Clam being exposed to air during water changes

[Brieninsac]

I have a new Maxima in my system. Right now he's on the sand bed as he adjusts to the lights. Eventually he'll be placed higher on the rocks to be closer to the lights. My question is in regards to him being exposed to air turing water changes. The water level during changes will be below his placement. Is it OK for the clam to be exposed to air for maybe 15 minutes?

When I got him the clerk at my LFS said to not expose him to air because he'll then need to be burped. But I haven't seen anything online addressing this.

 

[carrots]

Back when I was working in the wholesale end of the business I was trained to take the clam out of the water acclimation bucket and scrub the clam's shell clean and rinsing it off before putting in our tanks. We never worried about "burping" the clam. The clams would release any trapped air on its own.

 

[ca1ore]

Urban myth IME

 

[Brieninsac]

So could it safely be exposed to air for say 15 minutes during water changes?

 

[this is me]

15mins will be fine.
However, keep in mind that clams tend to squirt water when it's out of the water. If you're running a hot exposed lamps, be careful.

 

[MondoBongo]

while i don't keep T. maxima, i've never taken any special precautions with my T. derasa or T. crocea in that regard.

the way i figure it, especially with T. crocea and T. maxima, these are animals that tend to inhabit surf/tide zones. so they need some strategy to expunge air, sand, etc, etc... or else they wouldn't do too well in their usual habitats.

not my crocea will shoot water like "this is me" noted when the level gets too low for his liking. he can shoot a surprising amount a truly shocking distance. i usually place a towel on my screen top right above him when i do my water changes, lest i, my lights, floor, and everything else within spitting distance get soaked.

 

[jda]

I have several out of water for up to 5-10 minutes during water changes. I never burped them or changed their diapers in all of the years that I have had them.

 

[HoHum]

jda I like your humor.

 

[reefwiser]

http://aquanerd.com/2010/10/tridacna-clams-seen-in-the-wild.html

Many clams are exposed at Low tide.