clam placement

[bckick]

what is the best placement for a clam. Do they prefer being up high on live rock, down low in the sand?????

[airangel]

I've heard higher on the rocks vs the sandbed but all depends on what kind of lighting you've got.

[tinyreef]

also depends on the type of clam(s) you plan on having.

 

crocea are rock dwellers, rock-borers in fact.

 

maxima should be rock dwellers too but i've seen them on sandbeds or crushed coral. irritation from granules can be an issue though.

 

squamosa can be sandbed types or rock dwellers. they're more easy going than the rest imo.

 

derasa and gigas are more sandbed than rockwork. i've seen them on rockwork in bigger tanks but they seem to be found more often on sandbeds.

 

other than the crocea much of the sandbed placements are probably a function of the lighting available (like angel noted) and actual space available in the specific system/tank. hth

[airangel]

oops +1 Tinyreef... yes the type of clam as well.

 

Figured most folks were after the Crocea as to me they are the prettiest but also for the smaller size they attain compared to the larger clams that most can't keep in home tanks after they've grown.

 

My LFS told me sandbed was fine....but we all know how much we should believe in what the LFS tells you.

[bubbles3660]

Figured most folks were after the Crocea as to me they are the prettiest...

 

What sort of lighting do you have? Stronger the better.

 

 

--bubbles

[trojandds]

hey guys, so if a crocea is in the sand bed...what problems can i expect? Earlier I had put my crocea clam onto a rock but it fell off and it wasnt as open as it is now when its on the sand bed..

 

also is it a big deal if sand gets into the clams mouth? I have a sleeper goby and hes constantly dropping sand all over the clam...

 

fyi my light is a sunpod 150w, tank is a 30 gallon

[airangel]

I just moved mine off the sandbed. It was slowly trying to grab the bottom of the tank, sinking into the bed as if in quicksand. I didn't want to run risk of it getting full of sand. 150w and 24g here. Its doing good higher up w/o my worrying about it eating sand.

[Whacked]

also is it a big deal if sand gets into the clams mouth? I have a sleeper goby and hes constantly dropping sand all over the clam...

Lighting should be OK

Sand can irritate the clam

here is a good read on clams

Tridacna Crocea

[trojandds]

Lighting should be OK

Sand can irritate the clam

here is a good read on clams

Tridacna Crocea

 

cool thanks!

[lakshwadeep]

How to ID Tridacnids:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-07/jf/feature/index.php

 

A beginners' article which has placement info similar to Tinyreef's:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I...GotTridacna.htm

[JerseyChick]

Could always add a piece of cut pvc pipe to hold it up, but still have it in the sandbed kind of

 

 

(I am a total noob... so it's just a thrown out idea. Many people can advise you better than I can on this)

[zissou]

Let the clam attach itself to a rock then bury the rock. Or, you can just place the rock under the clam while it's in the sand, it will attach itself eventually. This allows you to keep the clam on the sandbed at any depth and also provides a higher angle of view, which brings out the colours when viewing.