Sandy Clams

[bdare]

Hi All,

I really want a clam for my tank. Which clams are safe to keep in the sand?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[sailfintang]

Most clams can be placed on the sand bed they have the ability to move to other locations in the tank if they are not satisfied with the placment you choose. The more important question is what type of lights are you using and how deep is your tank?

Most clams require intense lighting, usually Metal Halide. If you ligts are not penetrating deepe enough your clam could die.

Tridacna Clams are relatively easy to care for in aquarium conditions. All of the clams in this genus have symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. These algae provide most of the food and nutrients the clams need to live. It is important to provide the necessary amount of light to keep their symbiotic algae flourishing. Some species, such as T. maxima and T. crocea, prefer to be on rock surfaces high in the tanks, close to the light. Others, such as T. squamosa and T. derasa, are "sand" clams and prefer to be on a sand bed on the bottom. Some aquarists supplement feed with commercial phytoplankton cultures. Tridacna clams do filter feed on this type of plankton, but do not depend on it.

 

[bdare]

Thanks for a quick response!

I have a 40 breeder. The tank is 16" deep and I'm running a single 250W 14K Phoenix bulb. I also have 2x39w T5's. One is a blue+ which give additional par. The other bulb is pure atinic.

I was under the impression that there were some clams which can NOT be placed in the sand but rather prefer to be in the rocks. I would like to know ahead of time which clams can not be placed in the sand because the rocks are full of SPS and there is no more room.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[sailfintang]

Sandy Clam

Sandy Clam

ome species, such as T. maxima and T. crocea, prefer to be on rock surfaces high in the tanks, close to the light. Others, such as T. squamosa and T. derasa, are "sand" clams and prefer to be on a sand bed on the bottom. Some aquarists supplement feed with commercial phytoplankton cultures. Tridacna clams do filter feed on this type of plankton, but do not depend on it

Read above...

 

[Lake75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11894970#post11894970 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bdare
... ...

I was under the impression that there were some clams which can NOT be placed in the sand but rather prefer to be in the rocks. I would like to know ahead of time which clams can not be placed in the sand because the rocks are full of SPS and there is no more room.

Thanks,
Ben

My guess is that you were referring to Crocea clams. They like to bore a hole in the rock that they sit on to bury themselves half way in as a protection. That's why they are also called "boring clams". But that doesn't mean they MUST sit on rocks or otherwise they'll die. No, it's simply a preference. Also, since Croceas and Maximas need more light than the other clams, sitting on the sandbed might be a problem unless your lighting is really good down there. That's another reason why these clams are often sitting on rocks in our tanks, because they're closer to light that way.

 

[bdare]

With 250w of halide and a 16" deep tank could I keep a Crocea or Maxima on the sand in my tank?

 

[skinz78]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11898383#post11898383 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bdare
With 250w of halide and a 16" deep tank could I keep a Crocea or Maxima on the sand in my tank?

I wouldn't try it, all of the tridacnid type of clams in the wild are more commonly found up on the rocks. This is due to the constant movement of the sand, from storms, tides, etc.

Now on the other hand, in my tank I have 3 squamosa's on the sand 1 up on the rocks. Also my giga's and derasa are on the sand. Out of all my crocea's and maxima's "26 clams total" only one of the maxima's prefer's to be on the sand.

I suggest reading this thread and the links inside of it.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1237978

 

[bdare]

Hey Skinz,

I was hoping you'd reply! So a Dersa it is!

Thanks again,
Ben