good god, where do you get them

[latazyo]

guys, Im moving into a 40g tank with 250w MH over it and I was thihking about gettinga clam

this will be my first clam so I plan on taking on an "easier" to keep one for my first try

which ones are easy

also, the title of thread is referring to your pic thread

your clams are ABSOLUTELY breathtaking

they are like nothing I've EVER seen, nothing is even close at the LFS

please tell me where you get your gorgeous clams

I have also seen your pics wher the clams are all packed together in one spot, are they cool with each other and get along, do they fight or anything?

what do I need to be sure of to keep a clam, any predators, or water requirements?

thanks in advance

and you all have beautiful clams, might I add

 

[SouthernReefer]

the t. derasa clam is one the more hardier clams, and just as nice as the t. maxima clam. as far as predators, most angelfish have a taste for clam meat, as well as the clubbing mantis shrimp.

 

[firechild]

T. derasa, T. squamosa and T. maxima would be suitable as first clams and are considered easiest to most difficult in the order I listed.
Clams shouldn't be added to a tank that is less than 6-9 months old with reasonably good water quality. Low nitrates and phosphates are needed but small amounts are actually needed to feed the clam's zooxanthellae.
Predators include angelfish, butterflyfish, triggers and pyramid snails.

 

[crgeltn]

I agree your tank needs to be at least 6 months old. But the others forgot hippopus. I believe they are even easier to keep than squamosa. It is not as beautiful (IMO) than the others but does make for a good first chioce. Good luck!

 

[AttackDonut]

Firechild-

Firechild-

You consider the derasa easier than the squamosa? Why?

 

[Potsy]

If you maintain your aquarium with ideal, stable parameters and intense lighting, then theoretically all clams should be equally easy to keep.

You can keep all clams happy under 250watts of light. Checkout clamsdirect.com for some stunning clams.

Clams cannot fight and some species are packed tightly together in nature.

If you're purchasing your clam locally, pass your hand under the lighting fixture to determine whether the clam has a quick, forceful shadow reflex - if it retracts it's mantle and closes its shell it's probably healthy. Buy your clam from a lfs that feeds phytoplankton; according to Dr. Shimek, 99% of clam deaths in the aquarium are due to starvation and most of those were doomed before you even bought them. Start with larger clams at least 3" in length, they are less dependent on filter-feeding and rely more upon photosynthesis. Healthy clams generally attach themselves - if you can buy a clam that is already attached to a rock or halfshell, all the better!

 

[firechild]

I agree your tank needs to be at least 6 months old. But the others forgot hippopus. I believe they are even easier to keep than squamosa. It is not as beautiful (IMO) than the others but does make for a good first chioce. Good luck!

The reason I ommitted the larger clam species (T. gigas and Hippopus spp.) is because this is a 40G tank. These clams would outgrow it in no time.
Ideally, a crocea would be the clam of choice but many (excluding myself) believe these are a poor choice for beginners.

 

[holeinone1972]

I second Firechilds thoughts. I would recommend Squamosa as a great beginner clam, and you can get some fantastic ones. They do get large though.


I second Firechilds thoughts. I agree that in my opinion I believe Crocea's to be extremely tough as long as you have decent lighting.

I have many more problems with Maxima's than any other clam.

Rob
ECC