spot feeding small clams??????

[aquamann46]

is a small clam doomed to die if its not spot fed???

 

[dragon_slayer]

depends on the system it's kept in. in a healthy fully matured system they will live fine if they have proper lighting and water quality they just dont grow as fast.

kc

 

[Julio]

if small they are better off in a high nutrient tank if you are not goign to spot feed.

 

[aquamann46]

my skimmer runs 24/7. does that take out too much nutrients?

 

[Scuba Dog]

I added a baby max back in december and never have spot fed it, Its alive and well, but I do feed my tank every other day Dt's and cyclops eeze as well......

 

[Julio]

yeah, but those of us who have an SPS tank have to have low nutrients and the best thing to do is spot feed the clams.

 

[brc0488]

i use my vacume (the one for the fish tank) to spot feed my baby maxima. works great

 

[aquamann46]

what are the growth rates of small clams? if i get one thats 2-3"how long would i expect to wait for it to get large

 

[dragon_slayer]

it's real hard to say how long it will take to get Large due to the fact that clams grow in different spurts, they get larger quickly for a few months, then they put growth into thickening the shell. my Derasas seamed to compleatly stop growing once and when i picked them up to see if there was a problem they weighed more then twice what they used to and the shell was much thicker.

hth
kc

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Hey brandon, I like your idea of using the vacuum- I will try it tonight when I get home!

 

[dkh0331]

How often should a smaller clam be spot fed?

David

 

[Charlie Davidson]

I do not have much exper. with small clams but I spot feed my new ones 1-2 times a week. DT's

 

[Julio]

2-3 times a week is more than enough.

 

[FLReefster]

I feed my 1" Maxima everyday, my 2" every other day, and my 5" about once or twice a week.

 

[john rochon]

when you say spot feed do you mean you take the clam out of the tank and place it in a bowl.
I have 2 clams and jsut feed the tank phyto a few times a week.
SPS corals and I have many never have a problem with the phyto in the tank.

 

[aquamann46]

i mean using a pipette to direct phyto at the clam

 

[Julio]

try suing a syringe or a turkey baster, a pipette is better to drip things in the system.

 

[ADS]

Small clams <3" divert alot of energy to attachment. Growth will slow as they find a stable place to attach. Feeding is a good idea with live phyto. 2x per week should be adequate.
Target feeding can be accomplished by reducing flow in tank and turning off skimmer for 30-60'. Spray phyto directly over clam with baster or syringe. 10-15cc per clam with concentrated phyto should be plenty. Other option is to remove clam and put in a bowl with phyto until water clears(ala Barry @ClamsDirect).
Adam

 

[fishdoc11]

Try cutting the top off of a 2 liter bottle. Place it over the clam with the top off. With a syringe/turkey baster etc.. squirt a little DT's or some sort of phyto into the bottle top. Then replace the lid. Remove the bottle when the green color inside it clears up. That is the best way to spot feed clams that I have heard of.
Chris

 

[20gallonnano]

I second the cutting of the bottle, although i don't try to put the top back on after i put the DTs in, its a pain in the arse.