Clam quality rating

aesop

New member
I'm just curios;

How does one rate the quality of these clams? What makes a clam Ultra Grade, and another low grade? Since these grade seem to impact the price quite significantly.

Is more sports on a maxima desired? less colors? more colours? etc..

Obviously, its all personal preference when one decides to buy one :)
 
I'm pretty sure color plays a large part in this. But I defer to the many distributers of clams in this forum, who can offer a more qualified answer.
 
Well to rate the quality of clams you must take into consideration a few things. First health which cannot be measured by a picture. Second customer service from who you are buying from.

As far as Ultra or Electric grades, compared to a first grade clam, it is all judged by looks. The better the clam looks, the more we the distributor have to pay, which in turn means the more we have to charge to make the same profit, to stay in business, and offer good service.

So it is a popularity contest amongst the clams, the better looking they are, the more someone is willing to pay. Mottled colors like browns, or golds do not bring as much money as a bright electric blue, green, purple or orange clam will. Also size helps determine prices. That is why you can buy a large Derasa or Squamosa for less than an extraordinary Crocea or Maxima clam that is half the size.

I myself have never seen an ugly clam. Happy clamming! Rob
 
Each clam farm, or clam exporter in the case of wild clams, 'grades' the clams they sell differently. CITES does not care about 'grade', they all fall under 'tridacnid". However, as a general rule, it's all about color.

For example with T. maxima, the farm in the Marshall Islands sells three grades: gold, colored, and Ultra. This is only a recent change, years ago it was only 'gold' or 'colored'.

The golds have alot of brown and gold highlights to them, not very colorful but often have very unique and interesting patterns.

Colored clams are those clams with multi-colors, duller or subdued colors, and the same unique and interesting patterns as golds. The black and white clams, along with reds, that people always seem to love are actually 'colored'.

Ultra clams are the ones that are almost entirely brightly blue or green.

My favorites fall in the gold and colored grades, I prefer the unique patterns over intense colors.

- JT
 
Clam Grading

Clam Grading

I'm with JT, I would rather have unique patterns and striations as well as the color contrast than to the blinding colors. Not that the ultras won't have the patterns, but usually the color coverage negates the patterning. I would venture to say that the ultras are more for the people that are into the flash of the clams as compared to the specimen's diversity. Really there is no such thing as any UGLY Clam!!!!
 
Thanks for all the responses.

Its making sense now; why some clams price significantly higher then others.

I Guess its similiar to beta splendens which I used to breed. Where the goal was got get the fish in solid colours. And the more "rare" the colour the more expensive it would be.

Now I know why I paid what I paid for my clams!
:eek1:
 
Quoted by Jim Norris.

"With this the exporters, wholesalers and retailer created an avenue for more $$$".

I would dare say that it all starts at the farms, they know they can demand more money thus the prices get higher down the chain. The US doesn't get the best of the best, those clams go to Europe and Asia as they will pay the BIG bucks for their clams.

But doesn't that hold true with other things as well, SPS a good example. You will pay more for a tank raised tri-color acro more than the collected wild acropora sp.

I know this is off topic from the original thread started but the cost of doing business as grown by leap in the past years. Travel, wages, electricity,housing,equipment and on and on.

Who said this is a cheap hobby. :)

In closing, I also think that some of the 1st grade clams are prettier then some of the Ultra's but Ultra's cost the retailer more money as well. If everyone would buy 1st grade clams then the prices of Ultra's might come down.

Barry
 
It is all very subjective, too. In one of my clam orders, I got in several 2" Maxima Ultras, and a couple Maxima First Grades. I was only able to figure out one of the first grade clams, the quality of appearance was so close.
 
And now there is a fourth grade of maximas. So named by the State of Texas and myself. Only thru clamsdirect (Toptank) can one get the MEGA rare Maximosa. Barry how are you doing?
Jim
 
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