healthy clam?

[eggplantparrot]

I just purchased a maxima from my lfs (BigAls Scarborough) yesterday after seeing they brought in quite a few. this guy was in the pile labeled "gold maxima". I've always wanted to try clams but they were expensive and I didn't have the confidence.

they also had a pile of squamosas and "ultra maximas". both of which were too expensive for my taste and for a first clam. I picked up a used skimmer for less than the asking price and couldn't get the thought of the clams out of my head and decided to just go for one. I picked the biggest and best looking one out of the "gold maxima" pile and hoped for the best. i mean it's probably gunna do better than staying at the lfs. they always have a big stack of clam shells for sale, no need to imagine where they get those from.

so last night I was freaking out a bit seeing the clam wasn't extending a lot, and remembered pinched mantle disease was a thing. but I decided to wait a bit longer. this is how it looks today, do you guys think it's ok? btw those clams were apparently aquacultured in Florida.

 

[CasaReefer]

Looks Happy as a Clam to me....

 

[eggplantparrot]

Looks Happy as a Clam to me....

the top left looks like it's not extended very well, is that normal?

 

[CasaReefer]

I think it is just the way that it is growing. Plus you just add'ed it to your take wait another day and see what happens. I think you got a Great one.. Love the coloration in it....

 

[eggplantparrot]

I think it is just the way that it is growing. Plus you just add'ed it to your take wait another day and see what happens. I think you got a Great one.. Love the coloration in it....

awesome possum!

yea I didn't even realize it was so bright orange/gold until I got it under my light. it's definitely not too bad for 70 Canadian Pesos

 

[CasaReefer]

awesome possum!

yea I didn't even realize it was so bright orange/gold until I got it under my light. it's definitely not too bad for 70 Canadian Pesos

Plus the skimmer deal..You stole that thing...

 

[Auquanut]

definitely not too bad for 70 Canadian Pesos

I thought pesos were currency from Europe and Indiana. Nice clam by the way. Colors are awesome.

 

[eggplantparrot]

Plus the skimmer deal..You stole that thing...

Lol yea it wasn't bad at all, I didn't take advantage of any black Friday deals so I guess I made my own. the skimmer was kinda grimy when I got it but after an acid bath and elbow grease it looked literally brand new.

 

[eggplantparrot]

I thought pesos were currency from Europe and Indiana. Nice clam by the way. Colors are awesome.

haha it's a joke, started by a guy on YouTube I believe, I guess making fun of how the Canadian dollar compares to the 'Murican dollar value-wise

 

[eggplantparrot]

so my plan was to move the clam up higher on the rock after a week or so to get it into higher lighting (approx equivalent to AI Prime HD mounted ~12 inches above water surface) and would bring it to about 7 inches from the water surface.

this brings me to a new question: how do I know if the clam is getting enough light? I would prefer to keep it on the bottom as the cradle I made is more stable on the glass but I can move it up if necessary. so what are the signs I'm looking for?

 

[outerbank]

Beautiful clam!!!

 

[DSC reef]

Keep an eye for new shell growth, that is the sure way to know if your clam is healthy and growing where it's at. That's a very nice maxima.

 

[eggplantparrot]

Keep an eye for new shell growth, that is the sure way to know if your clam is healthy and growing where it's at. That's a very nice maxima.

will do.

 

[eggplantparrot]

I totally forgot that I found these things on the clam scutes yesterday, they're about 1mm across and move in a scooting fashion. I thought they were chiton but I'm now leaning toward some kind of copepod. what do you guys think?

 

[OrionN]

They are great herbivores. Dont worry about it. Very good food for wrasses and eventually they will all be eaten if you have predatory fish in the tank.

 

[eggplantparrot]

They are great herbivores. Dont worry about it. Very good food for wrasses and eventually they will all be eaten if you have predatory fish in the tank.

so some type of pod?

 

[jda]

The clam looks good. Let it be for a week or two. Then, inspect the bottom for pyramid snails - google images of them. If clean, then let it be.

The ONLY way to know if a clam is really happy is for it to grow. In a month or two, look for some new super-white shell. If it is growing, then you are all set. If it has not grown, there is nothing that you can do but observe.

Clams can be extended and "look good" for long periods of time whilst not growing and then all of a sudden die in about 24-48 hours time. They were slowly dying the whole time.

In short, only new growth is a truly positive sign for happy clams, but there is nothing to be concerned with this one - it looks good so far.

 

[eggplantparrot]

The clam looks good. Let it be for a week or two. Then, inspect the bottom for pyramid snails - google images of them. If clean, then let it be.

The ONLY way to know if a clam is really happy is for it to grow. In a month or two, look for some new super-white shell. If it is growing, then you are all set. If it has not grown, there is nothing that you can do but observe.

Clams can be extended and "look good" for long periods of time whilst not growing and then all of a sudden die in about 24-48 hours time. They were slowly dying the whole time.

In short, only new growth is a truly positive sign for happy clams, but there is nothing to be concerned with this one - it looks good so far.

good info to know.

I did inspect it very carefully, and saw no pyramid snails, only a baby asterina and some of what I presume to be pods.

one possible problem was how rough the guy at the lfs was when he bagged the clan for me. he pick up the clam quickly and realized that it was stuck to another, smaller clam. and without checking to see if their feet were stuck to each other, he ripped them apart. made cringe and worried as he was the marine manager too...

I see 1 strand of what I'm assuming to be the thread they use to anchor themselves (forget what they're called) floating.

how long does it usually take for clans to anchor themselves? the cradle I made kind of allows me to see into the cradle but so far no changes, it's just sitting inside.

 

[eggplantparrot]

so, every day ive been getting home around 6pm, when my light schedule is starting to ramp down into the 'blue zone', and my clam isn't open as much as my pictures above. I'm wondering if it's actually because of the lighting beginning to drop and it's closing up for the night? tomorrow I can keep watch on it throughout the day and see if it's expanding more when my light is really cranking.

on a side note, I see what I believe to be byssal threads under the clam, is this another sign of health? like only healthy clams attach themselves? I'm starting to get really interested in these clams, and 2 of my LFS have some nice looking maximas.

after asking around some more, it turns out these clams are actually from ORA. I can't imagine the shipping from ORA to be very good for the health of these guys, but I'm really thinking of getting 1 more!

 

[eggplantparrot]

I think this guy is a gonner