Largest clams in private aquariums?

[Denver_Josh]

I had to sell some of my large fish since they were nipping at it, so my bio-load decreased by about 50%. My skimmer (Reef Octopus Regal 300) previously would pull out thick, dark skimmate and I would need to empty it every other day. I’m barely getting anything now.

 

[nvert]

This was my Derasa in a 120 before I lost it due to not properly acclimating it to LEDs. I bought it when it was the size of a tennis ball, here it’s about the size of a basketball...

 

[Struggler]

So I hear that buying a maxima that is 3 inches or smaller is a bad idea, but my lfs got a bunch of beautiful small maximas and they are selling them for $75. Should I pull the trigger and maybe just feed it regularly with phyto?

 

[Shigshwa]

So I hear that buying a maxima that is 3 inches or smaller is a bad idea, but my lfs got a bunch of beautiful small maximas and they are selling them for $75. Should I pull the trigger and maybe just feed it regularly with phyto?

I hear that the entire phyto thing is outdated advice, they'll be sufficiently fed if you just have enough light. Of all species, keeping a Maxima alive still eludes me, they have pretty poor survival rates in general.

If anything, I think your best shot is with these smaller ones, and not the larger blue ones from Tahiti, etc., you often see. Just make sure you do all your tests for health, like checking for gaping and checking for shadow reaction. Make sure that it passes both of these tests. If it reacts quickly but gapes, or vice versa, don't pull the trigger, it could be starting to go downhill. Take it home swiftly, and acclimate it slowly. Place it in a well lit, but not too intensely lit area, on some surface that it can attach on. If it attaches, then you've found a good spot for it. Then just wait and pray that you see growth in a while.

Once the clam has survived this initial period, they're actually pretty hardy.

 

[jrp1588]

Man, and here I thought my 12" derasa was really something. Haha

 

[Troy V]

Do you even need a filter anymore when you have clams that large?

Recently this has been the most challenging variable to account for. These clams will literally suck the life right out of your system. I have 2 automatic feeders feeding 5 times a day and my NO3 levels are undetectable. So I started dosing PNO3, but this caused my total phosphorus to drop to ZERO, which presented its own problems. I've been looking for a natural answer so now I run the Vertex 250 skimmer for 6 hours a day while the Xenia fuge is getting established to suit the needs of the system. In my old system the Xenia fuge worked wonderfully and I never had issues with my SPS color fading the way they are now. Also that system was only 300 gallons and the current system is over 500 gallons.

 

[Troy V]

So I hear that buying a maxima that is 3 inches or smaller is a bad idea, but my lfs got a bunch of beautiful small maximas and they are selling them for $75. Should I pull the trigger and maybe just feed it regularly with phyto?

From the current research I've read there is a strong case for supplementing clams with phyto. Scientists admit that there is much they do not understand when it comes to the nutritional demands of these creatures. But what is understood from the examination of the contents in their stomach is that they do feed on phytoplankton at different rates depending on type and age of the clam, also the clam will usually discriminate between planktonic and non planktonic parts (Daniel 1996; Klumpp et al., 1992). It is hard to understand the totality of life in our unique systems and in what proportions they exist, and is there enough to supply all organisms which rely on it? Considering these creatures come from an environment with an almost inexhaustible amount of food at their disposal. IMHO Perhaps we shouldn't be so absolute as hobbyists when it comes to the idea of not feeding.

 

[Vin's Reef]

Our squamosa got to 12". Grew him from 3". The tank doesn't look right without him.

Beautiful. Good luck!

 

[Vin's Reef]

From the current research I've read there is a strong case for supplementing clams with phyto. Scientists admit that there is much they do not understand when it comes to the nutritional demands of these creatures. But what is understood from the examination of the contents in their stomach is that they do feed on phytoplankton at different rates depending on type and age of the clam, also the clam will usually discriminate between planktonic and non planktonic parts (Daniel 1996; Klumpp et al., 1992). It is hard to understand the totality of life in our unique systems and in what proportions they exist, and is there enough to supply all organisms which rely on it? Considering these creatures come from an environment with an almost inexhaustible amount of food at their disposal. IMHO Perhaps we shouldn't be so absolute as hobbyists when it comes to the idea of not feeding.

I supplement phto 3x a week. My maxima is doing great!

 

[Phil Dor]

Ah, I lost my first clam recently [LiveAquaria] to what had to have been pyramid snails. I haven't extensively searched for them on my other snails, but I am hoping to leave the tank clamless and hope they'll die off. Going to go local and find a larger clam for my next one, the one I got from LA was only ~2.25 inches.

When I do my in-wall/peninsula in a couple of years i'm going to be looking for a 10"+ clam to add to it as a centerpiece

Please be aware that pyramids snails do not need clams to survive, and once you have them in your tank they are impossible to eradicate; so next time you buy a clam, check near the byssus opening and between the scutes for pyramid snails. Another way of detecting these snails is at night, 1 - 2 hours after all light are out (tank & room) the snails come out from under the rock and some do climb on the glass walls of the tank; you can catch them out, but they will always come back, whatever you'll try; a quarantine tank can prevent this from happening.

