Target Feeding and Time of Day

[Jive Turkey]

When is the best time of day to target feed a clam so it can effectively process the food? I have had a 3" Maxima clam for 5 months and I just recently started to target feed DTs with a 1 lt. bottle when the clam became quite ill overnight. The feeding returned the clam to good health in 1 day with 2 small feeding that resulted in clogging the gills.

Should I add anything to the DTs? Any vitamins?

Maybe a dumb question. Is it a bad sign for the clam to cough up green phyto chunks? This is because the gills are recieving too much phyto and beginning to clog, right?

Thanks, Joe

 

[Fish-o-holic]

I don't add vitamins to the DT's when I feed. I am not sure if it would be wise to do so otherwise. I don't see why it should cause a problem.

I feed 3 times a week mainly during daylight hours. I figure since this is when the clam is open the most of course so might as well take advantage of the situation. Be sure to turn off your skimmer for an hour or two during feeding.

 

[Jive Turkey]

I do turn off the skimmer when I add DTs. This seems like the consensus view, although I have read a thread from a RC veteran a few months back in which the man stated that he had seen a Euroreef skimmer on a culture tank of phytoplankton, and nothing was skimmed, just a bit of clear water.
Thanks, though.

BTW, I feed my corals at night with the current off, and have watched my clam strain water at an average pace. Is this normal? Or a hungry signal?
Joe

 

[Pfittttz]

I haven't heard or read of anyone putting vitamins in their clam food. The DT's bottle says "Most protein skimmers will not Remove a significant amount of phytoplankton"

I like to feed my clam at about the same time every other day. (About 2 hours before the MH turns off)

I have never seen my clam cough up phytoplankton. Perhaps the ratio of the DT's to the water in the bottle is too high. I use about one capfull of DT's in a 2 liter bottle. I put the dt's in a feeding cup and mix it with water from the tank. Then I use the turkey baster to gradually add the DT's into the top of the bottle. If at the 10 minute mark the water is clear I add a little more DT's just to make sure he gets enough to eat. I remove the bottle after about 30 minutes (or when it goes clear again.) I watch very closely to make sure my clam doesn't do the coughing thing (if he coughs I raise the bottle a little bit to allow more water in).

 

[Jive Turkey]

Thanks Pfittttz,
I do almost the same thing. I give the clam two 1/2 cap doses of the 30 min. period. I target fed twice on the day my clam was ailing, thats why it was coughing.
There was a German product(i think), called Koral.?.blahblah. It was mentioned as an additive thatt is beneficial to clams.
Joe

 

[dragon_slayer]

......... although I have read a thread from a RC veteran a few months back in which the man stated that he had seen a Euroreef skimmer on a culture tank of phytoplankton, and nothing was skimmed, just a bit of clear water........

i do NOT turn my skimmer off when feeding phyto to the tank.

within 15 seconds of adding the phyto to my tanks i can hear a difference in the tone of the skimmer, and it stops skimming. ESV (makers of B-Ionic and other reef related items) suggest the protines in the phyto causes this to occure and will "deactivate" your skimmer for a few hours after introduction of phyto to the tank.

seams to be on target IME.

as for when i target feed my clams, i do it during the day when they are fully expanded. but a 3" maxima should not require target feeding, it should be large enough (3" being the minimum) to survive off lighting and what it removes from the water, ...........if you have proper lighting that is.

kc

 

[Westpat]

What do you consider proper lighting?

What do you consider proper lighting?

I have two Crocea's one 3" one 3.5". I have two 175W MH and two 40W actinics over my tank. The clams are about 18" from the halides. They have been in for about a month, and seem to be doing well. I feed them homebrew phyto 1 to 2 times a week, with some Kent Micro Vert mixed in. I have hundreds of little feather dusters thriving in my tank, so I am sure there is good stuff in the water column. I just feed to make sure.

Thanks for any input,
David

 

[Fish-o-holic]

Westpat, your lighting isn't consider too low light nor high light. If you want, you can try placing the clams up higher on the rocks so they'll be closer to the light.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Same goes for me I assume. But wouldn't the stress of cutting the foot outweigh the benefit of keeping the clam 7 inches higher, so only 7 in. under the bulbs?
I am very, very curious. The clam has a bit of a gape still, but otherwise is doin' good.

 

[Pfittttz]

Same goes for me I assume. But wouldn't the stress of cutting the foot outweigh the benefit of keeping the clam 7 inches higher, so only 7 in. under the bulbs?

I wouldn't cut the byssas threads. (Unless absolutely necessary.) If the clam is doing fine I would leave it alone. Undue stress could very well lead to a sick clam.

 

[Fish-o-holic]

Yep, just leave the clam alone. The last thing you want to do is cut the threads on any clam.

 

[Pfittttz]

Oh yeah, I am glad to hear your clam is doing better

 

[Jive Turkey]

Thanks folks, I do appreciate it.

I am concerned because of the minor gaping of the mouth that still remains, and the tiny zoox. thread that was released on the day that the clam was unhappy that further contributed slightly to the moderate central bleaching that the clam had when I got it. (Prev. Thread: "Help! Clam Under PC/Severe Illness")
Crap, I never should have fell for ReeferMadness' offer for a free clam, and their opinion that tha clam would do fine on the sand. Now, schools starting and I am broke, so no MHs. Plus the clam is attached. I'm ***-out.