Got a clam question? We've got you covered right here.

[NoahLikesFish]

i think clam wall would be cool

 

[foxngn]

I got 2 crocea clam, which seat at the sandbed, both of the mantle are fully extend.
As i know they prefer higher lighting, but in my tank i don't see them possess any issue, should i still move it up or let it stay?

I'm running a 24" x 24" x24" cube, using maxspect jump L165.

 

[AVVITT]

Hi guys, had my clam for just over a week. Sat quite high up in my tank with medium flow and fairly high lighting. Just wanted to know what to look out for/warning signs the clam isn't doing so well. I read something about the mouth opening (by that I mean the intake hole in over to one side of the mantle) getting wider and wider can mean something? I think mine is doing this but can't be 100%

 

[Shirak]

Hi guys, had my clam for just over a week. Sat quite high up in my tank with medium flow and fairly high lighting. Just wanted to know what to look out for/warning signs the clam isn't doing so well. I read something about the mouth opening (by that I mean the intake hole in over to one side of the mantle) getting wider and wider can mean something? I think mine is doing this but can't be 100%

Post a photo under whites. Can search for what's called gaping. Main things would be mantle not extended fully all the way around, and lack of new shell growth along the outer edge. Should also be pretty responsive to shadows.

 

[AVVITT]

Post a photo under whites. Can search for what's called gaping. Main things would be mantle not extended fully all the way around, and lack of new shell growth along the outer edge. Should also be pretty responsive to shadows.

This was just taken now. Literally seconds after this picture was taken one of the fish swam right over the top and it reacted quite quickly by closing about half way. A few seconds later it opened again.

I'm sure it the opening wasn't this big when I first got it

 

[Shirak]

Well I am no clam expert but looks ok to me.

 

[AVVITT]

Any clam experts care to give their opinion please?

 

[sdreef]

I added a wild tear drop to the system about one month ago. I am concerned the mantle is not extending fully, and feel this is getting worse. The clam continues to respond to light and stimulus appropriately.

Here is the clam after initial intro:

Here it is currently:

I have examined the clam at night and removed a couple pyram snails, but seems there have not been many of these. I have done this approximately once per week, and examined the clam with magnification and have not observed any more snails in the past 2 weeks.

I have a small cultured maxima that continues to do well and has been in the system about 10 months.

Here is where the clam resides in the system:

A little more about the system:

My lights consist of Metal halide, 250 WRadium bulbs. T5 4 x Blue plus, and some led reef Brite strips. The halides are on for 5 hours per day. The T5s run for 10 hours per day and the LEDs are on for 12 hours per day. The PAR on the sand bed is about 280 where the clam is located at peak.

The system volume is approximately 300 gallons and I have a daily continuous water change of 3 gallons per day. Flow in the system is high.

The water parameters are stable and as follows:
Salinity 35 ppt
pH: 8.1-8.3
Tmp: 77-79
Alk: 7.8 (ranges 7.7 -8.1)
Calcium: 440
Mg: 1360

NO3: 25
Phosphates: 0.26

My nitrates and phosphates are higher than many people recommend as I feed the tank small amounts about 8 times / day for the Pascalus anthias. No algae issues and all of the corals continue to grow well so I don’t chase it. I do not run GFO. I do use carbon which I change once / month. I do have a refugium with chaeto and red ogo that has a 16 hour photoperiod.

There are a fair number of fish in the system. I have not observed any of the fish nipping at the clam. The tangs cleaned the shell a bit upon initial introduction, but nothing sustained that I've observed.

Pseudanthias pascalus x 10
Tahitian golden hawk
Quoyi parrot
Purple, Yellow, Scopas, Gem tangs
Chevron tang
Blonde Naso tang
Several fairy and flasher wrasse
Choati, Potters, and Meleagris trio leopard wrasse
Radiant wrasse x 2
Target mandarin x 2
Ruby dragonet x 2
Dragon face pipefish
Blue stripe pipefish

The reef is mixed. A large number of acropora, LPS, some live sponges, and some gorgonians.

The clam is on the sand away from any corals so I don’t think the proximity to corals is any issue, but the clam is downstream from some euphyllia. I do not use many supplements, but I do use KZ flatworm stop and coral booster on a dosing pump at a little below the recommended doses. I recently purchased phytoplankton on a friends recommendation, but have not dosed this and was not sure this would be helpful for a 6" clam.

I am concerned this is more than simple acclimation and may be heading in the wrong direction. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Shirak]

Bumping this to see if you can get some help with the clam SDReef. sure looks like it is worse off now than when you first got it

 

[outerbank]

I added a wild tear drop to the system about one month ago. I am concerned the mantle is not extending fully, and feel this is getting worse. The clam continues to respond to light and stimulus appropriately.

Here is the clam after initial intro:

Here it is currently:

I have examined the clam at night and removed a couple pyram snails, but seems there have not been many of these. I have done this approximately once per week, and examined the clam with magnification and have not observed any more snails in the past 2 weeks.

I have a small cultured maxima that continues to do well and has been in the system about 10 months.

Here is where the clam resides in the system:

A little more about the system:

My lights consist of Metal halide, 250 WRadium bulbs. T5 4 x Blue plus, and some led reef Brite strips. The halides are on for 5 hours per day. The T5s run for 10 hours per day and the LEDs are on for 12 hours per day. The PAR on the sand bed is about 280 where the clam is located at peak.

The system volume is approximately 300 gallons and I have a daily continuous water change of 3 gallons per day. Flow in the system is high.

