With their unusual mantle pattern, the so-called Teardrop clams are very striking and definitely a prized possession of reefkeeping clam collectors.
Tridacna Noae "Teardrop" clams
While none of the Teardrops are as widely available as other Tridacna species, the colored Teardrops are the least common and most amazing.
Just like other Tridacna clams, they require intense lighting, good flow, and some nitrates/phosphates in the water along with stable natural saltwater parameters.
They receive their nutrition from the products of photosynthesis and dissolved organics so they do best in tanks with a well fed fish population.
They appear to be quite hardy and similar in that regard to the generally recognized easy to keep Deresa clams. They do not require specific feeding and grow to about 12 inches.
In the wild they are found in areas with clear water about 2 to 4 feet below the surface under intense tropical sunlight. Water flow is usually quite strong, to the degree that it is difficult for a diver to stay in one place long enough to extract the clam embedded in rock. In the aquarium, they need a firm surface to attach and must not be distrubed by human hands or tank mates.
Being wild collected clams they come from the reef and their shells are hosts to a myriad of life--some good and some bad. Upon arrival we scrub the shells and do so again before they ship out. Because their shells are so intricate and convoluted it is possible to occasionally miss something. So, we recommend again examining the shell and brushing it upon arrival to you before quarantining for 2 weeks prior to addition to your display tank.
We keep these clams in our greenhouse under natural sunlight supplemented with metal halide lighting before they are transitioned to LED lighting. They look better and do better under more full spectrum lighting rather than blue.
After arrival to us they go through a week long color transition and color up considerably during that time. We place them on shells and most attach within that week. After they have settled in I photograph them from above under sunlight supplemented with full spectrum LED. They are very reactive to shadows and vibrations so often they are not open as much as normal in my pics.
When placed in your tank they need a firm surface to attach and should be positioned so when you are looking from the front of the tank you are viewing them at a downward angle. Clams will naturally look quite different in color when viewed from the side vs. the top down.
This is the first time we've received this many colored Teardrops. We sponsored an excursion to find these. That cost plus the much higher than normal freight costs at this time and the difficulty in finding and acquiring these clams leads to their high price of $1900-$3700. Definitely not for everyone, but truly a prize for the advanced clam aficionados. The regular Teardrops are $289-$389. Sizes vary from about 4 to 6 inches.
Tridacna Noae "Teardrop" clams
While none of the Teardrops are as widely available as other Tridacna species, the colored Teardrops are the least common and most amazing.
Just like other Tridacna clams, they require intense lighting, good flow, and some nitrates/phosphates in the water along with stable natural saltwater parameters.
They receive their nutrition from the products of photosynthesis and dissolved organics so they do best in tanks with a well fed fish population.
They appear to be quite hardy and similar in that regard to the generally recognized easy to keep Deresa clams. They do not require specific feeding and grow to about 12 inches.
In the wild they are found in areas with clear water about 2 to 4 feet below the surface under intense tropical sunlight. Water flow is usually quite strong, to the degree that it is difficult for a diver to stay in one place long enough to extract the clam embedded in rock. In the aquarium, they need a firm surface to attach and must not be distrubed by human hands or tank mates.
Being wild collected clams they come from the reef and their shells are hosts to a myriad of life--some good and some bad. Upon arrival we scrub the shells and do so again before they ship out. Because their shells are so intricate and convoluted it is possible to occasionally miss something. So, we recommend again examining the shell and brushing it upon arrival to you before quarantining for 2 weeks prior to addition to your display tank.
We keep these clams in our greenhouse under natural sunlight supplemented with metal halide lighting before they are transitioned to LED lighting. They look better and do better under more full spectrum lighting rather than blue.
After arrival to us they go through a week long color transition and color up considerably during that time. We place them on shells and most attach within that week. After they have settled in I photograph them from above under sunlight supplemented with full spectrum LED. They are very reactive to shadows and vibrations so often they are not open as much as normal in my pics.
When placed in your tank they need a firm surface to attach and should be positioned so when you are looking from the front of the tank you are viewing them at a downward angle. Clams will naturally look quite different in color when viewed from the side vs. the top down.
This is the first time we've received this many colored Teardrops. We sponsored an excursion to find these. That cost plus the much higher than normal freight costs at this time and the difficulty in finding and acquiring these clams leads to their high price of $1900-$3700. Definitely not for everyone, but truly a prize for the advanced clam aficionados. The regular Teardrops are $289-$389. Sizes vary from about 4 to 6 inches.
