What are these !!?

Nelson Vargas · Jul 12, 2018

I have no idea what they are my friend picked them up from the beach and put them in his sump. Will like to know what they are.

Dsnakes · Jul 12, 2018

They are little clams. Most wont survive long in your reef.

Nelson Vargas · Jul 12, 2018

They are in my friends 120G. He has a hunch laying around on the sump. If they perish will it be an issue nutrient wise ? @Dsnakes

Dsnakes · Jul 12, 2018

Nelson Vargas said:
They are in my friends 120G. He has a hunch laying around on the sump. If they perish will it be an issue nutrient wise ? @Dsnakes

I don’t think they would cause much of a spike in a 120. They likely wouldn’t all die at once either. I would expect a slow die off as they starve. I think they like cooler water as well. I think there are several threads on here about them.

NY_Caveman · Jul 12, 2018

I just added some live rock to a new build (45 gallon) and found a couple of tiny clams. I found the clean shells a couple of days later. They were basically picked clean by a hitchhiker crab I believe and caused no issue.

RocketBunny · Jul 13, 2018

Nelson Vargas said:
I have no idea what they are my friend picked them up from the beach and put them in his sump. Will like to know what they are.

Known as burrowing mussels. The two tubes are for feeding, they are filter feeders. I have a lot of them in my sump, and they are fat and happy. Not a parasite... just a simple clam-mussel.

Also known as inter-tidal burrowing clams.

Halal Hotdog · Jul 13, 2018

RocketBunny said:
Known as burrowing mussels. The two tubes are for feeding, they are filter feeders. I have a lot of them in my sump, and they are fat and happy. Not a parasite... just a simple clam-mussel.

Also known as inter-tidal burrowing clams.

Are you specifically target feeding them? How long have you had them?

RocketBunny · Jul 13, 2018

Halal Hotdog said:
Are you specifically target feeding them? How long have you had them?

I don't target feed them, I have some in my dp tank and most are in sump... The ones in the sump are happier. They just filter out planktonic organisms and nitrates from water... they also are a food source for my blue leg hermits...

I collected them from a beach 5 months ago, still living

Halal Hotdog · Jul 13, 2018

RocketBunny said:
I don't target feed them, I have some in my dp tank and most are in sump... The ones in the sump are happier. They just filter out planktonic organisms and nitrates from water... they also are a food source for my blue leg hermits...

I collected them from a beach 5 months ago, still living

Interesting. Are you adding phyto to your tank?

Crabs McJones · Jul 13, 2018

Bivalve, cool find

RocketBunny · Jul 13, 2018

Halal Hotdog said:
Interesting. Are you adding phyto to your tank?

I use NSW, so there is always a ton of microorganisms in there. I don't filter it, I just simply dump it after I made sure that parameters are correct.

I did dose phyto some time ago, but it was all a waste. The phyto they sell here is mostly garbage.

Halal Hotdog · Jul 13, 2018

Incredible you are able to do that. Bypass all the dosing and go straight to the source. No wonder they are thriving in your system.

SickBoyNH · Jul 13, 2018

RocketBunny said:
I use NSW, so there is always a ton of microorganisms in there. I don't filter it, I just simply dump it after I made sure that parameters are correct.

I did dose phyto some time ago, but it was all a waste. The phyto they sell here is mostly garbage.

What made it garbage? I just got a Blue Maxima and am target feeding phyto. I think I found a great source https://www.agcorefishfood.com/store/p23/Ocean_Cocktail_Live_Phytoplankton_(6_oz).html
What makes yours garbage? What do I look for?

RocketBunny · Jul 14, 2018

SickBoyNH said:
What made it garbage? I just got a Blue Maxima and am target feeding phyto. I think I found a great source https://www.agcorefishfood.com/store/p23/Ocean_Cocktail_Live_Phytoplankton_(6_oz).html
What makes yours garbage? What do I look for?

No I meant to say that the company that made the plankton sold it spoiled... All I did was pour ammonia/decay into my tank, even though the expiration date said I have a LOT of time..

So yeah. No more plankton.. I lost corals because of this... Unless I culture my own, I won't dose any commercial plankton. There is enough of it in NSW that I'm using ... I'm not saying that the company is horrible, or that you shouldn't dose, I was just unlucky enough to get spoiled plankton... and I'm not doing it again...

Sorry that I didn't clarify

RocketBunny · Jul 14, 2018

Halal Hotdog said:
Incredible you are able to do that. Bypass all the dosing and go straight to the source. No wonder they are thriving in your system.

Lol. I do dose things like calcium and magnesium once in a while... But I don't dose microorganisms like copepods or plankton... I rely on the ocean to do that

CoralGuy19 · Jul 17, 2018

Didn’t know these could even survive! Might have to pick a few of these up next time I’m at the beach

RocketBunny · Jul 17, 2018

Chad Vietz said:
Didn’t know these could even survive! Might have to pick a few of these up next time I’m at the beach

It depends on your tank, I noticed they like bigger tanks with a deeper sand bed. My sister picked some up and put them in her nano tank, and they died within 3 days. Mine are still good... I don't know the reasons why they are good in my tank, but they simply are...