Dolomiteclay Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I'm getting a Squamosa Clam today, and it seems like the more research I do, the more conflicting information I run across. The clam itself is relatively small, and may articles I have read suggest that one that age should be placed on a piece of flat live rock. Other threads suggest that they should always be placed on the sand. I want to place it at the bottom either directly on the sand or on a piece of live rock, but I'm not sure exactly where to start. Secondly, I have an AI prime mounted fairly high (9") above the water level and it is about another 12" to my substrate. After it gets acclimated to my lights and tank, I don't think that I can overpower the clam, but I believe this is what happened with my derasa clam, and I don't want to repeat the same mistake. My photo period is 8 hours per day and 3 hours of "moonlight", and I only get up to 85% for ~3 hours out of the 9. Lastly, I vary the spectrum a good bit in from 10K in the morning to 20K at night before the lights ramp down and then dropping back in intensity and spectrum after that. All my coral seems to love it, but I'm not sure how the clam will react. is there any chance the changing spectrum would have an adverse effect on them? Thanks Clay Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 What do you mean by overpower the clam? The deresa had too much light? What exactly happened with the clam? personally, I think you have to worry about not enough par rather than overpowering the clam with too much par. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 I would notice that it was on its side a good bit (like daily). I thought it was being knocked over and then I read this article below. http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/giant-clam-placement-in-the-aquarium-the-reefer.htm Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I had a deresa that did the same thing - however, it was due to snails crawling on its shell cleaning the algae. Did you happen to notice snails around your clam? I honestly have a hard time believing the clam was over-illuminated, but I also am hoping someone else will pipe up that has more experience with clams than I do. You can also try a clam hammock or some similar type base to keep it from toppling. Link to comment
metrokat Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I think flow or some critter may have caused the clam to flip over. Under a halide it might try to hide but not under LEDs. But ad the article suggests, moving it to a different t spot and observing is your best bet. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 I noticed the hermit crabs around it sometimes but not very often. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Probably a critter. It's relatively quiet where I put my clam as far as current goes, but for one that small it wouldn't take too much to topple over. It sounds like I probably shouldn't worry about too much light. I figured that were the case, but I read that article and started to wonder if that could be the case. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 So I placed him on a rock at first, but guess that he moved off it last night on to the substrate. He was open most of the way today but closed up when I fed today. Really nice looking clam with a very distinctive shell. Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 So I placed him on a rock at first, but guess that he moved off it last night on to the substrate. He was open most of the way today but closed up when I fed today. Really nice looking clam with a very distinctive shell. Picture? It shouldn't close up when you feed unless you are trying to spot feed (NO!) or are bothering it with shadows. A Clam Hammock is great for a jumpy clam. The clam lodges its foot into the ceramic thing, so you can move it around without bothering the clam. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 It opened back up after a little bit. It was probably due to me putting my hand in the tank and the fact that the blenny climbed all over it to get a piece of food. That's the first that I have heard of a clam hammock. I may have to get one. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Squamosa clams settle on rocks and then as they grow larger their byssal openings completely close, as they are then large enough to not get turned over in the sand. They also one of the least demanding clams in terms of light, but your Prime will struggle to reach the clam's minimum compensation point at the distance you have it at. The Prime is not a strong light, with 250 PAR on-axis at 12". You're nearing double that distance, which puts PAR in the 75ish range in the center, and much less off to the sides. This is with the light at 100% intensity on all channels. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 I was concerned about the Prime's ability to get all the way to the bottom, but I have seen several other people that have very similar setups to mine and have several clams. I'm not sure if it makes a difference or not, but the overall water depth is At any rate, I'm hesitant to move him up at this point since he hasn't been in the tank very long and didn't like being on the rock before. If it isn't getting the necessary light, are there any specific symptoms I should be looking out for? Link to comment
pokerdobe Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Squamosa clams settle on rocks and then as they grow larger their byssal openings completely close, as they are then large enough to not get turned over in the sand. They also one of the least demanding clams in terms of light, but your Prime will struggle to reach the clam's minimum compensation point at the distance you have it at. The Prime is not a strong light, with 250 PAR on-axis at 12". You're nearing double that distance, which puts PAR in the 75ish range in the center, and much less off to the sides. This is with the light at 100% intensity on all channels. Thread hijacking, but would a maxima receive enough light on the sand bed of a 20" deep tank with 2x Nanobox Duos at 85% intensity? I don't have a par meter... Sorry and thanks in advanced! Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Thread hijacking, but would a maxima receive enough light on the sand bed of a 20" deep tank with 2x Nanobox Duos at 85% intensity? I don't have a par meter... Sorry and thanks in advanced! Should be OK as long as your tank isn't like six feet long and you're trying to cover it with two lol Link to comment
ajmckay Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 You can also try a clam hammock or some similar type base to keep it from toppling. I always do a double take when I read "clam hammock". It's like it could be some type of exotic underwear - if you know what I mean. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Someone asked for a picture earlier, and I finally got around to get getting one. He has looked like this everyday when I get home. Although it is still moving closer and closer to the live rock. I ordered a clam hammock, but it won't be here until Thursday. Link to comment
metrokat Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 That's a nice looking clam! Link to comment
BRN Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 That's a nice looking clam! Agreed! nice little spot for it too. Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Thanks guys. I was worried at first, but other than moving around some he seems to be doing well. I have another question. The only time that I notice his siphon open is in the morning when my lights are still off. Granted I'm not home for much of the day, but by the time I get home in the evening he looks like the picture above with the exposed mantle but closed siphon. is this normal? Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 So yesterday I noticed that there was a fleshy bubble around the siphon when it opened. When I got back home it was closed up and this morning my peppermint shrimp was on top of it trying to devour the dead clam. I'm baffled as to what went wrong, but this is the second time this has happened with clams for me. Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 So yesterday I noticed that there was a fleshy bubble around the siphon when it opened. When I got back home it was closed up and this morning my peppermint shrimp was on top of it trying to devour the dead clam. I'm baffled as to what went wrong, but this is the second time this has happened with clams for me. I would say there's either not enough light for the clam OR you have a parasite in your tank. Do you see anything on the bottom of the squammy like little snails? I honestly don't think a prime is enough light for a clam, especially on the sand bed, but that's just my opinion. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 I honestly don't think a prime is enough light for a clam, especially on the sand bed, but that's just my opinion. The Prime is certainly insufficient for a tank that is more than ~8-12" tall unless the clam would be directly under the light. Off to the side at all and PAR drops considerably. Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 An AI Prime is definitely not enough.... Even a Radion can't support clams on the sand bed after 18" Link to comment
Dolomiteclay Posted November 28, 2015 Author Share Posted November 28, 2015 I have to two primes setup in the middle of the tank and the clam was directly underneath them. I inspected the shell pretty well. No parasites on it that I could see. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.