Do you buy clams the first day it hits the LFS?

[flipmodetank]

My LFS here in dallas has some 4 inch green crocea's coming in today. The crocea clam i have now is about 6 months old and growing nicely, I got it from the store where the green ones are coming into. So my question is this.... is it better to put a deposit on it and let it sit there for a couple days to see if it is healthy? Or is it better to get it into my tank ASAP so that it cuts down on going through different systems?

[StevieT]

let it sit, who knows what could be wrong with it. It may even infect your current clam. Safe is better than dead

[BKtomodachi]

I watched my clam in the store for more than a year before I purchased it.

[imkevin20]

you should check out dallas north aquarium off trinity mills in carollton

they have some amazing clams up there!

[Urchinhead]

I watched my clam in the store for more than a year before I purchased it.

 

Does your wife know that? ;P Seriously though it can go either way but to be safe you should put a deposit down and see how it does for about a week or so. After all it could get infected in the store tank as well.

 

As an example there is a LFS right near me who gets in some of the most amazing corals and fish at prices that blow away the rest of the market. The problem is that he doesn't take very good care of what he gets in. Puts it under lower lighting than it needs, fish share water and ich is rampant, etc. So the trick with him is to get there at 11:00 Sunday morning when his shipments come in and grab what you want while its still in its shipping bag and hasn't touched his water then QT what you get for a couple of weeks. Plus everybody and their uncle knows about his shipping schedule so you are faced with a scrum the minute you get there for the good stuff. I have found that I get a 70% mortality rate if I buy from one of his tanks and about a 15-20% one if I buy with whatever it is still in the bag.

[flipmodetank]

I actually went to dallas north last weekend and did not see any clams. Also i hate thier customer service. if i come in after work then i get helped but if i come in on the weekend wearing jeans and a jersey no one wants to help me. Ill just put a deposit down a wait a week. so far my 2 naked clowns, flame hawk and clam have all survived and done great. I have noticed some stores here that if water was able to die then it would die if purchased from those stores.

[t4zalews]

things to check for with a healthy clam... 1) is the intake siphon taught, you dont want one that has a gaping mouth 2) wave your hand over it so that it gets a quick hit of shade, does it react? healthy clams will react to even a slight change in light 3) does it's mantle extend over the sides of the shell, you dont want a clam that does not fully open, could be potentially dying.