Looking to get a Maxima clam!

[Imthatguybrandon]

Hi, looking to get a maxima clam and have a few questions.

1. Would the clam be sufficient for a 50 gallon tank? I have read they can grow up to 12 inches in the wild but in captivity it's more around 4-6 inches.
2. I read that Clams constantly filter nutrients such as ammonia and nitrate from the water thereby reducing the biological load and lowering the overall nitrate level in the aquarium, improving water conditions. Is this true?
3. Parameter's to keep this clam are: Salinity 1.024-.26, Temp 77-78, ph 7.7-8.2. How soon should I wait post cycle before looking to add one?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Sure you can keep a clam, they take decades to grow that big.

Yes, they filter the nutrients, but in such tiny amounts it is not measurable, so no, they don't contribute to water cleanliness.

The most important thing when keeping a clam is to ensure your light is strong enough for it, should be at least 350+ PAR, the higher the better. Good water parameters and stability are also very important.

 

[nothing_fancy]

1. Yes
2. I've also read that. I have a small maxima clam in my 40g but I am not really seeing a difference in nutrients. I would also be of the mind that lowering nutrients isn't an improvement but thats something of a matter of opinion or personal situation.
3. Some folks can kick start a tank with corals right after a cycle and be fine, I don't have that experience. I would wait until the system is starting to mature before adding anything sensitive. 6 months

 

[Tcook]

I would wait untill your tank stabilizes/ages a bit. The 6-12 month mark.

 

[Imthatguybrandon]

Sure you can keep a clam, they take decades to grow that big.

Yes, they filter the nutrients, but in such tiny amounts it is not measurable, so no, they don't contribute to water cleanliness.

The most important thing when keeping a clam is to ensure your light is strong enough for it, should be at least 350+ PAR, the higher the better. Good water parameters and stability are also very important.

Thank you, good to know!

 

[Imthatguybrandon]

1. Yes
2. I've also read that. I have a small maxima clam in my 40g but I am not really seeing a difference in nutrients. I would also be of the mind that lowering nutrients isn't an improvement but thats something of a matter of opinion or personal situation.
3. Some folks can kick start a tank with corals right after a cycle and be fine, I don't have that experience. I would wait until the system is starting to mature before adding anything sensitive. 6 months

Yea, seems like that's something being repeated constantly! I'll give it some time for my tank to mature a bit!

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi, looking to get a maxima clam and have a few questions.

1. Would the clam be sufficient for a 50 gallon tank? I have read they can grow up to 12 inches in the wild but in captivity it's more around 4-6 inches.
2. I read that Clams constantly filter nutrients such as ammonia and nitrate from the water thereby reducing the biological load and lowering the overall nitrate level in the aquarium, improving water conditions. Is this true?
3. Parameter's to keep this clam are: Salinity 1.024-.26, Temp 77-78, ph 7.7-8.2. How soon should I wait post cycle before looking to add one?

I recently put a small clam in my 70! I got it from @Biota_Marine and got the clam food they sell. Mine is doing amazing! I would recommend you get your clam from them! This is my first clam and its beautiful. They have different kinds of clams too and are a good price for a first clam!

 

[nothing_fancy]

Yea, seems like that's something being repeated constantly! I'll give it some time for my tank to mature a bit!

Smart!

 

[ReeferHD]

a clam will do fine in your tank size wise, like others have said you should wait 6 - 12 months before getting one, i made the mistake of adding one too early and the tank's parameters were too unstable, it ended up passing. i also recommend getting a derasa clam if youve never kept one before, they are the hardiest and least demanding light wise, they also dwell on the sand, at the moment i have a large derasa and a small gigas.

 

[Hats_]

Light is a huge factor with giant clams, most species even demanding higher par than acropora. What kind of light are you running and did you measure par before?

 

[minus9]

Buy this book in the meantime.

 

[shakacuz]

Hi, looking to get a maxima clam and have a few questions.

1. Would the clam be sufficient for a 50 gallon tank? I have read they can grow up to 12 inches in the wild but in captivity it's more around 4-6 inches.
2. I read that Clams constantly filter nutrients such as ammonia and nitrate from the water thereby reducing the biological load and lowering the overall nitrate level in the aquarium, improving water conditions. Is this true?
3. Parameter's to keep this clam are: Salinity 1.024-.26, Temp 77-78, ph 7.7-8.2. How soon should I wait post cycle before looking to add one?

1. yes. i have a 3-4in maxima, and a 2-3in crocea in my 40B. it will take a long time for them to reach this size.
2. very much yes. i was able to run a skimmer with just the crocea, but upon addition of the maxima. it was very difficult for me to keep nutrients higher than 1ppm(no3), 0.01-0.03(po4) for phosphate. even after shutting the skimmer off. most days i'm either VERY close to 0, or at 0. and i had 6 fish in my 40B. now 5.
3. i'd wait until AFTER you hit the 1 year mark. be patient.

 

[exnisstech]

As already mentioned light and then more light in addition to a somewhat mature tank. Personally I would recommend trying to find a par meter and not guessing. I tried clams a few times through the years and they always withered away after a few months. Once I got a par meter I knew why. Now that I can measure par rather than eyeballing it I have a maxima and a Derasa that are thriving. Derasa gets 400 par and the maxima 450