Clam chow: What do you feed clams?

[Peace River]

Clam chow: What do you feed clams?

No, we're not talking about clam chowder and we're not talking about feeding clams to your tank - we are asking about food for clams. Clams have amazing systems for pumping water in, filtering, and then pumping water back out. They can filter plenty of algae, detritus, and more out of the water column. Light is also important to some clams and some even have zooxanthellae. Getting a healthy clam and providing the proper conditions are important, but do you provide supplemental food to your clam? If so, what do you feed it? Does it matter? What is your experience, understanding, and past, present, and future plans for clam chow…er…clam food?!? Please join the discussion, share any tips that you have, and tell us about your experience with feeding clams.

Photo by @PacificEastAquaculture

This week we have been asking a lot about clams and if you are still looking for more information and you have already checked out the R2R sub-section on clams, then you may want to read the following R2R articles:

• Guide to Buying and Keeping Maxima Clams by @PacificEastAquaculture
• Giant Clams for Beginners by @LiveAquaria
• Acro AI and Tridacna Clams
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Pinched Mantle Disease in Giant Clams by @OrionN
• How I deal with Pyram snails, the Giant Clam parasitic snail by @OrionN

After all this information, are you still unsure about supplemental feeding for clams? That's okay. There is still plenty of debate with experts on both sides of the argument. Wherever your opinion is on the spectrum of what and if you should feed your clams, please share your thoughts in the discussion thread. Let's talk clam chow!

 

[Mikey-D]

I have no clue about clams yet but they are an absolute must have...

Would love to hear all about them and familiarize better from reefers who keep them.

 

[rc4kinu]

I don’t feed them directly but they react by actively pumping when I feed corals Reef Roids or Oyster Feast. They definitely like “dirtier” water but they are slow to show that they are starving until it’s too late. So I’m sure they can eat anything floating in water but most likely are dependent on their zooxanthellae for most of their dietary needs. Just needs lots of PAR to sustain those algae to produce all that energy. Was a great article some time back that explained how clams evolved to make essentially mirrors within their cells to direct light further into tissue to provide for algae living deeper in. Amazing adaptation in my opinion and hence why we are awarded with those cool colors and patterns.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Book by James Fartheree state they only need light. Phyto not needed and what is in water column should be enough.

 

[MinnieMouse2]

I feed Reef Nutrition Sd Aquarists for clams and inverts. A blend of the 6 most widely used marine microalgae for use with invertebrates, chosen for their superior nutritional value: Isochrysis, Pavlova, Tetraselmis, Chaetoceros calcitrans, Thalassiosira weissflogii and Thalassiosira pseudonana.

I also use a crushed oyster shell as the bed for my reef tanks. Lights above my tanks are Viparspectra. Daylight all day, one hour blues. No protein skimmer. I dose Seachem two part. I also dose Kent Reef Essentials. My salt is IO regular. I test 0 phos and 0 Nitrates as the clams seem to be the ultimate skimmer. I had to take down my chaeto refugium. Likewise, I still have to dose phos and nitrates to my tanks or risk a dino outbreak.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I have a lot of bi-valves in my temperate tanks... Phytoplankton and more Phytoplankton
BTW none of my bi-valves are photosynthetic.

 

[oldschoolnewventure]

I feed mine reefroids, miss shrimp, and mr chilis.

 

[Dburr1014]

Light, Light, and more light.
It does pump when I broad cast coral foods.

 

[Klwheat]

I’ve never fed mine. I just feed the fish. Nitrates run low (0-2) phos runs low (0.00-0.06). Radians for light. Calcium and alk dosed to 440 and 7.5.
This one started at 1.5” and is now over 12” after a few years.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Clam chow: What do you feed clams?

No, we're not talking about clam chowder and we're not talking about feeding clams to your tank - we are asking about food for clams. Clams have amazing systems for pumping water in, filtering, and then pumping water back out. They can filter plenty of algae, detritus, and more out of the water column. Light is also important to some clams and some even have zooxanthellae. Getting a healthy clam and providing the proper conditions are important, but do you provide supplemental food to your clam? If so, what do you feed it? Does it matter? What is your experience, understanding, and past, present, and future plans for clam chow…er…clam food?!? Please join the discussion, share any tips that you have, and tell us about your experience with feeding clams.

Photo by @PacificEastAquaculture

This week we have been asking a lot about clams and if you are still looking for more information and you have already checked out the R2R sub-section on clams, then you may want to read the following R2R articles:

• Guide to Buying and Keeping Maxima Clams by @PacificEastAquaculture
• Giant Clams for Beginners by @LiveAquaria
• Acro AI and Tridacna Clams
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Pinched Mantle Disease in Giant Clams by @OrionN
• How I deal with Pyram snails, the Giant Clam parasitic snail by @OrionN

After all this information, are you still unsure about supplemental feeding for clams? That's okay. There is still plenty of debate with experts on both sides of the argument. Wherever your opinion is on the spectrum of what and if you should feed your clams, please share your thoughts in the discussion thread. Let's talk clam chow!

Light!

 

[jhadaway]

Thats the one, right there!!! Wow. I have a derasa that has grown about an inch in 3-4 months from about 2 inches. It is directly under a hydra 32 on the sandbed. I give it a puff of reef roids and phyto every other day because i feed my lobo and acans so why not. Next tank will have a foot dedicated to a maxima. Big blue one! They are right up there as far as most impressive things to see in a reef tank.