 

[Phil Dor]

I am a fan of using giant clams as center pieces for our reefs, and a peninsula style tank with a showpiece clam would be a sight to see. They make the perfect colorful accent to a large reef. But I have learned that they present a unique challenge when they reach a certain size in proportion to the rest of the aquarium contents like live, rock, corals, and fish. I've found this out the hard way after growing my 30" Gigas for almost 10 years. When a clam or anything for that matter becomes the largest living structure in a reef, it will create its own little reef within a reef, and what makes clams very unique is that they have the ability to directly feed the inhabitants that seek shelter in the contours of the mantle and shell. Everyday at least twice a day the clam belches a smorgasbord of food that the fish love to devour. So with time they will associate the clam with food and eventually they will take a bite. I can't tell how may fish I've gone through over the years that all started off as "clam safe" only to turn the clam into an 100+lb buffet. Then comes the filtration capacities of these monsters when it comes to their consumption of N and Ps. It is very hard to quantify but I can tell you it is significant. When the clam is "ON" it can filter a 500+ gallon system. Finally the calcium and alk demand is incredible. I use 3 cups of BRS CACL and 3 cups of baking soda every week. I think these are just a few things that make owning a large clam uniquely challenging, and why I think many people get rid of large clams once they get to a certain size. When my Gigas dies I don't see myself getting another, even if it was given to me. In my opinion it really limits your options when it comes to fish and corals. Also what do you if a 100+lb clam dies in your tank? Or spawns? Which it does every summer.

I was able to resolve some of my issues by using 3 tanks instead of one large "clam tank". 2- 36"x30"x25 and the clam tank is 60"x30"x31".

You said your clam is spawning every summer, and this is real 'trouble' if you're not prepared for it, as only a maximum water change can save you from disastar as you must know by now. However there is a way to avoid spawning completely, simply by keeping the tank temperature around 25 -26 Celcius (78 F) and avoid any sudden temperature shock, up or down. Many hobbyists have lost entire reef-tanks after an unexpected clam spawning usually at night.

 

[OriginalUserName]

Recently this has been the most challenging variable to account for. These clams will literally suck the life right out of your system. I have 2 automatic feeders feeding 5 times a day and my NO3 levels are undetectable. So I started dosing PNO3, but this caused my total phosphorus to drop to ZERO, which presented its own problems. I've been looking for a natural answer so now I run the Vertex 250 skimmer for 6 hours a day while the Xenia fuge is getting established to suit the needs of the system. In my old system the Xenia fuge worked wonderfully and I never had issues with my SPS color fading the way they are now. Also that system was only 300 gallons and the current system is over 500 gallons.

That's crazy. You need to plumb your system into a tank with a bunch of large predator fish or something.

 

[campaign000]

You said your clam is spawning every summer, and this is real 'trouble' if you're not prepared for it, as only a maximum water change can save you from disastar as you must know by now. However there is a way to avoid spawning completely, simply by keeping the tank temperature around 25 -26 Celcius (78 F) and avoid any sudden temperature shock, up or down. Many hobbyists have lost entire reef-tanks after an unexpected clam spawning usually at night.

Do you think clams could tolerate the temp. of 28-29 for long time?

 

[Troy V]

You said your clam is spawning every summer, and this is real 'trouble' if you're not prepared for it, as only a maximum water change can save you from disastar as you must know by now. However there is a way to avoid spawning completely, simply by keeping the tank temperature around 25 -26 Celcius (78 F) and avoid any sudden temperature shock, up or down. Many hobbyists have lost entire reef-tanks after an unexpected clam spawning usually at night.

In the past I'm sure temperature was the trigger. However this year I had my first nonsummer spawn back in April, and boy it was a doozy. I had no idea how much, and for how long they could spawn. It started on a Sunday at around 1pm and continued every 15 minutes like clockwork until 7pm for 8 days. Yes that is 8 days every 15 minutes for 7 hrs a day. I figured my tank was a gonner. But I was amazed how the system handled it. All I had was a decent sized hair algae outbreak, cyanobacteria, and a small diatom bloom, which I am still recovering from. But on a positive note my SPS look better, and the pod population exploded. I seems the system welcomed the nutrients.
I took a video of the first 3 ejections. I was so excited to see it so early in the day while I was home. But by weeks end all excitement was gone, and I was just anticipating the cleanup.

 

[Troy V]

That's crazy. You need to plumb your system into a tank with a bunch of large predator fish or something.

Funny you should say that. I am in the process of turning the tank on the right into a mantis shrimp tank. I am slowly moving all of the LPS into the center tank. Hopefully this will help.

 

[Initialr]

these clams are amazing

 

[Initialr]

@ Troy V, why Xenia fuge. only asking because I've never seen that before

 

[RtomKinMad]

He’s got to be up there...

The clams are awesome but so is the Sohal with all the other tangs! How’d you do that?

 

[Troy V]

@ Troy V, why Xenia fuge. only asking because I've never seen that before

Good question.
Back in late 90s while I was in college I read a wonderful book by Eric Borneman called Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History. Eric goes into some detail about Xeniid behavior in the wild, and that they are "some of the first colonizers of the reef" also they can be found at waste water pipes from hotels. Basically mother nature uses them in high nutrient environments to clean thing up for life to flurish. I figured if it works in the wild why not a home. So knowing that in 1999-2000ish I started to employ this method. It took a few years to "figure it out" and grow the population large enough to suit the needs of the system. But once I dialed it in for me there is nothing better than having a filtration that grows with the need of the system.

 

[Denver_Josh]

The clams are awesome but so is the Sohal with all the other tangs! How’d you do that?

My tank was pushing capacity limits with the amount of Tangs that I had, but I used 3 auto feeders and I put 2 sheets of nori in daily. Unfortunately my Sohal decided that the Gigas was a tasty treat, so I had to sell him. I also sold the blochii, sailfin, and both vlamingiis. Everyone seems much happier (the gigas is fine). But it was great until then.