How big are small maxima clams supposed to open?

[RoBo2002]

I just got my first clam. A small maxima... id say 1.5"-2". I have done my fair share of research and know how to care and spot feel the small clam. i chose the small size because I love to watch my corals and everything in my tank grow from a small size to its adult stage.

Anyways, this is my first clam that I have had in my tank. The clam has only been in there for one day, and this is how far it is opening. I just wanted to know if I should expect it to open any farther, or because of the size, is this as far as it gets?

Thanks for your help

 

[RoBo2002]

Oh yea... I forgot the main reason that I decided to ask a question on this forum. When should I start to take the clam out of the tank to feed it? Should I wait a good week or 2 for it to get used to my tank? Or is that too long to go without food for the little guy?

 

[maoiwowie]

That is not very wide, but give it time. I dont feed my baby clams directly. You can see my 1.5" clams under my thread "clam bed."

 

[FLReefster]

It is not open very much, but it does not look bad. I feel that at 1.5 inches, it needs to be fed daily or every other day. I feed mine until they are about 3". There are usually three methods to feed. Direct removal of the clam - lots of stress for the clam I believe. Bell method - Placing the top half of a cut water bottle or something similar over the clam and injecting the phyto into the bell and letting it sit for 30 minutes or so until the clam filters it all out. Third method - use the bottom of a small water bottle and place the clam in this until he outgrows it. Turn off all your water movement and fill the cup with phyto and wait until it filters the water clean with out removing it from the tank.

I would start feeding right away. Don't wait for it to get "use" to your tank. I am sure your LFS did not feed it, and it was not fed during transport from the breeding facility to the LFS. These small clams do not have a lot of reserve energy, and cannot generate enough energy from the MH light source to survive long term with out direct feeding.

 

[RoBo2002]

Thanks guys. The real reason that I bought this was because every reason that you said that this clam could be stressed is not possible. I got it from thelogicalreef.com's retail store down in vero beach. The clams arrived straight from ORA (10 minutes from the store).

Also I have heard that the second method you mentioned could be bad because if the clam gets injected food too close to its syphon is could die.

I was planning on doing the removal method. The clam is placed (probably hasnt attached yet) to a small rock that I buried under the sand. I was going to put him in the bowl, while still in the tank, so the clam really shouldnt know he is out of the tank, would he?

Thank you very much for any help, I really appreciate it

 

[maoiwowie]

I beg to differ on the feeding in a coral dominated tank that gets fed regularly.

 

[FLReefster]

Sure. Not a problem. Sounds like you were you in Lee/Brian's store. I am in there probably once or twice a week. They usually have GREAT (healthy) stuff.

I am not sure what else could be stressing it then. Maybe it is all the movement - ORA to Vero to your house in a day.

I personally don't like the first two methods of feeding. I don't mind the looks of the bottom of the water bottle in my tank. Others do. I am feeding mine as I type this. I use PhytoPure (made in Vero) over DT's. Is is just fresher for us that have access to it. I don't inject my phyto. I turn off all the water and then let it flow into the cup out of a syringe. Seems to work well. Here is what mine looks like. Pic is a few weeks old, but you get the idea.

 

[stiffljp]

I second the comment on not waiting to feed. If you are going to feed I think the sooner the better. Not sure if ORA does this or not but in some clam farms they actually bring the clams into a shaded area to "purge" it for better shipping. Think of it as taking exlax for the clams. With that said, your clam could be hungry.

 

[Reefcherie]

csrobe02 - First - welcome to the wonderful world of clam keeping! Glad to hear you've done research before buying - that is terrific! You've decided to start the hard way (with such a small baby), but if you have the time and patience to do the frequent feedings required, you can be successful. You haven't mentioned the process you used to acclimate your little guy. If you didn't use a nice slow drip or other slow acclimation process, that would also account for lower mantle expansion for a few days.

You've gotten some great advice here and I completely agree that you should start feeding asap and often. If you use the bowl method, take care moving the clam out, as he may attach quickly and put in just enough phytoplankton to tinge the water green. I'd rather feed a small amount every 1-2 days than risk putting too much in. I like to keep my clams warm during feeding, so I put the bowl off to the side inside my canopy (not directly under the lights of course). You should be able to watch the water clear as it feeds.

Best of luck!
Cheri

 

[COreefer]

First of all the pic looks like the clam is under actinics so it may not be a very good pic for us to judge by. Second, do not bowl feed if you can help it. There is very lttle margin for error, water temp, PH flux, too much food, etc...Just feed your tank with the pumps off and do not direct feed just let the phyto drop from the top. I thinj your clam looks fine for a recent aquisition. They don't always show full mantle extension recently after purchase. It is probably getting used to your water params. I do agree wih most though that say its probably hungry.

 

[RoBo2002]

Wow, great information all! The mantle was extended much farther today so i guess it was just getting used to its new home. I have decided for feeding, to reduce stress I will just dose my tank with phyto, with the bottle cap method every once in a while just for a "treat". And the pic is not under actinics strangly enough. I have a 20k XM bulb that burns a crisp white in real life, but everytime I photograph it, the pictures come out all blue. It is a new camera so I have to play with all the settings.

Thanks again for all your help! I really do appreciate it.

~Chris

 

[Reefcherie]

I have decided for feeding, to reduce stress I will just dose my tank with phyto, with the bottle cap method every once in a while just for a "treat". ~Chris

In Daniel Knop's book, "Giant Clams," he recommends feeding all clams daily or at least every second day. This feeding is particularly important for clams under 3" because they simply don't have sufficient mantle surface area to provide adequate photosynthesis for the clam's nutrient needs. I strongly urge you to reconsider the decision to feed your clam just every once in a while, regardless of the feeding method you choose.

Cheri

 

[RoBo2002]

I just wanted to say thank you guys for your help, and also wanted to update you. I fed the clam yesterday using the bottlecap method

He really seemed to like it alot. Now today he looks like this

The only worry that I have is, if you look closely, you can see whitish spots on his mantle. Is this just due to stress and those spots will color up later? Or is it something that I would need to treat it for?

Thanks again, and sorry for asking so many questions =)