Hippopus Hippopus clam
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Underwaterparadise
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Great Nitrate reducers but are EXTREMLY hard to find!
Underwaterparadise
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Deresa'a do well under PC as well as long as they are kept high up and you feed phyto and dose Ca.
kdblove_99
New member
The hippos are not the most appealing Clam for sure. Most people keep them in there fuge.
Underwaterparadise - One of the lfs near me is supposed to be getting some soon. And I'll do some research on the Deresas as well...thanks.
RasBobre - "At a high level" as in up on the rocks closer to the light? It's my understanding they should be in the sand? I have 2X65 watt PC. I'm wondering if that would be sufficient.
Kdblove_99 - yeah...I have been told they aren't the prettiest...but hey...ugly things need a home too. LOL
Aquacultured Hippopus, from what I read so far, usually have a little bit of flourescent green to them, but not much, and otherwise they're pretty much blah, yeah.
RasBobre - "At a high level" as in up on the rocks closer to the light? It's my understanding they should be in the sand? I have 2X65 watt PC. I'm wondering if that would be sufficient.
Kdblove_99 - yeah...I have been told they aren't the prettiest...but hey...ugly things need a home too. LOL
Aquacultured Hippopus, from what I read so far, usually have a little bit of flourescent green to them, but not much, and otherwise they're pretty much blah, yeah.
RasBobre
Premium Member
Here is a cut/paste from this article, Ginger.
Caring For Tridacnid Clams
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fishnchips/aug99/fnc0899.htm
Placing Clams In Your Tank
Clams can close their shells with enough force to expel a surprising amount of water out of their siphons. If you place your clam near the top of your tank, this water may be out of the tank or up into your lighting system. Clam's may also accidentally trap small, slow moving fish that rest on their mantle (for example, mandarins, gobies, hawkfish, or blennies).
Putting your clam in your tank. Find as flat a surface as possible and place the byssal opening flat on the substrate with the mantle facing directly up. Horizontal surfaces are best for clam placement.
If you insist on putting your clam on an incline, make sure the byssal opening is on the lower portion of the substrate. Place the clam so the inhalant siphon (which lies above the byssal opening) is on the lowest portion of the slope. As the clam grows it will place greater strain on its byssal gland, so if the gland is on the upper portion of the slope, the weight of the clam could gradually pull the gland out. If the incline is too great, the clam will not receive enough light, so do not place it on steep substrate.
Adult Hippopus spp. tend to sit more on their hinge than on the byssal opening. They should be placed so that the majority of their mantle is facing upwards. Juveniles will attach themselves to rocks with byssus threads just as other tridacnid clams do.
Tridacnid clams do not like strong currents, especially T. crocea. Do not place them where they would receive strong, direct water currents. Too much current will cause your clam not to open. They do need water flow to bring nutrients to them, just not too strong.
Your clam may fall over several times before it firmly attaches. A good idea is to put some small rocks (crushed coral, large pieces of your substrate, etc.) around the clam to help it stay upright. These small rocks, etc. will not get in the way of the opening and closing of the shell. Your clam will attach within a few days to a week. Substrate is not related to attachment speed. Once your clam is attached, you can remove the rocks, unless the clam has used them in it's attachment.
Do not place your clam between large rocks, inside small holes, or up against the tank wall, or you may prevent them from opening fully.
Don't leave a clam that has fallen over, upright it as soon as possible.
Keep your clam as far away from any aggressive coral or anemone as is possible in your tank. If sections of the mantle are pulled away or shriveled on the same side as a coral or anemone, it is probably irritating the clam and move the coral, anemone, or clam as soon as possible. Do not hesitate, or it will die quickly.
Remember the lighting requirements of the clam you are putting in your tank. Clams with colorful mantles need a great deal of light. Clams with brown mantles, not as much light. If your clam has a brown mantle, place it nearer the bottom of your tank, or shield it (an overhang would work well for this) from strong lighting if you have to.
T. crocea and T. maxima are found in rocky habitats so it is best to place them on rocks. T. squamosa, T. derasa, and T. gigas are best placed on sandy substrates.
