Little Clams - What's the word?

[Jacobnano]

I don't remember when it was, maybe a couple years ago but ORA started to release small Maxima clams. These clams were very small, usually around 1.5 at the smallest and very brightly colored. There was skepticism as to whether or not these small clams would do well in our aquariums and I still would like to know.

 

Is there anyone who has kept one of those small clams for a long period, say six months at least?

 

Maybe the word is already out and I am behind the times, but I would like to know if these little guys are safe. The price, the ORA backing, and the color really work in their favor but I am still going to be cautious. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

Jacob

[Euphyllia]

I've never had good experience with ORA and multiple LFS around me have said they don't order from ORA because of the high DOA rate in their experience. Just get a nice 3" one from the wild. While aquacultured things are nice and usually healthy, I wouldn't take the risk. Get a nice wild one that's healthy in the store.

[Squared]

While aquacultured things are nice and usually healthy, I wouldn't take the risk. Get a nice wild one that's healthy in the store.

 

that makes no sense lol

[Jacobnano]

I have had good experiences with ORA corals however, and they usually have a pretty good reputation.

 

I am looking for someone who has or had one of the ORA maxima clams. Anyone?

[Jacobnano]

I have no store to buy from, so I will be ordering online, another reason for my question.

[SbCaes]

I have no store to buy from, so I will be ordering online, another reason for my question.

 

 

mine have all done well. but they do grow fast. (1.5"-3" size) in less than a year

[Jacobnano]

So how long have you had them then? Wait they started out at 1.5" and grew to 3" in less than a year?

[cadre]

I've never had good experience with ORA and multiple LFS around me have said they don't order from ORA because of the high DOA rate in their experience. Just get a nice 3" one from the wild. While aquacultured things are nice and usually healthy, I wouldn't take the risk. Get a nice wild one that's healthy in the store.

The high DOA rate from ORA is related to their shipping practices in my experience. We get in ORA orders all the time where the fish barely have enough water to be submerged.

 

The small Maximas do seem to be a bit more tough to keep but I think if they survive shipping and you have a well established tank you should be okay.

[Jacobnano]

The high DOA rate from ORA is related to their shipping practices in my experience. We get in ORA orders all the time where the fish barely have enough water to be submerged.

 

The small Maximas do seem to be a bit more tough to keep but I think if they survive shipping and you have a well established tank you should be okay.

 

Ahhh. Well I was worried about that.

 

I still want someone who has had experience with these clams first hand

[dday80]

These have started popping up on DD and I'm interested too. I have been under the impression not to buy a clam that is less than 3" because anything smaller is still filter feeding and not solely photosynthetic.

[Jacobnano]

These have started popping up on DD and I'm interested too. I have been under the impression not to buy a clam that is less than 3" because anything smaller is still filter feeding and not solely photosynthetic.

 

Exactly. So is that true or is it based on more than just that seemingly arbitrary size?

[mzoo]

I have had 4 small maximas (1.5 or smaller to start) from the LFS, never shipped to me. Just not sure about the ones that are shipped directly to your house, that could be the whole problem...

 

Anyways, as long as pretadors do not get them (two were lost to a hermit crab and a bristleworm respectively, and no they were not ailing, they were perfetcly healthy otherwise), they are pretty hardy, not fussy (unlike larger clams I have gotten), tend to attach quickly, have beautiful colors and markings, and grow rapidly.

 

Of the two little maximas I still have, one grew from 1.5 to 3 inches in about 1.5 years and he is still doing great, and the little striped guy I got 6 months ago is doing really well too...new scutes, bigger all over, etc.

 

In short, the clams are nice, healthy & very pretty. But I picked all mine up from the LFS. not sure how many the LFS loses from each shipment.

[mzoo]

oh, and as to food. I do not feed my clams on a regular basis. even when tiny. I have good lights.

 

When one of my maximas was eaten (partially) by the same crab that killed another maxima, I gave him a little phyto then, when he was newly wounded, and he accepted it and it seemed to kick-start his healing.

 

Otherwise, when I do think to feed, invariably the clams huff and puff and blow the phyto out...they don't seem to want it...so I stopped.

 

I add a small bottle of pods for my mandarin every month or so and that comes with live phyto for the pods and so maybe the clams get some then.

 

But I guess my point is, no intentional feeding anymore, except when one was injured.

[jgpico]

My buddy just did a really good write up on the myths about smaller clams on marine-engineers.org. look it up it might help.

[dday80]

Nice write up. Looks like I may be trying out a clam!

[JDK]

My buddy just did a really good write up on the myths about smaller clams on marine-engineers.org. look it up it might help.

 

Just read that article before I came here. Good write up. It always sounded fishy to me the baby clam filter feeding only

[jgpico]

Yeah. We have both done some extensive research on the topic and have had good luck with small clams with not much supplemental feeding.

[BocaIvan]

I had one of these for almost 2 weeks. Noticed some improvement, quicker response to fish shadows, opening a bit more, until a bristle work got to it. As stated above, they seem to be okay as long as nothing gets to it and eats it.

[Mudfish]

Over the last couple years I've had three or four - maximas and derasas. I've lost every one.

