who has the biggest gigas clam?

not saying that you are wrong, b/c i really don't know about gigas, but the flaw in your reasoning is the growth you state is based on only 4.5 weeks. give the clam 6 months then it'd be more reliable. the clam can grow for a while on reserve algae. and 5 mm is is a twentieth of an inch maybe these 2 periods long .. maybe.
do you see growth rings?
 
I am posting only empirical observations, only had the clam for this long, I will keep updating as it goes. Not sure about what you mean by growth on reserve algae... I dont see how the algae could support that much growth if they are in the process of dying...

Also, 5mm is 0.1968 inch, so approximately 1/5 inch not 1/20. Yes the growth appears to be in multiple rings.
 
wakesetter said:
Thats funny, because I have seen lots of happy clams in the bottom of 24" tall tanks lit only by VHO. When I say happy, I mean good growth rate, and well extended, properly colored mantles.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by "happy", but I try to give advice based on my experience and what I have read over the last 10 years. In addition, I try to follow the guidance of one of our veteran Moderator's signature:

Always strive for the optimum environment, not the minimum environment.

But, to each his own, YMMV, IMHO, etc, etc;)
 
I think we should start a more scientific record keeping of our clams. Is there a way that we could start a database on this forum of peoples clams growth rate under different conditions including Ca, light etc? This way we could give people scientific advice based on real data.
 
Pretty sure the Waikiki Aq. has the largest gigas, at about 48". Maybe someone from there will chime in. But, here is ours, pushing 36", and outgrowing his home

P1280430.jpg
 
heres mine I measured him last year at 14" This is not good pic, I took it 2 days ago. These clams do use a lot of calcium. Have fun
 

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Nanook said:
Not sure what you mean by "happy", but I try to give advice based on my experience and what I have read over the last 10 years. In addition, I try to follow the guidance of one of our veteran Moderator's signature:

Always strive for the optimum environment, not the minimum environment.

But, to each his own, YMMV, IMHO, etc, etc;)
Click to expand...

Nanook, I based my comments on experience as well. If you want to now how much experience, I have been in the hobby I have worked at fish stores since 1992, owned a successful and popular LFS for 2 years before selling it and have run the biggest custom design, install and service company in the area for 13 years. You have to be careful about what you read. Look at this forum for example, plenty of good advice, and plenty of bad advice.

I stated exactly what I meant by "happy"...strong growth rate and normal coloration of the mantle. I have grown multiple gigas from 3" to about 12"-16" before moving them out of the VHO systems. These were in a tank 24" tall with 4x110 watt vho 3" above the tank. I don't see how anyone can argue that this works for them. These are deep water clams. They do not need or want the light that a crocea or maxima wants.
 
good one wjgeese. Maybe I should have said that they CAN live in deep water. You make a good point. There are always exceptions to the rules in reef keeping. BTW, there is a good chance that the gigas in the picture is farmed and was placed there. The point was that they do well in deeper water than a crocea or maxima does and do not need the intense lighting that those clams do.

I personally feel that too many people in the hobby get caught up in the "more is better" mentality in reef keeping. You don't always need the brightest lights or the most expensive skimmer that you can find. Sometimes less works just fine. The growth and health of the animals in the system should tell you if they are healthy.
 
wakesetter said:
good one wjgeese. Maybe I should have said that they CAN live in deep water. You make a good point. There are always exceptions to the rules in reef keeping. BTW, there is a good chance that the gigas in the picture is farmed and was placed there. The point was that they do well in deeper water than a crocea or maxima does and do not need the intense lighting that those clams do.

I personally feel that too many people in the hobby get caught up in the "more is better" mentality in reef keeping. You don't always need the brightest lights or the most expensive skimmer that you can find. Sometimes less works just fine. The growth and health of the animals in the system should tell you if they are healthy.
Click to expand...


Yeah, no doubt that the pic was taken from a nursury, but gigas can be found at all depths on fringing reefs. I think it's fair to say that they are one of the more tolerant spp w/r/t low light, but whether or not they thrive as well under low vs high light is the question. One adaptive mechanism that gigas (and other clams) utilize for lower light is increasing zoox density in their mantles--as well as rely more on supplementary nutrition via filter feeding (they do have functional digestive systems for a reason)...I don't necessarily agree that more is better, but I also dont agree that just because an animal is surviving (i.e. not thriving) in a given environment is justification to conclude that said environment is adequate...just my $0.02 and YMMV
 
agreed, and to my point, these clams have grown well with proper coloring, thick shells, etc. They are not bleached out or ultra dark. There are of course so many other paramaters that come into play as well in this situation. Back to the original point, yes a gigas can be kept properly under vho.
 
can be kept under VHO provided the tank isnt too deep...but back to the original original topic...who has the biggest gigas (the thread of which I started! :spin2:)
 
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