Want to get my FIRST clam, but I dont know much about them...

[pipper]

Hello,

Well my tank has been set-up since Oct 2007, and well Ive been looking into getting my first clam! Now I do have some questions about them, but I too have been doing research as well. My lighting for my 55gal is 2x250w 14k Refux(brand new) with a DSB in the main display. And For flow, I have a Korilla 3, Seio 820, and a mag12 return

What is a good species to try first, like a "beginner" clam
Where exactly do I place him in the aquarium? high/low, rocks/sand?
What do I feed him?


Thanks for any help that you guys can give!
JB

 

[skinz78]

Well, You have the lighting for all of the tridacninds. Easyst to keep would be the derasa, and they like to be down lower in the tank. Next would be the giga's, they too like the bottom but they get big very fast and would out grow your tank soon. Squamosa would be next and they are good from bottom to top. Next would be crocea they like high light so put them on top. They seem to get affected by pinched mantle more than others though. And the hardest would be maxima's, they too like high light. Maxima's under 2" have a high mortalitly rate.

For food, if you have fish and corals to go along with your lighting the clams wouldn't need to be fed. Clams have zoox in thier mantles which create sugars from the high lighting, the zoox use the sugar they need and then release the rest into the clam. The clam then feeds off these sugars. Also they will get supplimental food from nitrate and ammonia "fish poo and pee"