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New clam, how long to expect it to keep moving?


pokerdobe

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Hi,

 

As Pacific East Aquaculture is having a sale on their clams, I really wanted to take this opportunity to add a clam to my Nuvo 16. Would this be a good idea?

 

Tank is under Dave's Nanobox Duo LED lighting system and has been established for about 6 months now.

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IME, that size is on the edge of the "safe zone" for clams. When they are smaller they tend to rely on filter feeding for energy while the larger clams are all but completely photosynthetic. Clams will suck up alk and ca like no other (alk in particular). As long as you are able to keep up with the demands and have clean water then a clam should be ok in your tank.

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IME, that size is on the edge of the "safe zone" for clams. When they are smaller they tend to rely on filter feeding for energy while the larger clams are all but completely photosynthetic. Clams will suck up alk and ca like no other (alk in particular). As long as you are able to keep up with the demands and have clean water then a clam should be ok in your tank.

 

Thanks - what size do you recommend for "safe zone?"

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What else do you have in the tank?

 

I would be worried about the impact on your other livestock

 

The tank is lightly stocked, I think.

 

-2 clowns (1.5")

-3 euphyllia (hammers and frogspawns)

-small acan frag (2 heads)

-small duncan (2 heads)

-zoas

-red goni

 

Most of my corals are lumped away on either side of the tank... I have a spot in the middle of the tank that's fairly isolated that I was planning on putting the clam.

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Thanks - it seems like the majority of the clams from Pacific are 2.5-3." Where should I look for 4" clams?

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying those clams are doomed to die. They could very well be perfectly fine :). I would just stay away from anything any smaller. Like I said initially, 2.5"-3" is right at the edge of what I would be comfortable with personally. Larger clams seem to be relatively hard to come by, and as uwdanno stated, they will be a bit more expensive. PEA is a very reputable vendor, I wouldn't hesitate to order from them.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying those clams are doomed to die. They could very well be perfectly fine :). I would just stay away from anything any smaller. Like I said initially, 2.5"-3" is right at the edge of what I would be comfortable with personally. Larger clams seem to be relatively hard to come by, and as uwdanno stated, they will be a bit more expensive. PEA is a very reputable vendor, I wouldn't hesitate to order from them.

 

I have also heard that the smaller the clam, the harder it is to keep. Not sure who sell 4" clams. I imagine they will be $125+ though :o

 

Ah yeah, it's just I can't seem to find anything in the 4"-6" range. The LFS has a few that are much larger and also much smaller.

 

I know I was asked about my current tank stocking - is there any issues with what I have currently that would affect the ability to keep a clam?

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Ah yeah, it's just I can't seem to find anything in the 4"-6" range. The LFS has a few that are much larger and also much smaller.

 

I know I was asked about my current tank stocking - is there any issues with what I have currently that would affect the ability to keep a clam?

 

I dont see any issues with your current live stock. If you had more sensitive SPS type stuff I would be worried. They are more impacted by any parameter swings. Zoas, Softies and LPS - the stuff you have I think would do well.

 

I say go for it!!

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TheUnfocusedOne

4" is a safe zone? Crazy talk.

 

I've raised 2 clams from under 1.5" in a 7.5 and a 12g tank. One of them got to ~5" before it died during a week long power outage.

 

IME clams are a lot hardier than people tend to give them credit for.

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Thanks for the responses all - I picked up a 2.5" clam that I will a try with.

 

Since I've picked it up, I've noticed it moving around the sand bed. I originally had him on my rock work but he jumped down and has been moving around.

 

Should I upright him or will he do it himself?

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4" is a safe zone? Crazy talk.

 

I've raised 2 clams from under 1.5" in a 7.5 and a 12g tank. One of them got to ~5" before it died during a week long power outage.

 

IME clams are a lot hardier than people tend to give them credit for.

Any advice/guidance for keeping clams, especially in smaller systems? Knowing a little about your experience would be really helpful!

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TheUnfocusedOne

Any advice/guidance for keeping clams, especially in smaller systems? Knowing a little about your experience would be really helpful!

 

So the two clams I've raised were in a 12g aquapod, and a 7.5g Mr. Aqua. The aquapod had a 75w MH on it, and to be honest was not maintained all that well. It was my father's tank. The clam we bought couldn't have been more than 1.75", it was pretty tiny. We placed it high on the rocks. For a while we were feeding phyto, since I was concerned about its size. That was probably the first 6 months of having it. My father also fed the tank's two clownfish and various other inverts everyday (not my suggestion). Clam took off, and before it died must have been 5"+. Ill see if I can dig up a pic. He didn't do water changes all that frequently (maybe once a month). I was amazed it did as well as it had.

 

The second was under my care directly. I had it under a Par30, again high on the rocks. I didn't have any fish in my tank, but fed the tank that fantastic dried filter feeder food that used to be sold (stuff is gold). I was also doing small (2-3 cups) water changes a few times a week. Had that clam for probably 8mo before I moved and had to take down the tank. It had grown at least 1/4" in that time, and looked extremely healthy. It was moved to my father's tank while I setup my new apartment. During that time, Sandy hit and my parent's house lost power for 7days. Unfortunately we lost everything.

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Any advice/guidance for keeping clams, especially in smaller systems? Knowing a little about your experience would be really helpful!

 

Some quick tips:

 

Watch your alk consumption very closely. Throwing a 6" maxima into a nano tank can drop the alk a couple dkh in a day. I know from experience haha.

 

Keep some nitrates/fish poop. You don't want perfect water. Water changes are dangerous to clams as it introduces swings in parameters and also the dreaded iron.

 

For more... read through Zeph's thread on this forum and maybe check my tank thread (specifically the last couple posts about water changes).

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