Swimming Tridacna Clam

  • Thread starter Thread starter cypho
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

cypho

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 24, 2015
Messages
78
Reaction score
67
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have(had) 3 Squamosa's sitting in a group on the sand bed. The newest(and smallest) one has been in there for more than 6 months, and the others have been there for a few years. The little guy is about 1.5"-2" long. The other two are 3"-4" (currently - they were much smaller when I got them).

Every once in a while the little guy will tip over, and they all shift a few mm occasionally, but for the most part they have stayed put. Until this Saturday...
  • Saturday, I found the little guy in the sand bed 12" from his normal spot. I returned him home.
  • Sunday, I found him in the sand bed 24" in the other direction from his normal spot. I returned him home.
  • Monday, I found him up on the highest point of the rockwork, about 24" from his normal spot. I returned him home.
  • And on Tuesday guess what. Back up high up on the rockwork. I left him alone this time.
  • Today he was still up in the rocks, no new movements.
At first I thought that perhaps the blue urchin was taking him for a ride. But what are the chances this would happen 4 days in a row. Apparently he really does not want to hang out with his cousins any more.

Slamming his shell closed and tipping over or shifting around a bit in the sand is one thing, but how on earth did he get up high on the rockwork. Apparently he can swim.

Have any of you ever seen a Tridacna clam swim? How do they do it? Do they just rapidly open and close their shells ?
 
They use their foot to climb and move around. Perhaps the other clams are sheltering the new clam from ideal flow for that clam.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHICH TYPE OF MISTAKE TAUGHT YOU YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE REEFKEEPING LESSON?

  • Moving too quickly or adding too much at once

    Votes: 12 34.3%
  • Skipping—or shortening—quarantine or dipping

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • Buying the wrong equipment the first time

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • Ignoring maintenance, warning signs, or redundancy

    Votes: 11 31.4%
  • Chasing numbers or making too many changes

    Votes: 3 8.6%
  • Choosing incompatible fish, corals, or invertebrates

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • Poor aquascaping or tank-design decisions

    Votes: 3 8.6%
  • Failing to research an animal’s needs

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • Trusting bad advice

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • Doing something on the tank when you should've gone to bed

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • Something else—tell us below

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • I’m still waiting for my first expensive lesson!

    Votes: 3 8.6%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new