Survival vs. size

[Valab]

I'm thinking about buying a maxima and as usual the smaller ones are less expensive. My question is, do small (1-2") clams fare as well as larger ones? Do small ones have the same requirements (flow, feeding) as large ones? I think that I read that larger clams rely on photosynthesis more than smaller ones. Is that true?

 

[Gatorfan]

I've had my baby maxima for about 8 months now. It was about 1.5" when I got it and has put on about 1/4" of new shell in the last few months. They don't rely on light as much as the bigger(3"+) clams, they rely mostly on phytoplankton.

 

[johns]

do you have to target feed that small maxima

 

[mbbuna]

it best to feed them in a bowl or to put the phyto near them but dont force the food into them

 

[saltyreef]

For your first clam I would stick with 3" & up for best results. Baby clams have a high mortality rate.

 

[Gatorfan]

Since my tank's so small, I just dose 2mL every other day; but in a bigger tank, I would definately recommend target/bowl feeding them.

 

[Scuba Dog]

I have several baby maxs ...and have had great sucess with them, the only one I lost was in super bad shape when I receved it...then agen I grow my own phytoplankton so feeding is no big deal to me....for some people feeding the clams several times a week is a major pita , but for me its a labor of love...

So if you dont feed the baby maxs then the chances of them going belly up are pretty high...