Working on a clam book and need your help

C

critterkeeper

New member
Knopââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s clam book is almost ten years old now, so I decided a while back that Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d write a new one. Now Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m just about done, but still have a few things I want more info on. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had quite a bit of personal experience with them as a wholesaler, retailer, and hobbyist, but Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d like to hear from as many other people as possible so that I can make the book the best it can be for everyone.

So, I have a few things left to wrap up and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d appreciate any comments you can provide.

Here are a few to start:

Has anyone ever bought a crocea at any size, put it on a rock, and had it burrow in? In the wild they are almost all completely encased in corals or rock, but I have never seen them do this in an aquarium. So, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m under the impression that if they donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get started at a very small size, they wonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t do it.

I keep reading here and other places that small clams must be fed. However, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d like to hear from anyone that has successfully raised a small clam (or more) in an aquarium without providing any sort of food. Please give the details of your set-up, and how heavily stocked the tank is, etc.

Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d also like to hear about the lowest light youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve successfully kept a tridacnid under. By successfully, I mean it didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t die after a few weeks or months, and showed at least a little new shell growth, too. How far were the bulbs from the clam, how far over the tank, how many bulbs, etc. Also, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d need the details about the clam, like the species and the size when you got it.

Does anyone have a hippopus that they've raised? That's the one species I've never fooled with, except for having the only specimen I bought die on me after about 9 months - but the Reef Aquarium v.1 says it's one of the easiest/hardiest of them all... Was it just bad luck for me?

Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll have a few more later. Thanks for your help.

James Fatherree
 
James,

Thought that you were going to keep this a secret for a while? ;)

Does anyone have a hippopus that they've raised? That's the one species I've never fooled with, except for having the only specimen I bought die on me after about 9 months - but the Reef Aquarium v.1 says it's one of the easiest/hardiest of them all... Was it just bad luck for me?
Click to expand...

I have had one for 2 years and the ones we keep seem to be very easy to keep IME.

I keep reading here and other places that small clams must be fed.
Click to expand...

Must is a strong word. :) I would also like to hear more about this. Remember the test I told you about that we did a few years ago?
 
but Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d like to hear from as many other people as possible so that I can make the book the best it can be for everyone.
Click to expand...
''

Come on people, give James some information. ;)
 
ok when barb and i first started out in this hobby we had a 29g tank with a HOB filter skimmer thing,mostly just LPS,and we wanted to get into clams.we had a Corallife hood with 2 65W PC's, 1- 10K,1- 420nm actinic.we tried Maximas,Croceas and they never lasted more then a month or two.trust me we feed that tank,i think we put every product that Kent made in there LOL.but they wouldnt make it.then we tried a Squamosa and it seemed to do well.We still have it and it has grown alot,and really seems to do much better since we switched to MH.
Here it is,the dark brown one



Weve since moved and set up a new system. all the tanks are linked to a common sump.180g mixed reef,75g clam, 50g frag,100g sump,100g fuge.we dont try to feed the clams.i think they get enough from the rest of the system and lights.
 
I've got a blue rimmed derasa in my 75. It is about 6 inches from the surface and the T-5's are about 3 inches above the surface. So 9" total distance.

I've had this clam for about 9 months now and it is showing considerable growth. NO direct feedings, just what I put in the tank, which does include oyster eggs and cyclop eeze. The derasa started at about 3" - 3 1/2". It is now about 4 1/2". Full mantle extension. It has bored into the rock and moved itself about 2" over to one side soon after I placed it. Hasn't moved at all since.

HTH,
Russ

PS - Good luck with your book.
 
i have a 55g reef with no fish and have 3 clams in it. derasa, crocea, and squamosa. the crocea was purchased at about 2.5-3". its now over 4" and ive never fed it. the derasa was 3" and is now 5" and ive never fed it. the squamosa is a more recent addition so i havent much info to give on him as of yet. both clams have been in the tank for 2 years or so. the lighting is 2x250w MH's (10k). the crocea is up top on the rock work and has burrowed about an inch in to the rock about 9 inches under the bulb. the derasa is about 20 inches from the bulb and is just attached to the rock.
 
