I was planning:

  • Nassarius
  • Trochus
  • Florida Cerith
  • Cleaner Shrimp (skunk or blood red)
  • Hermits (?) I don't mind hermits, but these worry me the most from my selection thus far..
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I have red hermits, blue hermits, zebra hermits, etc.. never had a problem.. they'll annoy the clam occasionally by climbing accross it or picking at the shell or whatever but aren't big enough to really do any damage.. I wouldn't worry about anything on that list.

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From my searching I couldn't find too many specific species, just things like

 

"My snail ate my clam!" and then it doesn't go to say what type of snail etc.. :closedeyes:

 

Any other clam keepers care to chime in?

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Peppermint shrimp are evil little demons, had one that sat on my clams all day which obviously bothered them a lot. Stay away from those.

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If it's reef safe it's clam safe. You'll see people blame things for eating their clam, but clams go downhill very fast and that's when the cuc jumps in.

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duncan-junkie

I have blue, red, and zebra hermits, nass and astrea snails, brittle stars, and a skunk cleaner shrimp.......they all do fine with my clam. The hermits annoy the clam every now and again because they crawl all over everything, but they keep everything clean and I've had no problems at all! Like Chadf said, clams can be tricky to care for, and can/will go downhill super fast if your tank isnt ready for one. The less-light demanding deresa clam would prob be your best bet for a 1st clam.

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+1, I have a large variety of most of the basic snails, hermits, cleaner shrimp, blood shrimp, sexy shrimp, tuxedo urchins, and porcelain crabs. None of them bother the clam.

 

The only common critters I wouldn't trust would be peppermints and large emerald type crabs.

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Hi!!

Everyone has pretty much said it all already, lots of big brains around here. Personally I have never had a problem with peppermint shrimp, or ANY common CUC member except for one. Burrowing cerith snails. Usually they are clam safe but I have personally had several incidents where they have burrowed their way inside of clams. I remember many years ago I had ONE cerith snail in my 125 g reef, and every time I removed the snail from INSIDE the clam, and tossed it way on the other side of the tank, the next morning it would be back inside the clam, irritating it terribly. This clam was not sick, and after I threw the snail out the window the clam lived happily ever after. This was properly identified as a cerith snail.

Oh and I hate crabs....almost all of them. Except those adorable little Acro crabs.

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From my searching I couldn't find too many specific species, just things like

 

"My snail ate my clam!" and then it doesn't go to say what type of snail etc.. :closedeyes:

 

Any other clam keepers care to chime in?

FWIW typical snails don't eat clams until the clam is past the point of no return.. they smell dying flesh..

 

 

 

If it's reef safe it's clam safe. You'll see people blame things for eating their clam, but clams go downhill very fast and that's when the cuc jumps in.

not always.. emerald crabs and other large crabs are typically considered reef safe but they aren't always clam safe.. same for some fish that wouldn't touch coral but can have or can develop a taste for clam (could you really blame them though? clam is delicious...)

 

 

 

+1, I have a large variety of most of the basic snails, hermits, cleaner shrimp, blood shrimp, sexy shrimp, tuxedo urchins, and porcelain crabs. None of them bother the clam.

 

The only common critters I wouldn't trust would be peppermints and large emerald type crabs.

porcelains are clam safe eh? I may have to give that a try.. I miss having a crab in the tank and was considering a pom pom but if porcelains are safe I'd rather go that route..

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porcelains are clam safe eh? I may have to give that a try.. I miss having a crab in the tank and was considering a pom pom but if porcelains are safe I'd rather go that route..

 

I have two with my clam for a year now with no problems. They just fan the water and when I had some GHA, they would eat that too. They don't climb on the clam, I think this is because they prefer to sit in 1 spot fanning rather than wander round bothering things.

 

I have the type that live in anemone's but I don't feel anemone's are needed for their survival.

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I have peppermints without issue as well. I keep waiting for my Bicolor Blenny to become evil, but a year and no issue. Maybe it doen't like Derasa or Maxima clams. I also have blue leg and scarlet hermits without issue.

 

I think your list is fine.

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Thanks for all the input guys. So it seems the majority of CUC members are definitely safe, but to hold off on most of the crabs.

 

 

I have two with my clam for a year now with no problems. They just fan the water and when I had some GHA, they would eat that too. They don't climb on the clam, I think this is because they prefer to sit in 1 spot fanning rather than wander round bothering things.

 

That's good to hear about the Porcelain Crabs, because I do like them quite a bit :happy:

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have porcelain, emerald, strawberry, pom pom, and hermit crabs and all have left my clams alone.

 

Also sexy shrimp, fire shrimp, and squat lobsters.

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