Maxima Care

[Chelsey]

I am pondering the idea of getting a Maxima and would like to know a few things. I checked out the good reading sticky at the top of this forum but it was only on feeding

-what diseases/problems do these guys commonly have?
-I assume it would benefit from phytoplankton?
-how hard are they to keep?

I have a 40 gallon breeder with a sunlight supply Tek light T-5 6-bulb fixture that's about 6" from the surface of the water. I have no other clams and everything that I have in there (picky sps, zoas, etc) is doing great. Anything in particular I should know? I have sps so my alk and calcium will be right at par for them. Thanks in advance!

 

[a4twenty]

Re: Maxima Care

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9208769#post9208769 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Chelsey

-what diseases/problems do these guys commonly have?
-I assume it would benefit from phytoplankton?
-how hard are they to keep?

a few of the common problems associated with clams are protozoan infestations ( commonly referred to as PM, Pinched Mantle ), pyramid snail infestation and bleaching from lack of light .

if provided with adequate light supplemental dosing of phytoplankton isn't required. it doesn't hurt and it can help the entire tank when done right. ( start slow and see how the tank handles it )

to keep a clam happy you need to provide lots of light ( your set up sounds ok for the depth of your tank ) and stable parameters. clams don't handle swings and variations in water parameters very well. you also need to look at what else you have in the tank, some fish and invertebrates can make pretty short work of a clam or at least stress him out until he dies.

HTH

 

[wardworld]

New to this forum, but thinking of a clam addition as well...any good links to the important "dos and don'ts" about clams - for example fish compatibility???
Thanks,

 

[Chelsey]

This is going to sound kind of strange I'm sure, but do clams "recede" like LPS do?

 

[Jayreefer]

They can pull into the shell, but they do not recede that I know of. If the clam is not opening then something is messing with it.

 

[Chelsey]

How does one cure pinched mantle? Here's a pic, I decided to go ahead and get it:

This pic was taken as soon as I put it in the tank:

What do you guys think? Is it just acclimating or do I have a problem?

 

[Jayreefer]

In the first pic it looks fine. In 2-3 days in the tank it should be fully extended. A top down pick is always best for color and health check.