I purchased a squamosa and a maxima clam about 3 years ago. They were both only about an inch in size. I can't say I directly fed them but once in a while I would add some phtyo. At that time during the tanks operation I was running skimmerless with a DSB. They are both still going strong although the squamosa has grown to about 6 inches and the maxima is only about 2 1/2.
 
do you guys feed the clams directly, or is it safe to assume they can just feed out of the water column? ie dosing phyto into the whole tank.
 
I have kept 8" T. derasa for seven years under VHO lighting. This equates to 440 w over a 75 gallon tank. I had a 5" crocea for a little over year. Both died when a massive Xenia dieoff occurred. The lights are positioned approx 6" above the water surface, with the crocea being about 6" below that=12". The derasa was at the bottom of the tank in the sand bed for lack of space=24" from the lighting source. Neither were ever fed and the derasa even spawned many times.
 
most do keep them under pc's (when the post) but when the die they dont post. clams can be maintained under pc's but its really hit or miss. where as mh lighting is not...more like hit every time.
i tried it with a small clam under pc's. he died from lack of lighting i do not think so but attacked as he was very small (less than an inch). i have also heard of peoplebeing successful with pc's and clams but where are they now. they post periodically but ussually during the first year when they are holding on. they never post to say "opps guess something went wrong. i need to hear someone say hes have clams under pc lights for over three years no probvlem. this is a definate proof. pc's will keep them alive for a year or so even when they are not happy but then...right at a year or so.....dead. so i say its not possible in the long run but you could take a buddies clam and keep it in your tank with pc lighting and give it back after a few months. it will live through this short period but will more like wither away than just die.

JMO
 
xdusty6920,

Are you you sure your crocea has actually made a hole in a rock, or is it just strongly attached where there was already a hole/depression in a rock?

I'm cetainly not saying it can't be, just want to make sure it is. As I posted, I have yet to see a crocea burrow into a rock in an aquarium - but that doesn't mean they can't I suppose...
 
JonK,

I wouldn't worry about your slow growing max. It's growing, and that's the important part.

Individual clams of the same species, kept under the same conditions can have drastically different growth rates anyway, even in the wild, and even if they have the same parents. I visited a clam farm a while back and looked at a tank full of croceas, all living together, all the same agae, all same parents, and some of them were more than twice the soze of others...
 
Critterkeeper,

My 75 gallons tank, 220W PC + ~150W ODNO

2 squamasa- ~1.5 years, botton of tank (~24 inches from lights)

1 gold tear drop Max ~1.5 years (~15 inches from lights)

3 croceas ~11 months (~10 inches from lights)(pic of one of my croceas in mu gallery)

All are growing (new scutes every months) and non have lost any of their orginal color!

IMO, water quality first then maybe light as second(or third)
 
Critterkeeper,
I suspect it might be a bit difficult to get a good idea of how many people are actually keeping clams under non-mh lighting because
most PC and/or NO users won't responds because of all the "mh police" telling them clams should be under mh and mh only...now who wants to hear that ;)
 
reefD,

"most do keep them under pc's (when the post) but when the die they dont post. clams can be maintained under pc's but its really hit or miss. where as mh lighting is not...more like hit every time"

Are you aware that there are more people with clam issues and/or death (posted here and other forums like clamsdirect) are using mh ;)
 
about the crocea boring into rock, mine has "burrowed" thru the shell its mounted on and got verry unhappy, so he's stuck to a rock now, but can't get the shell off him that he wore thru...it took a year and he went thru a large white clamshell collected locally off of cape cod. My other two crocea are stuck HARD on a large piece of liverock and look like they are 1/2 inch in there..
Just my observations.

My first crocea was purchased a year ago and lived happily (grew, gained color) under a 150watt hqi in a 18" tank he was a foot and a half from the light...now he's doing much better in brighter but did "fine" under the lower light.
 
Valexia - that's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for! Thanks!

One question though, how big was the clam when you put it on the shell?
 
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