had my clam a week

[yashua]

ive had this clam about a week. did alot of research before purchase,i think every thing is good but just want some solid advice from you guys that know their normal behavior in a new tank.calcium is at 460 jand alk is at 5.5 meg a little high i know but my calcium stays high also.ph 8.1 temp is 79.i did try to manipulate him to stay on rock,(isnt funny how we try to play master).well he jumped and landed here,so here he is.all advice is needed thanks guys.

 

[Maximus Clammus]

the clam looks great for just being introduced to the tank, I would get a rock burried under it in the sand so it can attach to it.

Yep your alk seems high, do you dose anything?

 

[yashua]

those are the readings after every 10 gallon water change so no i havent dosed yet i do have bionic 2 part that i havent even opened yet.i use reef crystals for w/c. tank has been up about 9 months but is fairly lightly stocked overall.the tank is a 60 g with a 40g sump.im glad he looks good.i just temp acclimated my local fish parameters are almost identical so i dont have alot of problems.

 

[yashua]

he did jump off that rock today,can and will he move on the sand?i mean i will bury a rock there or should i wait to see if he moves?he is jumping slightly,it does look like hes digging in right there.

 

[a4twenty]

try burying the rock in the sand, then prop him up with another rock or some sand. we do this so the clam can easily be moved later to suit his needs. he will need some strong light in the long run, what lighting do you have and how deep is your tank??

in the future i wouldn't just temp acclimate livestock, to easy for something to go wrong, drip acclimation is the best method.

 

[yashua]

definantly think drip in practice is the best.the last 2 things ive dripped perished.a haddoni and a fiji leather.then i purchased them again ,temp acclimate and they were great i dont know.the clam is under t5ho's and power compacts476 watts total.15 inch deep tank.,it actuallly looks like hes digging in the sand.will he attach to the bottom of my tank?sand is only about an inch deep.

 

[BlastoEric1589]

I use a 150W 14,00k HQI on my clam and he's only 6" beneath the fixture and i worry about it being enough light... but im no clam expert...

 

[Mentat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14673345#post14673345 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yashua
...it actuallly looks like hes digging in the sand.will he attach to the bottom of my tank?sand is only about an inch deep.

Yes, it's possible clam will attach to bottom, if you do not provide a rock under clam & sand for attachment.

 

[yashua]

i actually moved him over a buried rock i dont like moving him,i dont want to stress him he barely even closed when i picked him up and he opened right back up so that went well.i do think i am gonna have to upgrade my lights at some point soon.more t5 i think dont really want to go halide.i do supplement green plankton and coral food and vitamins to the tank so what he lacks in photosynthesis will he make up for eating,for ????i know thats kinda cheating him on the lights i thought my lights would be good.but it will be a while before i can upgrade.

 

[Mentat]

Done some research into T5HO use for shallow tanks like yours. From all reading; a 4-6 tube fixture (depending on tank width) with individual reflectors and fresh tubes, should provide enough light to keep clams at bottom. What manufacturer and how many light tubes does your fixture has?

 

[yashua]

i have a 4 tube, 2 10s 2 actinic.but i did switch out 1 actinic for a 18k thanks for looking out.anyone else using this setup on a shallow tank??

 

[yashua]

oh it does have individual reflectors and fresh tubes(2 months).

 

[yashua]

i moved him over the rock twice both times has jumped off the spot or area that has the rock under it.he ends up in almost the same spot.more towards the front of the glass.

 

[Mentat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14685711#post14685711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yashua
i moved him over the rock twice both times has jumped off the spot or area that has the rock under it.he ends up in almost the same spot.more towards the front of the glass.

4 tubes of T5HOs is bright at that depth. Would leave it alone on it's chosen spot and observe. If growing and healthy, it has enough light there. If not, can retry another higher spot in a few weeks.

 

[jhentr]

I have a gold maxima in a 13" deep tank. He's about 7 inches below my Nova Extreme 4 tube T5HO light. he's done well the last seven months and grown two layers of scutes or at least an inch longer.

He's jumped off my rock a couple of times and I try to let him be, but after a week, I start noticing him lightening up so I put him back on the same ledge he fell off of (no other place to put him).

 

[scrapING]

I have the same problem with a small clam I just got. He seems to like the front of the glass for some reason. he is preety far from the light though. Hes 21" from a 150 HQI and never seems to be fully open.

 

[camaroracer214]

yashua's clam is a tridacna gigas. they are typically found in large, open sandy areas with soft substrate underneath them. the crocea and maxima clams are really the only two species that are commonly found on rocks. i'm not saying other clams don't attach to rock, but the other species typically have a smaller byssal openings than t crocea and t maxima.

your clam keeps moving off the rock for a reason. it doesn't want to be there. it will dig into the sand enough so that it will remain upright, but won't get all the way down to the glass unless you are have a shallow sandbed. just leave it be and it will find a happy spot.

 

[yashua]

thanks for the info camroracer.that makes sense.i did buy him at a lfs selling as 2nd grade maxima.it looks ,as far as i have seen in pics like a maxima,and im ok if it is a giga.i just want to be positive, only because i want to know excactly whats in my system.the reason i concluded it was a maxima was because of the scutes on the side and i dont see them on a giga.but it definantly wont stay over o rock.

 

[yashua]

also there are simple rows of tentacles around the the incurrent siphon.does the giga have those?from what ive read gigas have no tentacles on the incurrent siphon.

 

[IFbettas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14722734#post14722734 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yashua
thanks for the info camroracer.that makes sense.i did buy him at a lfs selling as 2nd grade maxima.it looks ,as far as i have seen in pics like a maxima,and im ok if it is a giga.i just want to be positive, only because i want to know excactly whats in my system.the reason i concluded it was a maxima was because of the scutes on the side and i dont see them on a giga.but it definantly wont stay over o rock.

That looks like a maxima to me. Does it have scutes on shell? If so it is definatley not a gigas, crocea, or derasa. Maximas are always found on rocks in nature, so you should try to get him on a rock. I put small scallop shells under the clams I have on the sand bed for them to attach to. You can bury the shell if you don't like the look of it too.