Clam Nutrition and Placement Question

[FSOL]

Hi guys,

Got two questions for the clam experts.

1) Is it a MUST to place the clam on a rock? I have one placed on a rock and its foot has attached, and another that's just on the sand. Will this be ok?

2) What's the best food for clams? I want to feed them quality, high nutrition foods. So far I've only been feeding spray dried Marine Phytoplankton from E.S.V
I also put cyclopeeze and marine plankton but I don't really see the clams absorb that stuff and close their shells.

 

[mbbuna]

1) it depends on the type of clam and the amount of light. if your lighting is very strong you should be able to place the clam just about anywhere. some clams are only found up in the reef, some CAN be found at the base of the reef on hard substrates.

2)if the clams are over 2 1/2" they should be able to get all the food they need from light. they will filter feed some but most tanks have plenty of stuff already floating around for them. if the clams are very small i would just add a small amount of live phyto to the tank every day. clams feed slowly all day long, you wont see them eat. they dont close there shell when there done.

 

[FSOL]

yes they are both over 2.5 inches long. One's actually about 4". The big one, when I take the turkey baster near its mouth and spray phytoplankton, it closes down. I'm not sure if it closes cuz it absorbs the food, or cuz it reacts to the stream of water.
The smaller one for some reason used to be facing up at the lights, now it's kind of on its side. This is the one that's on the sandbed.

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7117788#post7117788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FSOL
The big one, when I take the turkey baster near its mouth and spray phytoplankton, it closes down.

never do that. you will end up cloging the clams gills.clams feed slowly all day long. if you must feed them just add a very small amount to the tank

 

[FSOL]

oh damn, it's good you told me that. Thanks.

Well anyways, so your advice is to just let them grab whatever's left around the tank and survive on that and lighting?

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7119036#post7119036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FSOL
oh damn, it's good you told me that. Thanks.

Well anyways, so your advice is to just let them grab whatever's left around the tank and survive on that and lighting?

T. clams are primarily photosynthetic. if your lighting is strong enough they wont need much(in the way of food)

what lighting do you have?

 

[Serioussnaps]

Ahhhh. I disagree. Yes when they are small they need more feeding.----DT's live phyto or home cultured phyto------however, as they get older they still need feeding. What one lacks in lighting can be supplement with feeding and vice versa, but just because they are older doesnt mean you should stop feeding, just feeding less. I notice a healthier appearance with some feeding in the clams i have kept. What light do you have? This will not dictate whether you should feed, in my opinion, just how much you should feed.

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7161552#post7161552 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serioussnaps
Ahhhh. I disagree. What one lacks in lighting can be supplement with feeding and vice versa

absolutely not!!!

clams have a limited heterotrophic ability, and can ONLY take up so much food buy way of filter feeding. but when there mantles are fully developed and can house enough zoox they can support them selves 99.9% from light alone. depending on the type of clam this ability go's from 70%light(minimum) to 30% filtering to 90%light(minimum) to 10% filtering.

in most home aquariums there is plenty of foods to be filtered out to meet there needs. that can not be said for lighting.in most cases when someone has inadequate lighting and tries to supplement with extra feeding they end up just polluting the water and further impeding light transmission.

 

[XeniaMania]

My crocea shuts its hole when I feed cyclops to the tank. All my other corals go nuts, but the Crocea's hole is shut tight..:lol: as if it thinks it's getting invaded or something, a sure sign to me they don't like big objects entering the hole.

 

[smilinteddy]

As far as placement goes, it really depends on what kind of clam. Crocea clams prefer to be placed on a hard rock surface, whereas derasea clams generally like to be placed in a sandy substrate.

All clams (especially those down in the sand) should have a piece of rock to attach to in order to cover the byssal openening to protect the clam from potential predators.

 

[FSOL]

Sorry guys for the late reply. I have 3x250W Ushio 14K metal hallides + 2x165W VHO actinics, for a total of 1080 watts on a 2' deep tank.

The larger clam is all the way at the bottom of the tank attached to a rock. The smaller one is midway in the tank, also sitting on a rock.

I picked up my small one the other day and looked at the bottom. It was shut and its foot wasn't hanging down either. But it also wasn't attached to the rock. it was just sitting on it.
Is this what they do when they are happy w/ their placement?

also, I ordered some DT's oyster eggs. What do you think of this product?

 

[mbbuna]

with the lighting you have you really wont need extra feeding for the clams. the eggs should work fine but feed very sparingly

 

[DTagrin]

Lets clear up a misconception. Clams eat phytoplankton, clams do not eat oyster eggs. It may look like they feed on many things but clams sort particals and only feed on live phytoplankton. The rest is passed out as psudofeces.
Dennis Tagrin
DT's Plankton Farm

 

[FSOL]

Thanks Dennis. What are oyster eggs good for? I've never seen them, just heard of them, and I don't know if they are small enough to be eaten by stonies.

 

[DTagrin]

As a sponsor I am not supposed to post the features and benefits of my product in a thread. Please check out the information on my website.

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7164430#post7164430 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DTagrin
It may look like they feed on many things but clams sort particals and only feed on live phytoplankton. The rest is passed out as psudofeces.
Dennis Tagrin
DT's Plankton Farm

sorry Dennis but this is not true.

Clams will feed on more then just Phyto. they will also feed on Bacterium, detritus and micro zooplanktion. the size range that has the least rejection by clams is 2microns to 50 microns(phyto just happens to fall in that size range) but it has been reported that clams will feed on and digest foods up to about 250 microns.

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7166477#post7166477 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbbuna
sorry Dennis but this is not true.

Clams will feed on more then just Phyto. they will also feed on Bacterium, detritus and micro zooplanktion. the size range that has the least rejection by clams is 2microns to 50 microns(phyto just happens to fall in that size range) but it has been reported that clams will feed on and digest foods up to about 250 microns.

Really, so they may in fact be picking up 50 micron oyster eggs, rotifer eggs, copepod eggs, etc? I always have been told they tend to close up with particles in the 50 and up micron range. Learn something everyday, thanks

 

[FSOL]

How come today I fed some cyclopeeze and they were closing up as the cyclopeeze were getting on them?

 

[FSOL]

hey come on guys. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and what works for some people's tanks or inhabitants may not for others.

DTagrin - so if the oyster eggs are not for clams, what would they be beneficial for? The LFS is holding some for me and I want to know if I should go pick them up or pass on them?

GreshamH - do you have any pics of your clams?

 

[GreshamH]

I'll take some tonight I got mine from Mangrove Tropicals when they closed down the facility in Hawaii. They were about 3/4" when I got them a few years ago I'd say they're 3.5" now.