Can corals sting clams

tanker

New member
I just got my first clam. I placed it between a favia (closed brain) and 2 bubble corals. About two inches from coral on all sides. Is this OK. Do corals (with sweeper) sting clams???
 
I don't think they sting clams but id' place corals with sweeper tenticales at least 5" away from the clam.. so I would give it 5" of space from the corals just to be sure..


HTH

-Nick
 
nike17:

37gal. ammonia=0 nitrite=0 nitrate=0 (do not know why it always 0)

96 watt 50/50 pc in rear. 36 watts of 10,000 in front.

squamosa clam about 2 1/2".

reef tank. 3 y/t damsels one maroon clown. lots of zoo's
2 close brains. 2 bubble corals. 1 open brain. 70+ lb of LR. 40lb of live sand. 7 hermit crabs and a partridge-in-a-pear-tree.
 
When they are always 0 then that means it's stable.. how long have the 3 been at 0? (0 = good thing, in this case)

What are the dimensions of the tank? I do not believe that sufficient amount of light will work? Where is the clam placed? You might have to throw another 96 watt on there to be BARE minimum and have the clam close to top.. If you get 2x96 VHO that would be better..

I believe the dimensions are the same as a 30 gal.. I may be wrong.

Just place the clam away from the bubble's in the rock.. I do not know too much about squamosa and deresa and hippopius (sp?) but I know some about maxima's and croeca's.. Squamosa's are said to be the least light clams but I would still recommend upgrade that 36watt to a 96watt 50/50..

By the way it's nick not nike *wink*

HTH

-Nick
 
You have 3.5 wpg and I think just the minimum of any type of lighting is about 5 for clams.. some may think not.. but I woudn't put any clams under anything but MH or a TON of VHO.. (depending on size of tank) unless you are very expierenced with 1-5gallon nano's..

You will still need to spot-feed the clam until it is at least 3"..

I would recommend taking the clam out of your tank and putting it in a bowl with your tank water and feed it DT's for about 30 min. or until the water is pretty clear.

HTH

-Nick
 
Sorry Nick--when u get old eye site and finger coordination both go at about the same time:cool:

The clam is at the highest point of tank. Did not know that clam must be fed. I have some DT but use it for my nano (20-50 are mini) 7gal. Will try and see if it like DT.

Thx. PS I spell names worst when coffee kicks in...;)
 
I'd get a metal halide in there as soon as possible, that isn't near enough light for a clam. From what I hear, even alot of VHO light isn't enough, clams trive under metal halides though.
 
I would also recomend a mh. how deep is that tank? that will help us tell you what wattage you will need for a metal halide. you can also check ebay for a ballast and fixture for mh. that is if you don't mind building a hood.

from my experiance keep the clam away from any zoos. i had lost a clam because it was too close to some zoos. they stung it and it died about two days later. remeber how potent those little guys are.
 
Here is a quote from Daniel Knop's Giant Clams:

"Clams seem to be rather insensitive to the touch of corals. Even direct contact between the siphonal lobe and the irritative tentacles of corals like Zoantharia as well as Octocarallia does not seem to cause any discomfort to the clams. The only problem can be caused by excessive growth of soft corals with the subsequent formation of shadowed areas."
 
My zoos are lower in the tank. The clam is 4" from surface. MH too hot for room. Too many tanks-too many lites. Maybe adding more PC. Thx all for reply---so far.
 
I'm still a relative clam newb, but IMO you don't have to have MH for a Squamosa. You'll just have to have lots of PC or VHO. I'm sure there are many that have kept a Squamosa or Derasa with PC as these are the two clams that everyone recommends to all those "Do I have enough light for clams?" threads. Having said that, I run halides, it's better to be safe than sorry :D
 
Nick: U mention feeding clams. How much DT sud I feed?? Clam about 2". Maybe just a little smaller. Put him in small container in tank and put in a few drops of DT. So little cannot see diff. Also not notice any water movement inside container. Kept him in for 1/2 hr than replaced him. Threw out the water.
 
I believe that clams can not be stung by true corals (hexacorallia) or soft corals. I have had clams touching euphyllia, hydnophora and catalaphyllia before with no problems.
Anemones and fire corals on the other hand can sting them and the sting makes the mantle tissue shrivel up. If it is spotted quickly they can recover with no long term effects.
 
just like fire child said the mantle shrivels. i caught it the next day. the other factor in my clam death wa i had just received it from an online vendor. well had it for a week then shriveled. i think it was the zoos. may have already been dying.

my point in all this is why take the chance. there are conflicting opinions on this so who is right?

i may still have some pics at home of the clam shriveled so you can see what it looks like. i wil post if i can find them when i get home.

i guess this whole debate on to put the clams near corals that may or may not sting them is up to the owner of the clam.
 
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