I'm being told on another forum that maxima clams are almost impossible to keep alive. I just got a beautiful 1st grade maxima. My light are 2x65 actinic 150HQI in a 54 corner tank. It hasn't completely opened (had it 2 days) but tries and closes quickly when a fish swims by. I have kept my cal at 420 by doing WC but will have to watch closer now. It's about 3 ". I have phyto.... Any suggestions?
clams hard to keep?
- Thread starter fishyness
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Fsurocks99
New member
IMO, they are not hard to keep at all. They just need a little extra care. You need to keep calcium up over 400, which you have. Your lighting is definitely sufficient. Just keep good water quality and you should be fine. I just added a 2 inch maxima to my tank a couple weeks ago. People think that clams under 2.5 inches are almost impossible to keep, but I just keep them closer to the light and they do fine. While clams benefit from phyto it isn't necessary. I feed my tank, SPS dominant and a few clams, reef nutrition rotifeast and oysterfeast every night. Good Luck and enjoy the new clam!!!
Aurora D.
New member
No, most clams aren't hard to keep if you have the right lighting and calcium. One thing that may surprise you is that clams are also very good at filtering nitrates out of the system, or so I've read. It's perfectly normal for the clam to retract its mantle when a fish swims by, if that's what you're wondering. Sorry, I don't know much about feeding. Good luck!!!
BlastoEric1589
New member
clams are filter feeders. they need small amounts of food, but phyto is the best.
dont bother spot feeding, or anything fancy, just add a capful, or a small squeeze into the tank in a high flow area
dont bother spot feeding, or anything fancy, just add a capful, or a small squeeze into the tank in a high flow area
mustang51js
New member
keep the clam up high in your tank, if its to much light it will move down, and you dont need to feed them as they feed of the stuff that floats in the water when cleaning the glass.
+1 on what mustang51js says. I've tried my first and only one currently on a ORA ultra grade gold maxima about 10 months ago. I got it when it was about 2-2.5. It has since doubled it's size and added about 5 layers of scutes to it's shell. I have okay lighting only and have it about 7 inches away from my lights. Couple of times it did move itself onto the sandbed, but seems to lighten up and have extended mantle when it's on the sand bed. Therefore I just put it back at it's location (I have no other suitable location for it).
Besides the clams lack of attaching to anything (sand or rock), it seem to do well...considering it's my first attempt to keep clams. So I believe it isn't too hard. I would try keeping another one, but I'm scared that introducing another clam can probably introduce PM???
Besides the clams lack of attaching to anything (sand or rock), it seem to do well...considering it's my first attempt to keep clams. So I believe it isn't too hard. I would try keeping another one, but I'm scared that introducing another clam can probably introduce PM???
Thunderstruck34
Member
Make sure you monitor your alk and calcuim... any sudden changes...well with any sudden changes really can equal not so good results. I would say without a doubt they are the most beautiful creatures in the aquarium hobby and I would say they are pretty hardy just make sure you meet their requirements. Everyone is entitled to their opinion too, like i've heard that crocea's are impossible and maxima's are fairly easy... so it really depends on who your talking too.
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