Electric Flame Scallops... Good or Bad?

[underWoasisjake]

I currently have 2 electric flame scallops in my 125 reef.... i was just wondering if they would be ok in my 125 reef since they have that small electricity running through the front of their mouths. Please let me know thanks.

 

[J. Montgomery]

I'm pretty sure there is no electricity being produced by electric flame scallops. I think its a brightly colored portion of their fleshy mantle that twitches, giving the illusion of an electric arc.

 

[icy1155]

J.Montgomery is right, its just a blue colored part of the mantle that flashes and then hides. On a side note, they will probably live for about a year at the longest in any reef aquarium untill they slowly starve to death... their nutrition isnt well understood and they almost all die of starvation.

 

[underWoasisjake]

o ok cuz it really looks like little electric shocks passing through its mantle.... pretty cool actually. That sucks they only live a year they really look cool in the 125. Well thanks for info!!

 

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11089973#post11089973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by underWoasisjake
o ok cuz it really looks like little electric shocks passing through its mantle.... pretty cool actually. That sucks they only live a year they really look cool in the 125. Well thanks for info!!

I predict it'll live only a few months. It bothers me to see stores selling them . . .

 

[mamagoose45]

We have tried a handful of scallops thus far and have had so-so luck with them. The electric scallops don't really tend to last very long in our experience. They seem to be doing fine and then poof, they're no more. However, we kept a flame scallop for almost 2 years. He would disappear behind the rocks periodically and we assumed that he bit it, but then to our surprise he would reappear a few days later. We fed marine snow - don't know if we just got a trooper or if we were doing something magical that we didn't even realize...

 

[underWoasisjake]

ya thats what i figured hopefully he lives a while i really like them.... but i will try marine snow

 

[ROB2005]

Sadly enough, they dont even survive that long in the wild.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

So, how long is their lifespan? Don't bivalves usually have really long lives? If they have a short lifespan, then it's likely that they are often just reaching senility in the tanks. In which case, I don't see it as the fault of those keeping them.

 

[ROB2005]

In the wild their lifespan is about 1-2 years. Captivity...you are very lucky if you get up to a year with them. 3-5 months is the norm for their survival in captivity.

 

[underWoasisjake]

ya that is about how long i had my first flame scallop for.... so that is an accurate statement

 

[icy1155]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11098323#post11098323 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ROB2005
In the wild their lifespan is about 1-2 years. Captivity...you are very lucky if you get up to a year with them. 3-5 months is the norm for their survival in captivity.

Actually in the wild they usally life for 4-6 years. They dont get sexually mature untill they are almost 2 years old.

 

[Reefer_Addickt]

Great article on why you shouldnt buy them.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2002/toonen.htm

Found this article after I had purchased one. It lived for 6 months.

 

[underWoasisjake]

ok i will check it out!!!

 

[Freed]

No electricity at all. Look closely and you'll see a brightly colored flap all along the edge of their mantle that they flash every once in a few seconds or so.