What do you do with a large Gigas?

Thomas.

I actually found my CBB in Orlando when I was viewing a few of the LFS over there and transported him back.I feed him on a regular 2 times a day/night along with all my other fish( the tangs are PIGS and get a different food suppliment as well as the flake). Anyways, yes the gigas was a great challenge bringing him home becasue the LFS didnt have a big enough styro so I quadruple baged him in 55gal black trash bags and placed him in a shipping box for the ride home. When I lift him or move him at all the hole hood system is removed to ensure the safety of myself and the equipment.
 
Besides the size of the tank, can you think of any design mods that should be made if somebody is considering getting a larger clam like the Gigas?
 
Honestly just make sure you have ample room for them as they grow they go up and out so even though I am in the begining stages of my new build I only made it 24" deep, which will work for quite awhile but eventually he will either have to be moved again or given to someone who can maintain him. Once they reach full size I have seen pictures of them being able to swallow a leg of a human with a problem and weighing in at 500+ lbs. Granted it would highly be unlikely to see a fully matured specimen in captivity but anyting is possible given the right conditions and ample time. I was speaking to the LFS when I purchased mine and as a timeline for you to have an idea, they said my was around 7-10 years old and was used in a main breeding system in Palau, New Gunnie at MMDC's clam farm.MMDC is the Micronesain Maricultural Demenstration Center in Palau and has been a pioneer in low cost low technology methods of rasing giant clams. Acess is one of the keys and you have to make sure your tank perams are all excellent. Short story but there was another one that was after mine at the same LFS and a guy came in and purchased it. He didnt really know what he was doing and killed it in 3 days.:( They are also very $$$ if you arent aware,as they have to be shipped fully covered by water and usually require a crate and X amout of gallons to come with them. They are also alot harder to acclimate when they are as large as mine because the shippment usually stesses them past a recovery point or they run the risk of comming in dry as the handlers along the way are not that cautious. If you have acess to a LFS who can or even would import one for you make sure to give them a good week if not better before purchase to see if it will maintain. Once they have done okay at the LFS and you decide to purchase one, please make sure you are able to drip acclimate it over a large period of time to ensure the salinity, pH, tempature and values have all balanced out. DO NOT USE THE WATER FROM THE LFS!I wish you all the best though if you do get one because the only other one that I am aware of that is larger then mine is in Hawaii at the Marine Aquarium.

Regards
Charles-
 
Charles-What a summary!

Thank you all, you've been a great resource, and you've helped to better understand this area of the hobby.

Cheers!
 
P.s

as a side note I usually can fine the ones between 10-12" for around 3-400 $$, sometimes less depending on where around in the area they are so if you would like one that size lmk and I can have a LFS ship one up to you.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10007286#post10007286 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spsdude
I once had a gigas which out grew my 240. He is now at a SeaWorld in his own 800 gallon. [/QUOTE

Jim NOrris, is that you??!!!!]
Click to expand...
 
These are my pics of the same clam that Iv'e had for 10 months now when I bought him he was only 3-4 inches, now he's 9+ I love the big guys If I could find a 2 foot clam at a reasonable price I would buy him too, It forces me (and the wife) to buy the 500 gallon, Thats why I bought a female unicorn.........See where I going with the plan....Hee-Hee.
81436my_baby_4.jpg
81436macro2.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10002802#post10002802 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaptiveReefer03
Palau, New Gunnie at MMDC's clam farm.MMDC is the Micronesain Maricultural Demenstration Center in Palau
Regards
Charles-
Click to expand...
New Gunnie as in Papua New Guinea? Hope not as PNG is pretty far from Palau :)

So your clam was used in Gerald's project? Sweet :) I know of several other clams from there as well. I wish they where still shipping :(
 
GreshamH-

Ya mine is MMDC as far as I know as for who had it over there Im not too sure..if you have some more info I could add to the history of my clam it would be wonderful!
 
Here's a brief run down on Gerald :D

from: www.ipsf.com

Gerald A. Heslinga, Founder of Indo-Pacific Sea Farms

Gerald Heslinga is a marine biologist who conducts applied research on the reproduction and developmental biology of tropical marine organisms. The emphasis of his work during the past 31 years has been on captive breeding of marine invertebrates, primarily echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins), molluscs (clams, snails and oysters) and cnidarians (corals, jellyfish and sea anemones). Gerald is best known for his pioneering research on the reproductive biology and mass culture of giant tridacnid clams in Palau, as principal investigator at the MMDC Giant Clam Hatchery during the 15-year period from 1981 through 1995. Innovative techniques and experimental results developed by Gerald and his research team at Palau have been widely disseminated among tropical Pacific nations and have positively affected Pacific coral reef conservation efforts, sustainable seafood production and the culture of reef organisms for ornamental and educational markets.

Gerald's work as founder and owner of Indo-Pacific Sea Farms in Hawaii is focused on the breeding and marketing of photo-symbiotic reef organisms such as tridacnid clams, alcyonacean and scleractinian corals. Recent applied research involves the culture of micro-invertebrates, ooze-dwelling detritivores, beneficial bacteria, planktonic feeds and various ornamental marine algal forms. Now in its twelfth year of operation on Hawaii's Kona coast, Indo-Pacific Sea Farms is recognized as an international leader in the development of environmentally sound approaches to the production and husbandry of beneficial marine organisms.

Gerald has been active in regional Pacific organizations such as the University of Hawaii's Pacific Aquaculture Association and the Oceanic Institute's Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture. He and his wife Kyoko have two daughters, Olivia and Lisa. In his spare time Gerald is a coach with Kailua-Kona's youth soccer programs.

Gerald is a 1976 Honors graduate of Harvard College and was a Graduate Fellow from 1976 to 1981 at the Resource Systems Institute of the University of Hawaii's East West Center.

He has conducted research at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), the Environmental Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), the University of Hawaii Department of Zoology, the University of Guam Marine Laboratory, the Micronesian Mariculture Demonstration Center (MMDC) in the Republic of Palau and the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii. He has lectured at Harvard, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the University of Hawaii, the University of the Philippines, James Cook University of Australia, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Marine Biotechnology Institute of Japan, as well as at numerous national and international marine science conferences. He has conducted international professional consultancies in Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae), as well as at Guam, Saipan and Palau.

Gerald's work has been funded by Harvard College, the National Geographic Society, the East West Center, the Hawaiian Malacological Society, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Agriculture and Interior, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), the International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD), the Marine Biotechnology Institute of Japan, Rolex of Geneva, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the United Nations South Pacific Aquaculture Development Program, the Marine Aquarium Society of North America (MASNA), the International Foundation of Canada and various other public and private sources. The support of these organizations is gratefully acknowledged
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