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Clams seem to be harder to keep than BTA'S


reefernanoman

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reefernanoman

I was thinking about getting a clam(trying to see which one is the easiest to keep) for my NC28G, but it seems that the mortality rate is even higher than BTA'S? Would that be the case? . My tank is over 2 yrs old with good parameters and strong LED'S. thoughts? Thanks.

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Deleted User 8

Clams need good light and stable ca/alk/mag. You can't have too much light IMO, and clams can suck up the Ca. Derasa and Squamosa are the easiest to keep.

 

Harder than BTA's? I dunno about that.

 

Buzz

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both of my clams have done great, and are even more well behaved than my LPS, deresas, and maximas are what i usually say are good first clams just make sure to get maricultured or farm raised, they do better

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try a crocea.. my crocea has been bulletproof, and I think people have been having bad luck with maximas lately..

 

maximas, imo, have the prettiest mantles though..

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reefernanoman
try a crocea.. my crocea has been bulletproof, and I think people have been having bad luck with maximas lately..

 

maximas, imo, have the prettiest mantles though..

Thanks.

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I have a maxima in my 29 gallon Bio-Cube and it's doing fantastic! They are not as difficult to keep as some people make them out to be.

 

Just make sure you buy a healthy one from a reliable source. I bought mine from Pacific East Aquaculture as they have a very good reputation....

 

Good Luck....

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I have a blue crocea clam that is 2 years old. It was just under 3" when I got it, (which is a recommended size for optimum chance of thriving) and now it's coming on 5". Croceas are slower growers and stay smaller than other clams. They do need high intensity light to thrive. I have T5s so I have it on a rock at the top of my tank.

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hmmm... I was thinking of adding one and also not sure which to get. is it bad that I cant keep a bta for the life of me?

 

so a maxima = pretty mantle, small (7"), and pretty hardy? think ill look into one

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TheUnfocusedOne

Is there any hard evidence that clams suck up minerals as fast as anyone seems to think they do?

 

I had a maxima I put in my dad's 12g for a long time and he rarely did water changes. Thing grew like mad.

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I had a 9" derasa that go a bacterial infection and died. I had to eventually dose 100ml/day Ca and Alk less than I had been dosing (200ml/day total) when it was growing. In that volume that comes out to around 2.5dkh/day just that clam was using!

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I had/have a lot of stony coral. My dose with the clam was 200ml/day of calcium and alk. When he got sick he stopped using them so I noticed my levels going up. It took me a week or two of watching the levels before I was able to settle on the new dose, 80ml each. So he was sucking up 120ml each/day. Now he was a real 9-10" shell size, almost didn't fit in a 5g bucket. My coral have grown since then and I am back up to 100ml day, but that is a long way from the 200 I was having to dose with him.

 

I fed and still feed a ton of stuff. Coral frenzy, smallest reef pearls, oyster feast, rods food, phytoplankton...

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I probably would try to find a clam locally as opposed to ordering one after my last experience with a doomed maxima. I really don't think I would have had an issue with it had it been a healthy specimen but like most livestock getting a healthy start goes a long way towards ease of keeping it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I probably would try to find a clam locally as opposed to ordering one after my last experience with a doomed maxima. I really don't think I would have had an issue with it had it been a healthy specimen but like most livestock getting a healthy start goes a long way towards ease of keeping it.

 

I am 0 for 2 with local bought clams. Far higher success with clams bought online. Really it all comes down to the quality of the vendor and the state of the animal. Shipping can be rough on clams but the LFS gets them shipped too.

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We have a deresa on the sand bed of our 75 gallon that's probably 8in long... it seems to be bullet proof. If I didn't have a calcium reactor it would be sucking up two part like a calf on its mothers teat...

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