Was told to put Derasa clam up high on rocks because...

[chrisbenavides]

I was told to put my Derasa clam up high close to the light. Many people said I could keep this clam under 260w of PC lighting, and should keep it on the sand with a rock underneath it. Do you agree with putting the clam up high? Or should I attempt to place the clam on the rocks?

 

[Bebo77]

with PC light i also recommend placing the clam up high.. how deep is your tank?

 

[chrisbenavides]

With the sand up high (DSB), I say the clam is about 13-15" from the light.

Will this hurt the calm, to be on rock instead of pure sand? The good thing about being on the sand is that there is much less flow.

 

[Bebo77]

well clams like real bright light... if it does not get enough light and calcium it will not be happy...

 

[jdieck]

I have mine high on the rocks at about 15" (tank is 30" deep) from a 400 watt metal halide, it is now football size so I will recomend the closer to the light the better, it does not need to be on the sand.

 

[chrisbenavides]

ok...thats good to hear that it does not need to be in the sand. (This won't make it unhappy right?) But closer to the light will.

 

[jdieck]

Rock will not make it unhappy, I have had my clam on the rock since ever and to tell you the truth all my clams are. In my opinion there are more chances of the clam getting parasites when in the sand than when in the rock. This particular derassa has been with me for over two years and has grown from 4 inches to over 12" so not being on the snad will not make it unhappy but being away from intense light will.

Here she is nine months ago:

 

[chrisbenavides]

Beautiful clam... Ok....I 'll try it to see if my clam looks like it likes it...which I am sure it will being closer to the light.

Thanks!

 

[mbbuna]

Chris, i set you a PM

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7843137#post7843137 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisbenavides
Beautiful clam... Ok....I 'll try it to see if my clam looks like it likes it...which I am sure it will being closer to the light.

Thanks!

Thanks and watch your fingers....

 

[chrisbenavides]

can they hurt your fingers if it closes on it....are they that strong?

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7845659#post7845659 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisbenavides
can they hurt your fingers if it closes on it....are they that strong?

Sure they are

While I was making some rearranging I moved the clam, after I was done I saw it it was gapping a little. Trying to find out if I had killed it I tried to see if it will react so I touched the center of the mantle and my god it reacted. It closed on my index finger, two cuts down to the bone and did not let go for about two minutes.. I yelled so hard that my wife alarmed came running down from up stairs, when she saw me with my finger trapped in there she started laughing... at least until she saw the injury.
So it shall be obvious but I was stupid enough to put my finger there

The growing edge of those clams is really sharp ... Now whenever I have to move a clam I try to grab it from the bottom although this one is already heavy and difficult to move if I have to.

 

[chrisbenavides]

Wow! That is one story. I'll be sure to learn from your lesson. Thanks!

 

[jdieck]

By the way, here is a pic of her when she was little.

 

[chrisbenavides]

How heavy can these get full grown? About how heavy is the one you have now?

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7850785#post7850785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisbenavides
How heavy can these get full grown? About how heavy is the one you have now?

I would need to guess it at about 6 to 8 pounds. I am not sure but it is my understanding that in nature they can go to about 20 inches.

 

[OrionN]

Derasa does not really get attach to the rock when they a little larger. They can move with significant force. Because they are large, they can fall like a piece of rock and crack your aquarium if you are not carefull about where you put them. They are best and naturaly live on the sand. If your light is not bright enough, they you really don't have any choice. Just make sure they don't fall over and cause disaster for your tank.

 

[chrisbenavides]

Hey you're from Corpus Christi. Cool Stuff! Do you ever go to tropicalfishhaven Nguyen?

Yeah right now my clam is 2.5" so not to worry about causing disaster yet.

 

[chrisbenavides]