Which clam should I buy

[dmirza]

I was looking at liveaquaria.com and they have a aquacultured Maxima clam for $40 and a Maxima "super color" clam for $100.

Is there any difference between these two clams besides the obvious thing that one is aquacultured and the other is not? Is "super color" just a marketing gimick???

Below are links to the two clams

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1649

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1267

 

[corndogg]

I would buy from Barry at www.clamsdirect.com. He not only has spectacular service but you get to pick out the actual clam you want. Very reasonable prices also

 

[dmirza]

I like the idea of picking out my clam. I will probably order from them. Thanks for the tip corndogg.

I'm still wondering though, what is the difference between the two???

 

[JR719]

I would not spend the extra. The 1st grade is very nice btw. I think the "super color" is just that, a gimick. I like the way they are doing it though.... The expensive one is photographed closer than the others. Just looks better that way huh?

 

[dmirza]

yeah, it's even poping out of the picture circle that it is in.

 

[Kirklan]

Just a gimmick, those first grade clams looks just as nice as the super color. However, those pics are probably misleading. I would buy from a vendor that lets you pic out the actuall clam.

 

[jasper24]

It will only look like the picture when you are viewing it from directly above anyway. When you look at it through the front of the tank most will look the same.

 

[grimmjohn]

It's a moot point...you wouln't want to buy the "1st grade" becuase they are tiny...and you wouldn't want the "Super" unless you were going to buy the two largest sizes...and I'm not spending $130-170 on a clam that I don't hand pick.

FWIW...I think the 1st grade are your standard ORA...though that is a little expensive for an ORA that size IMO ....and the "Super" are wild caught...not to mention larger...which in maxima land translates in to $$$...not to mention many wild caught DO look better than a standard ORA.

If you want a pimp $100 clam then these look prety good http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/inverts.html
Though they are not maximas they are still large and hot.

When you look at it through the front of the tank most will look the same.

That's not true IMO...and I don't like most top-down shots anyway...all the blues usually shift to green..and I like blue. () : )

Cheers,

grimmjohn

 

[dmirza]

What doe ORA stand for. Does that mean Aquacultured?

 

[grimmjohn]

Oceans Reefs and Aquariums.

If you've ever bought several common species of fish or a acro frag you've probably bought something of theirs.

http://www.orafarm.com/

 

[acro-wrasse]

if it's your first clam, I would buy the cheapest I could find.

It may not be politically correct to say it, but I would rather lose $30 than $100.