Does Maxima Have To Attach?

[Zakary2003]

I bought a blue maxima clam from my LFS a few weeks ago. It has been on a clam cradle in the sand bed since then. It has great mantle extension and white growth at the tips of the shell, but it will not attach to the cradle. It is about 3.5" long, so it is not one of the super tiny ones.

Do they always attach to the clam cradle with their threads? If he seems happy in the sand at only ~250 par, should I just leave him there? My plan was to get him to attach to the cradle, and then move him to a spot with >350 par at the top of the rock when he was attached. It is not a secure enough spot to put a loose clam...

 

[kin_itsu]

In my opinion if the clam is big enough,it can survive.make sure the mantle is extending

 

[Zakary2003]

In my opinion if the clam is big enough,it can survive.make sure the mantle is extending

I'm new to clams, but this seems like good extension to me. Is it?

 

[kin_itsu]

In my opinion if the clam is big enough,it can survive.make sure the mantle is extending

I'm new to clams, but this seems like good extension to me. Is it?

Yep,my clams have the same

 

[lombeard]

I'm new to clams, but this seems like good extension to me. Is it?

It looks happy to me. Just make sure it's getting enough light, clams like to tan.

 

[Miami Reef]

Clams don’t have to attach to be healthy.

The spot it’s currently in doesn’t seem to have enough light for optimal health; I’d raise it.

 

[minus9]

If it's growing and there's no other issues, I'd say let it be. The less we interfere with them, the better. Shell growth and a healthy extended mantle is what you want. If you're new to clams, then I would pick up James Fatherree's book here.

 

[OrionN]

Good extension is better than bad extension, or no extension. However good extension by itself does not mean healthy. It can die overnight. To judge if the clam is healthy, it must have good mantle extension AND the clam shells must be fill with tissue AND there must be growth rings on the shell.
There are soooooo many reefers reported that their clams were healthy yesterday but empty shells this AM and think that the vicious scavengers ate their clams. The truth was that the clams were dying, and they did not know it.

To judge if the clam is fat or emaciated, you can hold and fill the weight of the clam if you are very experienced. Most of us look into the basial opening when the clam is fully close. It should be full of tissue and no empty air space. The clam does not need to grow shell unless there is no empty space in the shells.