who has the biggest gigas clam?

[DanEnglish]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xrJJ28yiNt0/UZZt_4Rd7EI/AAAAAAAABVo/WFLerEWWOBo/w1139-h854-no/2013-05-17

Here is mine after moving this past weekend 60 miles! She is now in her third tank in as many years...

She made it through Sandy in NJ, but not without my generator and me driving for almost 100 miles one day to get gas, and waiting for >3 hours another!

I have had her since 9/20/2010. Here are a few older pics:

3/4/2012

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mRofgmVHMg9hlJw0L5vxV8oURZ5kNo6RWytPUK35Zq4=w270-h202-p-no

and 9/21/2010, less than 24hrs in the first tank!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aWi8NGEI2uI/TJrCBx78XcI/AAAAAAAAAkc/Z5ngcnft7gY/w1277-h854-no/DSC09007.jpg

 

[OrionN]

Here is my Gigas. 14 inches. Not the biggest but biggest in my tank

 

[ca1ore]

Here is my Gigas. 14 inches. Not the biggest but biggest in my tank

Wow, that looks almost identical to one I sold about 5 years ago - though considerably smaller. Wouldn't it be wild if it was actually the same clam!

 

[OrionN]

That is a very typical coloration for Gigantea. It was sold 2-3 years ago to James W. a friend of mine in the Houston area from a reefer in Houston. Then to me last month. It was imported 9 years ago.

 

[ca1ore]

That is a very typical coloration for Gigantea.

Agreed! Wasn't seriously suggesting it was the same clam - just sort of romanticizing ...... Really nice looking Gigas, though. No room in my tank currently, but would love to have one again someday.

 

[trueblackpercula]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xrJJ28yiNt0/UZZt_4Rd7EI/AAAAAAAABVo/WFLerEWWOBo/w1139-h854-no/2013-05-17

Here is mine after moving this past weekend 60 miles! She is now in her third tank in as many years...

She made it through Sandy in NJ, but not without my generator and me driving for almost 100 miles one day to get gas, and waiting for >3 hours another!

I have had her since 9/20/2010. Here are a few older pics:

3/4/2012

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mRofgmVHMg9hlJw0L5vxV8oURZ5kNo6RWytPUK35Zq4=w270-h202-p-no

and 9/21/2010, less than 24hrs in the first tank!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aWi8NGEI2uI/TJrCBx78XcI/AAAAAAAAAkc/Z5ngcnft7gY/w1277-h854-no/DSC09007.jpg

Beautiful clam sure wish I could find one in the nyc area

 

[OrionN]

Dan
I am glad that you Gigas survided Sandy. How big is (s)he? Dark color mantel with blue spots. I wonder if this is a rare color or just due to light. I keep mine under 400 W MH. My clam coloration, as show in picture above, is much lighter than your's.

 

[ca1ore]

I am very sorry to hear this. You have the generator but still cannot save him due to lack of gas.
I also have a generator. I only live in a tiny city, unlike NYC. We are very hurricane prone here but I hope when the big one hit, I won't be out of gas.

I have 8 five gallon gas cans that I keep empty, but when a big storm starts to brew I fill them all. Whatever is left over goes into the car as u can't store gas long term - is not safe and the gas goes bad quite quickly.

 

[OrionN]

Hurricane season is about to be here in costal Texas. I think I will do what ca1ore is doing. I want to spend 12,000K to instal an automatic full house generator using natural gas but I have not approach my wife about this yet. I am buiding a fish room and a 340 g tank. So I think it is best not to spen too much money at one time. Once hathe room and the tank up and running, I will use invesment on something to keep the tank safe, plus our comfortable if the power goes out here in South Texas in the summer as an excuse to get the generator install (of course I switch the reason around when I talk to her, but you all know the number one reason for a generator in a reefer's household ).
When wife and mom not happy, no one can be happy

 

[ca1ore]

Indeed! I actually have two portables - a 7.5K to run all the house essentials and a 3K to run the tank. Were I to find myself running short on gas in an extended outage, where to prioritize ..... Hmmn? (Hint: is rhetorical, priority is clear )

 

[DanEnglish]

Mine was about 14" 3 years ago (check my earlier posts for exact size) and is about 18" now (shell only). It has always been a dark purple with spots that look green from the top, blue from the side. Color is the same in standard or starphire glass tanks (ie blue is blue, green is green) but it is a more intense blue/green in the current starphire tank (CADlights artisan II ) than it was in the previous standard glass tanks.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Mine was about 14" 3 years ago (check my earlier posts for exact size) and is about 18" now (shell only). It has always been a dark purple with spots that look green from the top, blue from the side. Color is the same in standard or starphire glass tanks (ie blue is blue, green is green) but it is a more intense blue/green in the current starphire tank (CADlights artisan II ) than it was in the previous standard glass tanks.

Amazing can you post a few more pictures?

 

[AquaTDV]

Do you guys have issues with them blowing water out of the tank, or worse at your lights? I have a 20" Gigas on the bottom of a 240 (8x2x2) that on occasion will blow water out of the tank, or at the lights causing the light to fracture. So I've moved her so the siphon is under the center brace. I would like to move it from its current position but I don't water on the floor or a damaged light fixture. Do you guys use glass/acrylic covers over them?

 

[ca1ore]

Jeez, 20" Gigas! Saw the picture you have in one of your 'albums', most impressive. How long have you had it? The effort necessary to eject water from the tank, heck I'd be worried about him cracking the glass! Me thinks you are going to have to start thinking about either getting a bigger tank or trading it out.

 

[AquaTDV]

Jeez, 20" Gigas! Saw the picture you have in one of your 'albums', most impressive. How long have you had it? The effort necessary to eject water from the tank, heck I'd be worried about him cracking the glass! Me thinks you are going to have to start thinking about either getting a bigger tank or trading it out.

Thank you, I've had it for a little over 5 years. I am already planning my next build which will be a 360g (48"x48"x36") lit by a 21" solatube/w LEDs, but this project is still a few years away. I will first need to buy a house that will accomodate this setup better than my current one. The bigger issue will be how to remove the clam from the 240 when it gets to 25". There is only a 20" opening between centerbraces. I might need to cut out the centerbrace in order to remove it.

 

[OrionN]

It can be remove end first. The cross-section is not going to be 24 inches in diameter.

 

[moliken]

minh, i thought that very large clams should ONLY be held upright or less preferably, on their side because of their musculature.

 

[wjgeese]

Thank you, I've had it for a little over 5 years. I am already planning my next build which will be a 360g (48"x48"x36") lit by a 21" solatube/w LEDs, but this project is still a few years away. I will first need to buy a house that will accomodate this setup better than my current one. The bigger issue will be how to remove the clam from the 240 when it gets to 25". There is only a 20" opening between centerbraces. I might need to cut out the centerbrace in order to remove it.

Is there a clam in this pic that I'm missing? :strange:

 

[OrionN]

minh, i thought that very large clams should ONLY be held upright or less preferably, on their side because of their musculature.

I am not sure. I never had a clam greater than 16 inches. I don't think hold it sideways would cause problem as long as there is no sudden deceleration (drop it). How ever if you keep it in a container fill with salt water, that will be much better. I don't think turn it to take it out of a tank would be a problem.

 

[moliken]

i agree with sideways, but by one tip, at an angle, abso not. in water, it won't matter, but all the weight of clam in the air can damage it if all the clam is at one point