Biota sent wrong clam?

[CloudReefer]

Hi all, I ordered a wysiwyg clam from Biota and am pretty sure that I did not get the specimen I ordered. I waited a week until the clam fully acclimated and attached before concluding I got the wrong one. I know color can vary based on lighting etc., but the markings and patterns aren't even similar. The one I got is kinda drab imo.

@Biota_Marine I've already put in a support ticket. Just here trying to get some second thoughts from others in case I'm going crazy and I do indeed have the clam I chose.

What do y'all think? Color aside, the markings aren't even close to matching up.

 

[twentyleagues]

Clams are never going to look the same top down to side view. You need a top down shot like theirs for anyone to assess. But overall I would say chances are high its the same clam just from what I can see.

 

[CloudReefer]

Clams are never going to look the same top down to side view. You need a top down shot like theirs for anyone to assess. But overall I would say chances are high its the same clam just from what I can see.

Yeah I tried but don't have a way to get a clear picture from a top view. The color is the primary thing that changes based on angle so that's why I tried not to use that as the main determinant.

So you think the markings match up then? The one I have has all sorts of markings, especially around the edges of the mantle, that the one in the picture doesn't have and this should not be affected by angle.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all, I ordered a wysiwyg clam from Biota and am pretty sure that I did not get the specimen I ordered. I waited a week until the clam fully acclimated and attached before concluding I got the wrong one. I know color can vary based on lighting etc., but the markings and patterns aren't even similar. The one I got is kinda drab imo.

@Biota_Marine I've already put in a support ticket. Just here trying to get some second thoughts from others in case I'm going crazy and I do indeed have the clam I chose.

What do y'all think? Color aside, the markings aren't even close to matching up.

What clam (type) were you supposed to get?
This looks to be a maxima

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Well the clam shell is obviously different no clam will ever be white like that. I think it’s done on purpose to throw us off. But as for the mantle, perhaps not exactly but very similar. Similar enough that I would say it is equal to the picture.

 

[CloudReefer]

What clam (type) were you supposed to get?
This looks to be a maxima

It's a T. maxima. I got the right species, but to my eyes the markings don't match up at all and I think I got the wrong one. I ordered the one in the picture on the left.

 

[CloudReefer]

Well the clam shell is obviously different no clam will ever be white like that. I think it’s done on purpose to throw us off. But as for the mantle, perhaps not exactly but very similar. Similar enough that I would say it is equal to the picture.

The shell was actually that white when I received it believe it or not.

 

[twentyleagues]

Looking at all the raised bumps in your pic would be where the black spots are in their pic. Without a current top down it's anyone's guess. Going on reputation and what I can see my vote is it is the one.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It's a T. maxima. I got the right species, but to my eyes the markings don't match up at all and I think I got the wrong one. I ordered the one in the picture on the left.

May have been their lighting. I would contact them and get verification

 

[BeanAnimal]

Looks like the sane clam to me. What is the issue with it? You can’t even remotely compare photos. Lighting, camera white balance, etc.

If it were yellow with green stripes and orange fringe sure… but come on.

 

[CloudReefer]

Looks like the sane clam to me. What is the issue with it? You can’t even remotely compare photos. Lighting, camera white balance, etc.

If it were yellow with green stripes and orange fringe sure… but come on.

As far as colors go, yes those factors all are significant and are hard to compare. The markings look different to me, so I was getting other opinions on it.

 

[CloudReefer]

Looking at all the raised bumps in your pic would be where the black spots are in their pic. Without a current top down it's anyone's guess. Going on reputation and what I can see my vote is it is the one.

That seems to be the consensus. Good to know! I'll try to get a better top down pic of it tomorrow but with the feedback here I feel pretty comfortable with it as is now.

Appreciate everyone chiming in!

 

[BeanAnimal]

It is a healthy blue maxima clam. I don’t see the issue one way or the other. I would simply thank them and move on.

 

[CloudReefer]

It is a healthy blue maxima clam. I don’t see the issue one way or the other. I would n thank them and move on.

I care because I paid for a wysiwyg clam. Perhaps money isn't meaningful to you, but I want what I paid for. That's like saying because I chose and paid for a cream retriever, but I received a golden one, that I should be happy because it's a retriever and it is healthy.

In this case it looks like I'm mistaken and they are the same clam, which is great, but had this not been the case, I would expect to get precisely what I paid for and I'm sure Biota would agree. Otherwise what is the point of spending the labor $ posting wysiwyg clams?

 

[OrionN]

That is the same clam. You just need to take a picture top down, it will look the same.

 

[Macbalacano]

I'm a pretty picky person that pays a lot of attention to the details of just about everything that I buy. I don't know how much clams are in your part of the world, but I'm sure it wasn't cheap, so I can appreciate the line of thinking of wanting to get exactly what you paid for.

I order a lot of things online - especially corals - I have probably ordered approximately 100 pieces by now. I also have had several clams, some of which I've ordered online. I have also ordered from at least 5 different vendors for corals and livestock.

What I can say is that it is actually quite rare that the photo looks exactly like what I receive, even with WYSIWYG. Often times their photos are heavily edited. Looking back from when I first started the hobby a few years ago to now, I have definitely adjusted my expectations. As long as the specimen I receive looks similar enough, is about the same size, and is healthy, I'm a happy camper.

If It were me in your shoes, I'd be pretty happy with the clam. It looks great and pretty close to the picture.

 

[exnisstech]

Looks like the same clam to me.

 

[stE26wy14]

same clam! u get wat I get and u dont get upset

 

[dedragon]

this is stupid if you dont like what he is saying just press the ignore button by hovering the cursor over his username. No reason to go back and forth and waste energy on a useless argument.

That being said you still havent posted any pics top down which will be the only way to really tell pattern of the clam. This is a blue maxima and the first pic by biota is the clam half closed as well so idk how much of the pattern you can even see other than the black spotting around the outside

 

[sixty_reefer]

In my opinion, it’s not the same clam as in the picture.