Little Clam

[DmitryB]

So I got a small Crocea from Biota. It's probably 1.25''. Came in on Friday, so still him on the bottom of tank to adjust to light. How long do you acclimate them to light in one spot? And is it different with baby clams vs. grown?

Also, flow, that eternal question. In this video, is this flow too much? It's a rotating Orca on chaos, so it changes all the time. But what's happening with the mantle here, is this ok? Too much? Not enough?

 

[KrisReef]

Clams can adjust their exposure to
Light and generally enjoy as much as we give them under our lights. No need to acclimate them. The current is fine, the clam mantle is able to remain expanded, and not constantly crumpled or folded in the video. Too much and they will retreat and fold up.

 

[BryanM]

I believe that clam wants a fair amount of light... 250-300 par. I would personally be looking for a home at least 1/3rd, maybe 1/2 way up the tank.

 

[BriDroid]

I have some Croceas sitting in about 300par at the peak of the day. I never acclimated them, just sat them where I wanted them. They seem to be growing and doing fine. Mine sit in the the middle of my acros.

 

[DmitryB]

Alrighty, no light acclimation then! He's going up tonight! Though the flow is also higher the higher you go, so we shall see!

What about feeding smaller clams? There's some conflicting info out there. (Crazy, I know!) the old school was that any clam smaller than 3" has to be fed, but the Clam Mania guy seemed to dismiss that in one video I saw.

 

[BriDroid]

Mine seem fine getting hit with alternating gyre flow. The mantles blow but they don’t care. I don’t think they need food, but if you want to dose phytoplankton I’m sure they’ll eat it.

 

[DmitryB]

Mine seem fine getting hit with alternating gyre flow. The mantles blow but they don’t care. I don’t think they need food, but if you want to dose phytoplankton I’m sure they’ll eat it.

I broadcast feed coral food, which he may be able to grab. And I do dose Phyto. You think it needs a direct feeding or broadcast is enough?

 

[BriDroid]

I broadcast feed coral food, which he may be able to grab. And I do dose Phyto. You think it needs a direct feeding or broadcast is enough?

I’ve never directly fed mine, just dose phyto and oyster feast.

 

[minus9]

Put the crocea up high, no acclimation required. It should be receiving 400+ micro moles for at least hrs a day of full spectrum lighting. Do not try to directly feed clams, they don't require feeding, they require light and lots of it. If you have fish and feed them, they're being fed. Dose phyto for the whole tank, not the clam. In the meantime, buy James Fatherree's book here.

 

[exnisstech]

Alrighty, no light acclimation then! He's going up tonight! Though the flow is also higher the higher you go, so we shall see!

What about feeding smaller clams? There's some conflicting info out there. (Crazy, I know!) the old school was that any clam smaller than 3" has to be fed, but the Clam Mania guy seemed to dismiss that in one video I saw.

The only food they need is light. There's Internet jargon saying small clams need to be fed but I've not heard any clam expert state that is true. I doubt you'll be able to give it too much light.
Mine is getting enough flow to lift the mantle but not cause it to fold over.

Here's a video I found interesting and addresses a few myths like clams can't be out if the water. I think he mentions feeding also but it been a while since I've actually watched it.

 

[DmitryB]

The only food they need is light. There's Internet jargon saying small clams need to be fed but I've not heard any clam expert state that is true. I doubt you'll be able to give it too much light.
Mine is getting enough flow to lift the mantle but not cause it to fold over.

Here's a video I found interesting and addresses a few myths like clams can't be out if the water. I think he mentions feeding also but it been a while since I've actually watched it.

Yeah I was wondering about "small clams need more than light" information. There this very interesting conversation between Ryan (BRS) and the Clam Mania guy about clams and he dismissed that idea among a few other myths. Informative and entertaining 50 min chat.

 

[KrisReef]

I broadcast feed coral food, which he may be able to grab. And I do dose Phyto. You think it needs a direct feeding or broadcast is enough?

I’m not a fan of this freeze dried stuff especially for clams. My impression was that they don’t like it, but it never really said. I observed that they would go into hiding when they encountered it in the water column.

Phytoplankton, diluted, doesn’t seem to have the same negative effects on clams. Good light energy is what makes them happy!