Looking for Clams

[Asagi]

They are tough to get even from Okinawa now, I have an LFS owner who goes directly to the clam farms for importing, other than that, nothing, not even from Tonga. It’s also not clam season yet, they don’t ship them during the winter usually.

They need to stop eating all the clams!

 

[Asagi]

Got a pal who is gonna get me some baby gigas to grow out. Had a big one a while back. They just get too big, same with Derasa. Need that baby blue squamosa boys! Need this clam. Anyone ever seen a derasa this color in the hobby?

 

[MartinM]

They need to stop eating all the clams!

Haha, that’s why they farm them!

 

[Asagi]

Haha, that’s why they farm them!

Yea but I wanna stick em in my marine aquarium for my American viewing pleasure

 

[BigKid4788]

I just bought a few from clam mania. See how they do. I’ve had a maxima for about 6 years

 

[minus9]

Yea but I wanna stick em in my marine aquarium for my American viewing pleasure

Have you stopped by Ali's place? Amazing Aquariums & Reefs. He has some ORA maximas, derasa & gigas, plus some super sweet Aussie maximas that have some very cool mantles (squamosa purple blotches type mantles).

 

[mtraylor]

Pacific East Aqualculture posted about 4 squamosa's a couple hours ago. I think one is left now but they will be posting more

 

[Asagi]

Have you stopped by Ali's place? Amazing Aquariums & Reefs. He has some ORA maximas, derasa & gigas, plus some super sweet Aussie maximas that have some very cool mantles (squamosa purple blotches type mantles).

Love that guy. A real sweetheart! I’m no longer in that area otherwise I would for sure. The gigas in his main display is my old clam. Miss my clam. Miss my clam more than uncle Ali.

 

[Asagi]

Pacific East Aqualculture posted about 4 squamosa's a couple hours ago. I think one is left now but they will be posting more

woah! big ole broodstock guys. May get one of the blue ones. or should hold out!?

 

[Asagi]

Have you stopped by Ali's place? Amazing Aquariums & Reefs. He has some ORA maximas, derasa & gigas, plus some super sweet Aussie maximas that have some very cool mantles (squamosa purple blotches type mantles).

Honestly in emailing with the dude from mania, he comes off as being completely full of you know what LOL

 

[Opus]

Honestly in emailing with the dude from mania, he comes off as being completely full of you know what LOL

I had looked forward to seeing him at Reefapalooza-Dallas last year. I had heard he had great clams at really cheap prices. Well, he did have some amazing looking clams but his prices were rediculous. He was wanting something like $250 for a colored crocea that was maybe 2". I had planned to buy something from him but not at those prices. Ended up with a nice 2" blue maxima from another vendor for about half what he was asking. I didn't talk to him so I can't comment on his personality.

 

[Opus]

Clams have really lost a lot of popularity in the US also because everyone runs blue light. Even here, the ‘USA copycat’ style LFS run all blues and couldn’t believe how beautiful clams were when I told them to turn on the whites . Aquarists also tend to like LPS corals, and LPS don’t like 400+ PAR you need for Maxima/Crocea!

I believe that is part of the problem. I run my leds with mostly white for several hours during the day so I can really see my clam's color during that time. Once the blues really kick in you almost can't see the clam because his color is all washed out.

 

[Asagi]

I believe that is part of the problem. I run my leds with mostly white for several hours during the day so I can really see my clam's color during that time. Once the blues really kick in you almost can't see the clam because his color is all washed out.

Time for halides!!!

 

[MartinM]

Time for halides!!!

I love halides. My large system used them until just a few weeks ago, when I got tired of fighting the heat of 1200+ watts. If I lived somewhere colder, I would definitely still be using them.

 

[Asagi]

I love halides. My large system used them until just a few weeks ago, when I got tired of fighting the heat of 1200+ watts. If I lived somewhere colder, I would definitely still be using them.

I hear this a lot about heat. Are you guys putting them in a closed lid or something? Mine are suspended above my tank. Heat is not an issue.

 

[Asagi]

I had looked forward to seeing him at Reefapalooza-Dallas last year. I had heard he had great clams at really cheap prices. Well, he did have some amazing looking clams but his prices were rediculous. He was wanting something like $250 for a colored crocea that was maybe 2". I had planned to buy something from him but not at those prices. Ended up with a nice 2" blue maxima from another vendor for about half what he was asking. I didn't talk to him so I can't comment on his personality.

So, what i surmise is that he is getting his clams from the usual suspects, piles them into his system, but then drones on about breeding them in captivity and blah blah blah. I've been around long enough to know this isn't happening. Mentioned to me something about growing gigas from millimeters size to 5"+. I'm all for a good story, but come on. Plus the lack of a website and the live sales just makes me buy from someone else.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Got a pal who is gonna get me some baby gigas to grow out. Had a big one a while back. They just get too big, same with Derasa. Need that baby blue squamosa boys! Need this clam. Anyone ever seen a derasa this color in the hobby?

Where is that from?

 

[Opus]

I hear this a lot about heat. Are you guys putting them in a closed lid or something? Mine are suspended above my tank. Heat is not an issue.

For me it was the heat they produced and added to the overall temp of the house. I don't need all that extra heat when it is already 105 outside. I'm already paying $500+/mo in the summer, don't need the extra cost of electricity from the halides and the extra cooling required.

 

[minus9]

So, what i surmise is that he is getting his clams from the usual suspects, piles them into his system, but then drones on about breeding them in captivity and blah blah blah. I've been around long enough to know this isn't happening. Mentioned to me something about growing gigas from millimeters size to 5"+. I'm all for a good story, but come on. Plus the lack of a website and the live sales just makes me buy from someone else.

Yup and any clam that's over 5" isn't cultured either, especially maximas. The only cultured ones at that size are gigas. Most truly cultured clams are under 3" or maybe under 4" for some derasa and squamosa. Having been around clams since the 90's, it's pretty easy to spot the wild ones. I've never actually talked to the dude, but I'll make it a point to at the next west coast RAP.

 

[MartinM]

I hear this a lot about heat. Are you guys putting them in a closed lid or something? Mine are suspended above my tank. Heat is not an issue.

I was using Geisemann spectra fixtures suspending quite far over the tank, but the heat load was still very high. MH's emit a good amount of IR, and my tank also gets natural sunlight, so between he two, my chiller was cycling on ~4-5 times per day for nearly an hour each time (unless I ran a fan, which destroys the aesthetics so no thanks). IMO they make a ton of sense if you're needing to run a heater because you live in a colder climate, or maybe if you keep the room really cold, but I do neither (the temperature where I am stays between 10-28 all the time, I tend to just keep the windows open).