Once placed, clams generally cannot move around on their own. This is why where you put them in your tank is of vital importance. Clams placed on hard surfaces (rocks) will not be able to upright themselves or shift their positions. Clams on sand can manage to upright themselves or shift positions with small movements. Don't expect your clam to move any great distances, remember last month's article - juveniles settle permanently, only using their foot to travel short distances. To make a general statement, the larger the clam, the less moving around you should expect, which basically means your clam's place in your tank and it's happiness there is really up to you.
I just took a look at my Fatherree, Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium, http://www.amazon.com/Giant-Clams-Aquarium-James-Fatherree/dp/0978619404
and he did mention the same thing on page 170, juveniles on rocks, adults in the substrate.
I hope this helps Ginger.
The Fatherree book is an excellent reference for keeping clams.
I would guess that MARS has a copy of the book in their library that members are allowed to check out on a monthly use.
Caring For Tridacnid Clams
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fishnchips/aug99/fnc0899.htm
Placing Clams In Your Tank
Clams can close their shells with enough force to expel a surprising amount of water out of their siphons. If you place your clam near the top of your tank, this water may be out of the tank or up into your lighting system. Clam's may also accidentally trap small, slow moving fish that rest on their mantle (for example, mandarins, gobies, hawkfish, or blennies).
Putting your clam in your tank. Find as flat a surface as possible and place the byssal opening flat on the substrate with the mantle facing directly up. Horizontal surfaces are best for clam placement.
If you insist on putting your clam on an incline, make sure the byssal opening is on the lower portion of the substrate. Place the clam so the inhalant siphon (which lies above the byssal opening) is on the lowest portion of the slope. As the clam grows it will place greater strain on its byssal gland, so if the gland is on the upper portion of the slope, the weight of the clam could gradually pull the gland out. If the incline is too great, the clam will not receive enough light, so do not place it on steep substrate.
Adult Hippopus spp. tend to sit more on their hinge than on the byssal opening. They should be placed so that the majority of their mantle is facing upwards. Juveniles will attach themselves to rocks with byssus threads just as other tridacnid clams do.
Tridacnid clams do not like strong currents, especially T. crocea. Do not place them where they would receive strong, direct water currents. Too much current will cause your clam not to open. They do need water flow to bring nutrients to them, just not too strong.
Your clam may fall over several times before it firmly attaches. A good idea is to put some small rocks (crushed coral, large pieces of your substrate, etc.) around the clam to help it stay upright. These small rocks, etc. will not get in the way of the opening and closing of the shell. Your clam will attach within a few days to a week. Substrate is not related to attachment speed. Once your clam is attached, you can remove the rocks, unless the clam has used them in it's attachment.
Do not place your clam between large rocks, inside small holes, or up against the tank wall, or you may prevent them from opening fully.
Don't leave a clam that has fallen over, upright it as soon as possible.
Keep your clam as far away from any aggressive coral or anemone as is possible in your tank. If sections of the mantle are pulled away or shriveled on the same side as a coral or anemone, it is probably irritating the clam and move the coral, anemone, or clam as soon as possible. Do not hesitate, or it will die quickly.
Remember the lighting requirements of the clam you are putting in your tank. Clams with colorful mantles need a great deal of light. Clams with brown mantles, not as much light. If your clam has a brown mantle, place it nearer the bottom of your tank, or shield it (an overhang would work well for this) from strong lighting if you have to.
T. crocea and T. maxima are found in rocky habitats so it is best to place them on rocks. T. squamosa, T. derasa, and T. gigas are best placed on sandy substrates.
Once placed, clams generally cannot move around on their own. This is why where you put them in your tank is of vital importance. Clams placed on hard surfaces (rocks) will not be able to upright themselves or shift their positions. Clams on sand can manage to upright themselves or shift positions with small movements. Don't expect your clam to move any great distances, remember last month's article - juveniles settle permanently, only using their foot to travel short distances. To make a general statement, the larger the clam, the less moving around you should expect, which basically means your clam's place in your tank and it's happiness there is really up to you.
I just took a look at my Fatherree, Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium, http://www.amazon.com/Giant-Clams-Aquarium-James-Fatherree/dp/0978619404
and he did mention the same thing on page 170, juveniles on rocks, adults in the substrate.
I hope this helps Ginger.
The Fatherree book is an excellent reference for keeping clams.
I would guess that MARS has a copy of the book in their library that members are allowed to check out on a monthly use.
Underwaterparadise
New member
That book is VERY informative!!
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