ORA squamosa clam questions

GratefulReef · Mar 8, 2013

So, for a little while I have been checking out clams and have been wanting to order one for quite some time. After a mishap with my last dr foster delivery I had a 49.99 credit for future orders and I decided to buy a few things. One of those was a ORA squamosa clam from the divers den I didnt want to spend a whole bunch of money on my first clam until I know more about keeping them through experience. So squamosa clams, what do they generally like for flow, lighting what corals will bother them and will they bother anything? I have a 75g standard with 4x54w t5 deepblue solarmax he but am very soon upgrading to either LED or an ati 6x54w t5 fixture. I use only ATI and geisemann bulbs and have good success with the couple of SPS I have a green monti digi and I just got a monti danae which after only 1 day in the tank already has extended polyp and seems very happy. Do clams need anything special for food, and if so would brightwell marine microvore work? Or I also make my own coral/fish/invert food which is fresh organic seafood, nori paper and organic garlic that is run through a food processor and then frozen until its feeding time. Would that work for feeding the clam? I want to make sure I do everything in my power to keep this clam alive, vibrant and happy. I use RODI water, do wcs every 2-3 weeks around 15gal, water params are always good undetectable nitrate/nitrite/ammonia..phos is almost undetectable on salifert its between 0 and 0.03ppm cal 460ish ph 8.4 alk 10.1 I dont have a mag test kit right now as all my LFS are out of stock but I assume by the growth and how happy all my corals fish and inverts are that my mag is also good, I keep a spreadsheet of my test results so that if something goes wrong I can try to track down what happened. Sorry for this wall-o-text and I appreciate any advice some squamosa keepers can give.

flyingfish27 · Mar 8, 2013

You sounds like a potential conscientious clam keeper to me!

There are lots of folks here who can tell you much more than I know, but basically, a squamosa will like to sit on the aquarium floor, it will not need feeding even if it is small, and it's a pretty beginner-friendly clam. I don't know the kinds of lights too well, but it sounds like you're okay there. Coral won't bother it; do you have any fish that might, like butterflies or angelfish? How long has your tank been up? Good luck!

Kim H.

GratefulReef · Mar 8, 2013

My fish stock list is as follows 1 clarkii clown who has a large rbta he calls home, 1 banded pipefish and 4 damsels 3 are yellowtail 1 is just straight blue and I also have a lawnmower blenny. I have normal mix of CUC, and everything seems to get along really well. Good, I thought the squamosa were easier to keep, but I wasnt positive and I already ordered it. Someday I'd like to get one of the ultra tahitians from the divers den they had some really beautiful ones, but figure I should start off with a less expensive one to test out the waters. How about flow, how much does this clam like, I have areas on the bottom that get more or less flow than others, and should I keep it in direct light, or a little shaded? My tank has been a running saltwater tank for over 4 years, for the first 2.5 years of that it was FOWLR then I purchased the tank and converted it to a reef and I have owned it for going on 2 years now. Have been in the aquarium hobby for almost my whole life since I was 7 or 8 years old and I'm 31 now.

flyingfish27 · Mar 8, 2013

Clams are okay with flow, but it will be obvious if it's too much - the clam's mantle getting flapped around so that it gets annoyed and withdraws it, sand getting in the clam, etc. Clams, like anemones, like nice mature tanks like yours. Direct light, on the floor should be great. Again, I'm close to a beginner at clams myself, so I'm just trying to speak to the parts I know! Watch for any fish getting in the habit of picking at the clam's mantle, even if they don't actually hurt it, they can aggravate it so that it doesn't stay open enough.

Read all the threads on here, there is a TON of great info and knowledge here! I have the two popular clam books but the people here have really added to my base of really useful info. The James Fatheree clam book is good, though not too cheap, and he's actually a pretty amusing writer too! After I got it for Christmas, my family made fun of me for laughing out loud reading a giant clam book. The Daniel Knop giant clam book is dirt cheap now (like $2!) and also useful, though the translations are a little odd at times.

Hoping some of the experts here will jump in and make sure you're on the right track! I think you are, good luck with your new clam!

Kim H.

GratefulReef · Mar 9, 2013

Awesome! Yes I have been waiting until my tank was mature enough for a clam, and with the results lately I am fairly certain its go time. I also ordered a few nice divers den corals a DFS nuclear tide lined brain, and a digitate acropora fiji along with a beefy restock for my CUC. I will def go through all the stickies here on clams and what not, I have a basic knowledge and understanding but can always learn something new. Thanks for your replies so far, its nice to get that reassurance from others. =) I will get a pic of the clam up on tuesday afternoon when I get it home

skinz78 · Mar 9, 2013

Congrats on the new purchase and welcome to the addiction! It looks like Kim has you on the right track so far, I can't see anything else to add.

BTW did you get the one that has the real dark black background? I was eyeballing that one....

GratefulReef · Mar 9, 2013

Possibly, there were a couple that looked almost alike the one I ordered has more of a green tint all the way around the mantle where the others seemed to have it only in spots.