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First Time Clam Owner.... Little Help Please?


Dreichler

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So i have my JBJ RL-45 with my AI Prime over it... Thought it was time to get a clam after being in reefs over 3 years and never owning one... So i went to my local frag swap a few days ago, and bought this crocea for $75... Its about the size of 2 golf balls, maybe 1.5 golf balls, but its about 3-4 inches long ways... I "target" feed it every other day with 0.5 mL of photo feast... By target feed i mean i intentionally go for the clam, but spread the food kinda near it and around it, not directly into it.... But anyway, my light is about 6 inches above the water, and the clam is about 10-12 inches below the water.... From these pics and looking at it throughout the day, and looking at pics of them online, i feel like its not opening all the way.... i could be wrong but I've never had experience with a clam... My tank is definitely ready for one (nutrients and whatnot) but i just wanna make sure its healthy.... If you can't see it in the pic, the clam is one the left side, middle of tank, next to the GSP on the left....

 

I think he's an awesome looking clam, his lips or mantle is blue stripes, and the middle is pink with blue polka dots....

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Don't target feed, clams are filter feeders, any large chunk of food that go into them can be dangerous.

 

They're happy enough cleaning your tank water :)

 

It looks happy though, can you raise your AI Prime or is it at 100% intensity?

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Don't target feed, clams are filter feeders, any large chunk of food that go into them can be dangerous.

 

They're happy enough cleaning your tank water :)

 

It looks happy though, can you raise your AI Prime or is it at 100% intensity?

Heres the schedule, blues peak in the 90s, white peaks at about 70, i feel like whites any higher would start bleaching, but it looks satisfied? its usually open wide about an inch or so across, or at least thats the widest I've seen, i thought they open to about 2.5 inches...

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The thing is from the photo is looks like the clam is off to the side a bit, outside the Prime's lighting. Sure its getting SOME light, but despite its height its in a dark area

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ya the pic is a little inaccurate from in person... in person, if you drew a line straight down from the light, its only about 4-5 inches from the line...

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You could have a conundrum. You have a lot of lower light corals and a super high light clam. I would suggest moving the clam as high up as you can, directly below the light if possible. Croceas don't open as wide as maximas or squamosas, so I think yours looks perfectly healthy. If you see new shell growth over the next few weeks, then that usually means your clam is happy.

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You could have a conundrum. You have a lot of lower light corals and a super high light clam. I would suggest moving the clam as high up as you can, directly below the light if possible. Croceas don't open as wide as maximas or squamosas, so I think yours looks perfectly healthy. If you see new shell growth over the next few weeks, then that usually means your clam is happy.

ya ill play around with the lighting situation, but is my choice of food good? also, the clam had a small bright green growth on the side of its shell... i can guarantee it was some kind of coral, like 100% sure, almost shaped like a clam, but it was about the size of a pea, and bright green, its gone now, tustve gotten blown off.... but could it have been a tiny clam, or just some random coral

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The food is good, but I'd just squirt it into the tank, the clam will eventually get it and then you don't risk gooping up its gills. Also, everything will grow on the clam's shell, it's basically open real estate. You probably had some little polyp. The only thing to really worry about is stinging animals on it, they can really bother a clam and stress it to death. I probably wouldn't even let mushrooms grow on it. You can pull a clam out and scrub it off. Until the clam gets really large, they are perfectly content being pulled out and cleaned.

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The food is good, but I'd just squirt it into the tank, the clam will eventually get it and then you don't risk gooping up its gills. Also, everything will grow on the clam's shell, it's basically open real estate. You probably had some little polyp. The only thing to really worry about is stinging animals on it, they can really bother a clam and stress it to death. I probably wouldn't even let mushrooms grow on it. You can pull a clam out and scrub it off. Until the clam gets really large, they are perfectly content being pulled out and cleaned.

I agree with the above, but do want to mention that whenever you take the clam out of the tank, remember to "burp" it when you put it back. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the clam! Shake it lightly and turn it all around :)

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  • 7 months later...
mystersyster

I agree with the above, but do want to mention that whenever you take the clam out of the tank, remember to "burp" it when you put it back. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the clam! Shake it lightly and turn it all around :)

Just because I am curious I am resurrecting an old thread, why is this necessary? Tridacna clams experience low tide where they are exposed to air and other elements. Considering the locals don't go and burp each clam after the tide comes back in, where can I find research that actually supports this? Thanks!

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HarryPotter

Just because I am curious I am resurrecting an old thread, why is this necessary? Tridacna clams experience low tide where they are exposed to air and other elements. Considering the locals don't go and burp each clam after the tide comes back in, where can I find research that actually supports this? Thanks!

 

There is a ton of reading along these lines- particularly on how smaller clams need it. "Many croceas living on or near reefs [Croceas live at shallower depths than other Tridacna species] in the intertidal zone can be exposed at extremely low tides. Temporary exposure to air and sometimes rain does not harm them..."

 

But other species are not typically not exposed; trapped gas in their body cavity can lead to rotting according to my reading. Just my reading on forums from members that have kept clams for some while. No point risking it, eh? If a clam is too weak to purge its body of air then it can definitely lead to a problem.

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