The water parameters are stable and as follows:
Salinity 35 ppt
pH: 8.1-8.3
Tmp: 77-79
Alk: 7.8 (ranges 7.7 -8.1)
Calcium: 440
Mg: 1360

NO3: 25
Phosphates: 0.26

My nitrates and phosphates are higher than many people recommend as I feed the tank small amounts about 8 times / day for the Pascalus anthias. No algae issues and all of the corals continue to grow well so I don’t chase it. I do not run GFO. I do use carbon which I change once / month. I do have a refugium with chaeto and red ogo that has a 16 hour photoperiod.

There are a fair number of fish in the system. I have not observed any of the fish nipping at the clam. The tangs cleaned the shell a bit upon initial introduction, but nothing sustained that I've observed.

Pseudanthias pascalus x 10
Tahitian golden hawk
Quoyi parrot
Purple, Yellow, Scopas, Gem tangs
Chevron tang
Blonde Naso tang
Several fairy and flasher wrasse
Choati, Potters, and Meleagris trio leopard wrasse
Radiant wrasse x 2
Target mandarin x 2
Ruby dragonet x 2
Dragon face pipefish
Blue stripe pipefish

The reef is mixed. A large number of acropora, LPS, some live sponges, and some gorgonians.

The clam is on the sand away from any corals so I don’t think the proximity to corals is any issue, but the clam is downstream from some euphyllia. I do not use many supplements, but I do use KZ flatworm stop and coral booster on a dosing pump at a little below the recommended doses. I recently purchased phytoplankton on a friends recommendation, but have not dosed this and was not sure this would be helpful for a 6" clam.

I am concerned this is more than simple acclimation and may be heading in the wrong direction. Any advice is appreciated.

Tank looks great. Clam doesn't look too healthy. I am not sure why. Sometimes they can be tricky to adjust to new flow and light.

 

[sdreef]

Tank looks great. Clam doesn't look too healthy. I am not sure why. Sometimes they can be tricky to adjust to new flow and light.

Thanks, I'm disappointed to see this clam declining, but everything else continues to do well. I raised the clam off of the sand bed and placed it higher up. I lowered my lights a bit and I've increased the photoperiod. I have a cultured maxima with similar lighting growing and doing well, but considering the possibility this may not be enough light for the wild collected clam.

The clam continues to be clean on inspection at night. Although this isn't a pinched mantle, I've been considering a freshwater dip in case there's some other unidentified parasite. I figured I would start by adjusting the lights, and I'm a little worried about the stress of a freshwater dip on a declining clam, so I've held off on that for now.

 

[CoralClasher]

Will a chalice coral sting a clam?

Wow I can’t believe it’s been a year since I got this clam. My wife passed away right after I got this clam and I kind of let the tank go. I’m back to reefing now and need to move this clam before it gets totally encrusted over. What’s the best way to move it?

 

[i cant think]

I got a new clam today and it’s thought to be a Squamosa x Maxima and not a pure maxima, what are the main characteristics of a hybrid against a pure squamosa or maxima?
Here’s a couple top downs of the new clam, the clam in question is the bright blue in the back (The front clam is my Deresa)

 

[OrionN]

I got a new clam today and it’s thought to be a Squamosa x Maxima and not a pure maxima, what are the main characteristics of a hybrid against a pure squamosa or maxima?
Here’s a couple top downs of the new clam, the clam in question is the bright blue in the back (The front clam is my Deresa)

That is a Maxima all the way. Those scutes are normals for Maxima.

 

[i cant think]

That is a Maxima all the way. Those scutes are normals for Maxima.

I agree with you, he’s settled in a lot more now and here’s a top down I got of him recently (currently my lights are more blue so he doesn’t look great on camera even with a filter).

 

[Dburr1014]

Can the requirements get updated for this thread?
0 nitrate
< 0.03 po4
That's a fools game.

 

[OrionN]

Wow I can’t believe it’s been a year since I got this clam. My wife passed away right after I got this clam and I kind of let the tank go. I’m back to reefing now and need to move this clam before it gets totally encrusted over. What’s the best way to move it?

Did you ended up moving this clam?
I think it looks natural as perfect as is. Normally it won’t be overgrowth
If you want to move him you got to destroy the corals around him. Make sure you don’t damage the byssal threads. You can cut the threads but not damage the gland.

 

[i cant think]

That is a Maxima all the way. Those scutes are normals for Maxima.

I’m intrigued, are these abnormally defined ribs for a Maxima or is it just because it’s young?

 

[OrionN]

In captivity, there is nothing to break off the scutes so they stay on the shell. Here is my Crocea, grew from 1.5 inches to 3.5 inches. Crocea supposed to have smooth shells but mine is full of scutes. My poor Crocea got overgrown by Xenia so it got bleached a little at the edge should recover fine now that I cleaned the Xenia off

this is the bleached clam. I irritated it to show the scuttes

 

[outerbank]

Thanks, I'm disappointed to see this clam declining, but everything else continues to do well. I raised the clam off of the sand bed and placed it higher up. I lowered my lights a bit and I've increased the photoperiod. I have a cultured maxima with similar lighting growing and doing well, but considering the possibility this may not be enough light for the wild collected clam.

The clam continues to be clean on inspection at night. Although this isn't a pinched mantle, I've been considering a freshwater dip in case there's some other unidentified parasite. I figured I would start by adjusting the lights, and I'm a little worried about the stress of a freshwater dip on a declining clam, so I've held off on that for now.

That's a nice clam. I hope it recovered. It likely needed more light. If a clam isn't doing well, it is usually either pyramid snails, pinched mantel, not enough light, or adjusting poorly after being moved.