Advice on new purchase

Mjrenz

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I'm currently on vacation out of state and stopped at a lfs, I bought some corals to take back with me and ended up getting a 6" blue maxima clam also. I hadn't intended on getting the clam but the owner of the store offered him to me for so cheap I couldn't say no. I'm leaving tomorrow morning so right now the clam and other corals are in bags in a cooler with a heat pack. They'll be there for about a total of 36 hours before I arrive home. The clam appeared very healthy and had been in the store for about 2 weeks, had his mantle fully extended, responded immediately to blocking light, and is holding onto a few small rocks. I've done a little research on clams in the past but this is my first one so I'd appreciate any advice on acclimating and keeping it alive. The store had it under radion leds at about 40%, I have 4 t5s on my tank
 

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If its 6" it could be wild collected. While mantle extension and responses to overhead shadows are good, they can be false positives for a healthy clam. New shell growth is the positive sign of a healthy growing clam. Inspect the clam very well before putting it in the tank. Also, give the clam a lot of light. A maxima that size will be hard to over illuminate, just ramp up slowly over time.
 

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I have had a blue maxima for 6 years now. Got him from Petco for $20!! Slow acclimate over an hour and a half by drip method. I have him on a clay tray, but seeing yours is on rocks that's fine. I have him placed on the sand bed in moderate flow. I feed phyto once every 2 weeks and he's happy as a clam! LOL!! Couldn't resist! Otherwise I don't do anything special.

Blue Maxima.jpg
 
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Mjrenz

Mjrenz

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I have had a blue maxima for 6 years now. Got him from Petco for $20!! Slow acclimate over an hour and a half by drip method. I have him on a clay tray, but seeing yours is on rocks that's fine. I have him placed on the sand bed in moderate flow. I feed phyto once every 2 weeks and he's happy as a clam! LOL!! Couldn't resist! Otherwise I don't do anything special.

Blue Maxima.jpg
My next question was going to be if I should drip acclimate, thanks!
 

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Just remember, cultured clams are typically easier and a little more forgiving than wild collected. Depth of the tank can play a roll so with only 4 T5 bulbs I would recommend placing him high in the tank and make sure it's not getting blasted by flow. Did the store say how long it's been there or where it came from?
 
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Mjrenz

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Just remember, cultured clams are typically easier and a little more forgiving than wild collected. Depth of the tank can play a roll so with only 4 T5 bulbs I would recommend placing him high in the tank and make sure it's not getting blasted by flow. Did the store say how long it's been there or where it came from?
I didn't ask where they got him but they said it was there for 2 weeks
 
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Ok, just making sure it wasn't grown from a little guy at the store. I would place the clam in the upper section of the tank when your ready to add him to the display.
Thank you so much for your help, I did attach a picture of the clam above, I forgot to attach and edited it so you may have missed it. I'm not really sure what a healthy amount of new shell growth looks like
 

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I have had a Derasa clam for almost 3 years. I bought him"stewie" from his only other owner. The clam is now over 14"" long. When I originally purchased him he was about 10". I had not had a clam before but had seen one while diving in fiji( have 35 mm pics of it) it was about 2 feet long and ever since then I have always loved them. I bought the book by James Fatherree giant clams in the sea and the aquarium. It is a bit old 2006 but the info is great especially when new at caring for clams. Anyway around your size 6"-8" clams start to transition from needing to be fed to stay alive to producing their own food via light and filter feeding DOM. I have never fed my clam directly. He's had strong lights(he is now 13 years old I was told he was bought at 3" and was kept for 10 years under a MH)I have had him under an AP700 for 2 and a half years until I moved him to an 8 bulb t5 fixture with 2 XHOS around 5 months was ago. Plus the fish in tank provide DOM for filter feeding. The growth on his shell in places is horizontal from him being open so much his heavy mantle lays in the newly forming shell which is very cool. The gentleman who commented before nailed it. That's the best way to know if your doing things right new shell growth. And if he stays closed up for a day start testing as that a sign of unhappiness. Unfortunately I have seen a lot of reefkeepers having issues with keeping them alive and it is harder when they are under 6 " as they are completely dependent on the reefkeeper for survival. But every tank he minehas been in has flourished due to him filter feeding and he is imho better than live rock with all the places on his shell for beneficial bacteria to populate. I would acclimate slowly to water and light. You want to make sure hes getting a good amount of light but at first not full intensity with the T5s. And as with any living organism no sudden swings in temp or parameters. They are beautiful and if you got a great deal you'll enjoy the rewards for years to come.
 
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Mjrenz

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I have had a Derasa clam for almost 3 years. I bought him"stewie" from his only other owner. The clam is now over 14"" long. When I originally purchased him he was about 10". I had not had a clam before but had seen one while diving in fiji( have 35 mm pics of it) it was about 2 feet long and ever since then I have always loved them. I bought the book by James Fatherree giant clams in the sea and the aquarium. It is a bit old 2006 but the info is great especially when new at caring for clams. Anyway around your size 6"-8" clams start to transition from needing to be fed to stay alive to producing their own food via light and filter feeding DOM. I have never fed my clam directly. He's had strong lights(he is now 13 years old I was told he was bought at 3" and was kept for 10 years under a MH)I have had him under an AP700 for 2 and a half years until I moved him to an 8 bulb t5 fixture with 2 XHOS around 5 months was ago. Plus the fish in tank provide DOM for filter feeding. The growth on his shell in places is horizontal from him being open so much his heavy mantle lays in the newly forming shell which is very cool. The gentleman who commented before nailed it. That's the best way to know if your doing things right new shell growth. And if he stays closed up for a day start testing as that a sign of unhappiness. Unfortunately I have seen a lot of reefkeepers having issues with keeping them alive and it is harder when they are under 6 " as they are completely dependent on the reefkeeper for survival. But every tank he minehas been in has flourished due to him filter feeding and he is imho better than live rock with all the places on his shell for beneficial bacteria to populate. I would acclimate slowly to water and light. You want to make sure hes getting a good amount of light but at first not full intensity with the T5s. And as with any living organism no sudden swings in temp or parameters. They are beautiful and if you got a great deal you'll enjoy the rewards for years to come.
After driving 14 hours I got home at about 11:30 last night and went right to work acclimating him. I drip acclimated for an hour and a half, almost immediately he started extending his mantle in the bucket and squirted me in the face when I finally pulled him out. I did make sure to get all the air out when I put him in the tank. He seems happy so far but I noticed my cleaner shrimp keeps harassing him and making him close. I'll post a pic later today after I get some more sleep
 
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