 

I have a very successful tank; I've got delicate acros that I bought as itty-bitty frags that are now bigass colonies that I have to trim as if they were bushes out in the damn yard.

 

Not to brag - in fact, I know that mistakes I've made led to at least one clam death. I let my kalk-saturation topoff water run out, and when I refilled it, the sump was a little low. I mistakenly let it refill with that newly-made high test kalk. 'Lil clam was dead within a few hours. The others, I've never known what happened. They just seem very sensitive to me.

 

Maybe that's just my albatross. Maybe I can't keep clams.

[Urchinhead]

These have started popping up on DD and I'm interested too. I have been under the impression not to buy a clam that is less than 3" because anything smaller is still filter feeding and not solely photosynthetic.

 

This is correct. Though all clams (and corals) also filter feed. Regardless of size.

 

oh, and as to food. I do not feed my clams on a regular basis. even when tiny. I have good lights.

 

When one of my maximas was eaten (partially) by the same crab that killed another maxima, I gave him a little phyto then, when he was newly wounded, and he accepted it and it seemed to kick-start his healing.

 

Otherwise, when I do think to feed, invariably the clams huff and puff and blow the phyto out...they don't seem to want it...so I stopped.

 

I add a small bottle of pods for my mandarin every month or so and that comes with live phyto for the pods and so maybe the clams get some then.

 

But I guess my point is, no intentional feeding anymore, except when one was injured.

 

Clam's don't take in anything larger than 50 nm in size so its not eating your pods. Phyto might be taken in if its in that 50 nm size range. Clams also like/need some nitrates in the water and thus make a good (but small) addition to your efforts to keep the tank nitrate free.

 

Yeah. We have both done some extensive research on the topic and have had good luck with small clams with not much supplemental feeding.

 

I am not being sarcastic or an arse when I say this. I am genuinely interested... Really? Did you do an actual study/controlled experiment or was it "Me and my mate put some small clams in our tanks and they survived without us feeding them directly therefore small clams don't filter feed"?

 

I ask because if you did an actual study/experiment then a) I would really like to see your data and your results because this has been an area of interest for me and b ) you should publish because your findings are contrary to presently accepted doctrine on the subject. And that would be pretty cool. If you don't mind please PM me with the details.

 

EDIT: I went back and read your mate's post on ME... Looks like it was a "put clams in and they didn't die". And his postulations sounded a bit... loose in their interpretation as well as counter intuitive so I need to follow up with Wombat on the subject. It would be great if what your friend states is correct and would open the door to smaller (and less expensive) clams in our tanks though.

[neuwave]

I havent done any studies myself but as far as personal experience I bought a tiny (barley a inch) black/blue clam. Got it at one of the aquarium conferences 5-6 months ago for 15 bucks because my buddys girlfriend flirted with the vendor lol. So far it has already grown a new line of scoots. so far so good.

[Urchinhead]

I havent done any studies myself but as far as personal experience I bought a tiny (barley a inch) black/blue clam. Got it at one of the aquarium conferences 5-6 months ago for 15 bucks because my buddys girlfriend flirted with the vendor lol. So far it has already grown a new line of scoots. so far so good.

 

Nor I. That's why I was interested. I have seen the studies and reports from the commercial side where these clams are raised for human consumption instead of decorative aquarium use and there the data shows that under 1.5-2" in size feeding is required. The problem here is the objective of the farmer is to raise the clam to a certain size/weight for sale as quickly as possible and thus the heavy feeding may not be required for clam health and is instead used as a way to cause rapid growth and weight gain.

 

For example I have seen photos in the reports of farmers dumping bag after bag of fertilizer in the clam runs to boost the amount of nitrates in the water.

 

I too have anecdotal evidence of under 2" clam sustainability but that was in my own system and I didn't do any actual experiments using the scientific method so all I can offer is anecdotal not empirical evidence. In my case though the clams did receive ancillary supplementary feeding from foods used to feed other corals in the system so I can't say that they survived and thrived (mine did grow) under photosynthetic only conditions.

[neuwave]

When I said study, I just wanted to join in the study talk...lol just joking around.

From what I have found out from a couple of wholesellers that the really big aquacultured clams are used for meat. Suppose to be a really sweet tasting meat.

As far as feeding, I do have a blueberry sea fan I feed plankton too and I feed amino acids for my sps so it possible that the clam is getting some nutrients from that but I haven't directly fed it.

[mzoo]

did not say clam was eating pods. that would be stupid. they could be absorbing the phyto that comes with pods which I do add for my mandarin but I no longer make an effort to feed the clams anything. When I was feeding phyto specifically to the clams it was Kent's or DT's. I noticed they really did not like the DTs...that got them squirting and jumpy. which is odd cause other people swear by it.

 

Th main thing with baby clams in my experience is to keep predators away.

[Urchinhead]

There shouldn't be anything in your tank that would prey on the clam mate. If a bristle worm goes after it it usually means that he clam is dying and you just don't see it. Same for most hermits. Crabs can and will go after it. As will some types of fish like angels.

 

I would feed reef chili to mine. Well I would feed the SPS near it and the clam(s) would uptake it. Same particulate size as your Kent Marine Snow (guessing here).

 

As to stupid... You would be surprised at what people say here mate.