Little Clams - What's the word?

[Reefie]

Maxima's under 3" are EXTREMELY difficult to keep, I've had a few experiences with the clams through a LFS in the Seattle/Renton area. Juvenile clams need to be fed Phyto, and properly acclimated.

 

Properly acclimated, meaning water, temp, and most importantly LIGHT! Most people don't light acclimate clams, I learned through my experiences, I was one of those people. Light acclimate by placing the clam on the substrate with a frag disk lightly buried under the clam for a minimum of 1 week, then week by week start slowly moving the clam with the frag disk up higher until the "desired" placement of your choice. Your "desired" placement may not be the clam's "desired" placement, so be prepared if it decides to move. If it is happy where you place it, it will attach itself there.

 

Take note that not all clams will attach itself, I have 1 Maxima that just won't attach while I have another Maxima literally right beside it that did.

 

I would strongly recommend getting clams that are a minimum 3" in size, you will have better success in keeping it alive and happy. Water params are another HUGE thing to keep in mind when keeping clams. Keep water stable, and don't attempt to keep a clam unless you have a minimum of 1 year of an established tank. Maintain your Calc at 420ppm - 450 ppm, as clams burn up a lot of Calc.

[mzoo]

One bristleworm ate a totally healthy maxima in 45 minutes...literally...we went to lunch, clam looks great...bristleworm went to lunch too...we get back, worm is inside clam just ripping it to shreds...clam still alive, colorful, but dying... a horrible thing.

 

The hermit crab...ate one maxima, but it was at night, so we thought maybe it just died...but it did look ripped up. But then the next day, in front of our eyes, same crab is on another maxima, chewing up its mantle. Ate three scallops right off. That clam still alive and mantle growing back...so obviously he was not sick when crab got on him...

 

Tired of hearing that nothing in a tank will eat a clam, that clam must have been weak to start. BS.