How big did your clam(s) get and how long did you own them?

[i cant think]

So, I’ve recently been looking into the clams (Tridacninae). Im mainly looking at T. maxima and T. crocea however if you owned any of the other clams, I’d love to know the answer to this too!!
My tank is a 20g Red Sea Max Nano, in the coming year I plan to try add a clam. The question is:
1. what would be better suited for the tank
2. how long did it take for your clam to get to the size it did
3. how big did your clam get and how big do you expect it to get
4. where in the rockwork did you put your clam?

Here’s a photo of my tank and the placement options that are open once I get everything stable again, I plan for easier acros but mostly beige softies & the odd beige stick (Acro/SPS). I thought a clam would be a nice way to add colour so what do you think?

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

First you need to get the tanks chemistry correct. From the pictures it seems you either have dinos or cyano bacteria problem. Your nutrients are either to low or to high clams like good stable water chemistry. Clams like alot of light you didn't mention what light or par values you are getting so i really cant say were you should put a clam without knowing more Also if you get a smaller clam they need to be feed phytoplankton but the larger ones really don't So these are some thing to keep in mind. Also they grow pretty slow so by the time it gets big you will probably already have upgraded to a larger aquarium. Just my 2 cents.

 

[i cant think]

First you need to get the tanks chemistry correct. From the pictures it seems you either have dinos or cyano bacteria problem. Your nutrients are either to low or to high clams like good stable water chemistry. Clams like alot of light you didn't mention what light or par values you are getting so i really cant say were you should put a clam without knowing more Also if you get a smaller clam they need to be feed phytoplankton but the larger ones really don't So these are some thing to keep in mind. Also they grow pretty slow so by the time it gets big you will probably already have upgraded to a larger aquarium. Just my 2 cents.

I’m dealing with the issue now, Hopefully by March I will have made it through the nasty phases after two years of being bitten by them. I will certainly wait a bit before doing it, here’s what my lights are set to, can’t really tell you what the PAR is.

Im hoping by Atleast July/September I’ll have a tank ready for a clam or acro

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

Whats are you nitrates and phosphates levels?

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

I’m dealing with the issue now, Hopefully by March I will have made it through the nasty phases after two years of being bitten by them. I will certainly wait a bit before doing it, here’s what my lights are set to, can’t really tell you what the PAR is.

Im hoping by Atleast July/September I’ll have a tank ready for a clam or acro

Whats are you nitrates and phosphates levels?

 

[amsterdam_reefer]

Turn youre white light lower
Whites cause more algae
And blue to around 50% max
Reefled are reefsafe if you read their specs

 

[i cant think]

Whats are you nitrates and phosphates levels?

Phos: over 2,0mg/l
Nitrate: Between 0mg/l and 10mg/l

 

[amsterdam_reefer]

U mean po4 = 0,2 i hope
Nitrate is fine
Try to add po4 aborber like rowaphos or
phos 0.04

If they are dinos

Clean youre sandbed daily right before lights go out and add bacteria every other day

That should give u a boost i the right way i reckon

I fought dinos for 3 months straight

For cyano i cant give u advise
Maybe more flow i dont see a wavemake though

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

Phos: over 2,0mg/l
Nitrate: Between 0mg/l and 10mg/l

I would double check that phosphate result. Just to be sure.

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

Phos: over 2,0mg/l
Nitrate: Between 0mg/l and 10mg/l

If it is that high do a 50% water change. Then check your nutrient levels if they are still high start to dose Dr.tims waste away and Dr tims eco balance. Also start carbon dosing with vodka or red sea nopox it will bring down your nutrients. But you DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ZERO NUTRIENTS AND PHOSPHATES. I shoot for PO4 of .10-.15ppm and a NO3 of 10-20.ppm and my clam, lps and sps love it.

Also how old do you think this set is??

 

[i cant think]

If it is that high do a 50% water change. Then check your nutrient levels if they are still high start to dose Dr.tims waste away and Dr tims eco balance. Also start carbon dosing with vodka or red sea nopox it will bring down your nutrients. But you DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ZERO NUTRIENTS AND PHOSPHATES. I shoot for PO4 of .10-.15ppm and a NO3 of 10-20.ppm and my clam, lps and sps love it.

Also how old do you think this set is??

If you mean your tank, it looks to me like it’s Atleast 1 year old

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

If you mean your tank, it looks to me like it’s Atleast 1 year old

4 months old.

 

[i cant think]

4 months old.

I’m jealous, my 4’ didn’t look that good at 4 months old, it hit the year mark before coral truly started to grow, my nano has taken a year (two if you count the 15g before it). This year I will definitely keep ontop of my nutrients, they’ll go down eventually since there are currently 7 fish in the tank with two being temporary to grow out.

 

[TheDuude]

I’m jealous, my 4’ didn’t look that good at 4 months old, it hit the year mark before coral truly started to grow, my nano has taken a year (two if you count the 15g before it). This year I will definitely keep ontop of my nutrients, they’ll go down eventually since there are currently 7 fish in the tank with two being temporary to grow out.

Nutrients need to be exported. They don't typically go down over time like your post suggests

 

[i cant think]

Nutrients need to be exported. They don't typically go down over time like your post suggests

Yeah, I know I more meant they won’t be quite so high also I do weekly water changes which makes me question how they get so high.

 

[TheDuude]

Yeah, I know I more meant they won’t be quite so high also I do weekly water changes which makes me question how they get so high.

Test nutrient levels weekly for a month or two. Adjust water changes / nutrient export until your levels stabilize. IME water changes do little to lower nutrients. Obviously that depends on size and frequency of the change

 

[J1a]

Clams, especially big clams are nutrient sinks. They gobble up ammonia, nitrate and phosphate like there is no tomorrow. Oh, your calcium and alkalinity will be aggressively depleted as well.

This is a baby crocea clam I bought 3 weeks ago. It sits near the top of my rockwork among some sps. Enough space for it to grow, yet also enough shelter from the strong flow. It sits happily under 1000+ Par. In three weeks, it has just a tiny silver of new shell. They are certainly not fast growers.

On the other spectrum, there is this gorgeous gigas. I bought it as a palm sized baby half a year ago. It sits at the 2.5ft depth on the sand bed, and recieve about 300 par. It's now about hand size.

If you look at the gigas photo, you can perhaps spot the dinos which I'm controlling. Small cell amphidinium, to be exact. They does not affect the clams a single bit. In fact, when I dose silicate to control SCA, the diatom grown are awesome food for clams.