First clam Squamosa ?s

[Tek]

I just put the guy in yesterday and this morning he is on his side. I have heard people having problems with clams doing this and would it be ok to leave him that way? Or should I stick him into the rockwork sitting vertical? Also do they stay open after lights out or should they close up?

 

[PSEUDOREEFER]

They should be mostly open all the time unless disturbed. Place him on the sand with the byssus gland opening down. Is he gaping. What kind of light do you have hiim under? This might just be a temporary shock from the lights.

 

[Tek]

I have him under 250w 15K Coralve DE and window screening to block most of the light until he is acclimated. How do I tell if he is gaping? He is open fully even though on his side.

 

[Bayliner]

Hi Tek,
It's hard to say without more details like a picture, but from what you have described so far it sounds like everything is fine. Clams placed in the sand don't have much to attach to so they often will fall over like you have experienced.

If you want to leave him down on the sand try placing something like a small piece of rock under it. When it attaches to the rock it will be able to move itself into a position that it likes.

Congratulations on your first clam.... They are amazing animals arenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t they?

Good luck and post some pictures if you can

Cam

 

[Tek]

My tank is bare bottom and the clam was wedged between 2 rocks to keep him up. I am waiting to put him up in to the LR until he acclimates to the light. He looks healthy and I was just wondering if it was bad to have them on their sides. The clam is pretty neat and I am going to get a crocea or maxima next. I will post some pictures after he acclimates in a few days to the light.

 

[Bayliner]

Sorry about that. I shouldnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have assumed that you had a DSB.
From my experience it is still a good idea to get a clam to attach to a small piece of rock before placing it up on to your larger rock.

The reason for this is that if you decide you need to move it later because something is bothering it or starting to get to close, you will have a much easier time doing so. Once it attaches to your larger rock up top it is much more difficult to move.

To answer your question, I have had clams that have stayed on their side for a several months and showed no bad effects.
If it's not happy it will try and find a way to reposition it's self.

Cam

 

[Tek]

I moved him up a little bit to a more stable area. He is now on a small piece of LR that I can move with him later on. The lights are still under 2 sheets of screening and I remove one every 3-4 days. I might be getting a green crocea thursday and a nice maxima when I find the right one. Thank you for all the help .

Here is my first attempt at a clam.

 

[Stretch]

Thats a Deresa clam.

 

[Tek]

I actually am not sure what it was when I bought it also. A few days before I had seen it at the LFS labeled as a Crocea then a few days later a Squamosa. What is the difference between Squams and Deresas.

 

[OctoRock]

Thats a Derasa alright. As for which one is which.......here ya go! http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-07/jf/feature/index.htm

 

[Tek]

Cool I have a Deresa now. Time to do some more research. Thanks for the link..it clarified a few things. And it is indeed a Deresa.