Black & Color Maxima Clam - 1.5" - ORA On Order, now what?

Chrisz

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I ordered a Black & Color Maxima Clam - 1.5" - ORA I'm a bit confused...feed it or high or low par?

So I've been reading the internet looking for how to care for my new pet. I have seen everything from feed Phyto to don't feed, high par to low par, so what gives. Where do I put this guy?

I have up to 350 par and do grow Phyto and pods so I think I can properly care for my new pet just don't know exactly what to do. Tank is over 15 years old and mostly stable.

clam.png
 
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hsp

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Maybe buy James Fatherree's book on clams so you can educate yourself on the care requirements of the animal? Clams are individuals, so their lighting requirements will depend on the clam (species, etc), but be prepared to give it plenty of quality light. Clam book.
Agreed! I learned a lot from his book--related to this question: smaller clams have a very low survival rate and nobody knows why this is the case.
 

dansyr

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Agreed! I learned a lot from his book--related to this question: smaller clams have a very low survival rate and nobody knows why this is the case.
Don't really think so. At least, if you have a habitat properly set up, it doesn't matter size. Large clam just means you don't notice any symptoms of a poor environment for awhile.

 

Fuzznutz36

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Fatherree made that claim himself years ago. We had him as a speaker at our local club... then we kicked back with some beers and UFC that night. Great guy. He definitely had said clams under 3" can "just die for no apparent reason" and he recommended buying 3"+ .

OP, nice looking clam, I hope you do well with it. I have mine low, but near the glass. With my G5, it's getting 300+ par down there with the reflection. That said, ime phyto is great to supplement too. Anything you can do to grow em!

Edit: I have a 60g cube btw

20240827_162101.jpg
 

minus9

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Fatherree made that claim himself years ago. We had him as a speaker at our local club... then we kicked back with some beers and UFC that night. Great guy. He definitely had said clams under 3" can "just die for no apparent reason" and he recommended buying 3"+ .

OP, nice looking clam, I hope you do well with it. I have mine low, but near the glass. With my G5, it's getting 300+ par down there with the reflection. That said, ime phyto is great to supplement too. Anything you can do to grow em!

Edit: I have a 60g cube btw

20240827_162101.jpg
Years ago we couldn’t keep goniopora alive, but time has changed that. I think the issues years ago were related more to clam health and how they were being kept in wholesalers and vendors systems. Having kept them since the 90’s, I can definitely say that wild caught maximas have a high mortality rate compared to cultured small clams of all species. Also, science has proven that clams at very small sizes come equipped with everything they need to survive, especially the ones that enter the hobby. Under poor conditions smaller clams will most likely decline faster than larger ones, but I’ve seen large “healthy” clams die virtually overnight.
 

Fuzznutz36

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Years ago we couldn’t keep goniopora alive, but time has changed that. I think the issues years ago were related more to clam health and how they were being kept in wholesalers and vendors systems. Having kept them since the 90’s, I can definitely say that wild caught maximas have a high mortality rate compared to cultured small clams of all species. Also, science has proven that clams at very small sizes come equipped with everything they need to survive, especially the ones that enter the hobby. Under poor conditions smaller clams will most likely decline faster than larger ones, but I’ve seen large “healthy” clams die virtually overnight.
You certainly may be right, but you pointed him to Fatheree's book, then discredited something that's in the book (unless this is something he's changed in the newer edition). Science has also proven that it doesn't hurt to give clams phyto when they are under 3" to help ensure survival...so what are we getting at here?
Good to see another old head, I have a few shells myself from back in the day, not 90s, but 07ish (I was scared to keep sw in the 90s tbh, so fw only), we certainly are leaps and bounds ahead of back then.
 

minus9

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You certainly may be right, but you pointed him to Fatheree's book, then discredited something that's in the book (unless this is something he's changed in the newer edition). Science has also proven that it doesn't hurt to give clams phyto when they are under 3" to help ensure survival...so what are we getting at here?
Good to see another old head, I have a few shells myself from back in the day, not 90s, but 07ish (I was scared to keep sw in the 90s tbh, so fw only), we certainly are leaps and bounds ahead of back then.
I wasn’t trying to discredit James, as he was referring to maxima specifically in his book. He mentions clams at least 2 1/2” and bigger do better than smaller ones. This is about the size, if not bigger, that most maxima enters the hobby. It’s not uncommon to see crocea come in much smaller and occasionally derasa too, but they are much hardier than maxima. As I’ve stated several times in multiple threads, I find maxima to be among the hardest species to keep.
My reference to size has to do more with the common myth that smaller clams need to be fed in order to survive, which James has busted that myth (along with his peers). I do believe (and agree) that size can be an issue for unhealthy clams kept in poor conditions, where a larger clam has more mass and will survive longer, but in those conditions, the larger clam will perish as well if not given the proper conditions.
 
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Chrisz

Chrisz

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Unfortunately my clam was DOA, water was really cold when it arrived. WWC is shipping another one arriving today but its -11 here in Minnesota their website says they will adjust shipping according to the weather....I don't think they looked at the forecast I'm probably going to get another DOA.

Think I will wait until spring to try again, unfortunately I will probably will not get a refund because this was the second attempt :frowning-face:
 

Aquariumaddictuk

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Give them ALL OF THE PAR.
I feed phyto daily.
Not crazy flow, just enough to rattle the mantle.
Observe for gaping.
Small maxima are tricky little devil's & some will thrive while others decide to leave you with an expensive shell.
I'm 50/50 succes to failure with maxima.
Derasa on the other hand have been bullet proof thus far
 

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