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bo0sted2g
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I did buy the clam hammock, and I have travertine tiles on the bottom of my tank so it wouldnt be directly on the glass. I just didn't know if the sand dwelling species needed a loose substrate to bury into.
Which kind of clam would be the best clam to start with?
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I did buy the clam hammock, and I have travertine tiles on the bottom of my tank so it wouldnt be directly on the glass. I just didn't know if the sand dwelling species needed a loose substrate to bury into.
IronChefItaly
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Nice blasto! Some other things to consider, clams don't like to be moved so I've always adjusted the intensity of my light down or shaded the area directly above it with paper towel instead. For acclimation, I recommend a flat 30 minute drip after matching temperature and an additional 30 minutes for every difference of 0.001 points of specific gravity - 1.023 to 1.025 would be 30 minutes + 2*(30 minutes) = 1.5 hours. As for the clam itself, I strongly recommend acquiring a clam from another hobbyist if possible. For a first clam, I feel there is a lot to be gained by starting with a specimen that is known to have been successful in another captive reef system.
Do they eat healthy clams or was it possibly already dying? I put a small clam in my tank about a month ago. Woke up in the middle of the first night to check on it and the Snails had already gotten to it. I just assumed the clam didn't acclimate well.
IronChefItaly
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That is no nassarius snail sir, its a whelk. I got one as a hitchhiker and thought the same thing until I empty shells started showing up. Finally caught it at night devouring one of my new astrea snails. https://reefs.com/2011/07/19/beware-the-whelk/
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bo0sted2g
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How'd you make out in the hunt for your clam? I didn't end up getting one at reefstock. All the ones I saw were only 1"-1.5"
You can make a "cup" out of 2-part putty. Even the sand dwellers will attach sometimes... but sometimes not. I have a little tray made out of 2-part that I keep some very coarse sand in for a Deresa that never wants to attach. If they fall over all of the time, then I do not like your chances of keeping them long term.
I think that Squamosa are easier than Deresa, but they are both good places to start.
IMO, they can take all of the light that you can give them - after acclimation. They can digest excess zoox. Dana Riddle posted a chart once where saturation was 1500+ par for T clams - I do not remember if he posted which kind. Yes, they will grow faster with more light. You can certainly give them all that you want - I start them out under 6500k halides. There is also an amount where they have "enough" to do fine. I have successfully kept Squamosa outside in a kidde pool in the summer at massive amounts of PAR, but also have a pair right now under 200 par.
I think that Squamosa are easier than Deresa, but they are both good places to start.
IMO, they can take all of the light that you can give them - after acclimation. They can digest excess zoox. Dana Riddle posted a chart once where saturation was 1500+ par for T clams - I do not remember if he posted which kind. Yes, they will grow faster with more light. You can certainly give them all that you want - I start them out under 6500k halides. There is also an amount where they have "enough" to do fine. I have successfully kept Squamosa outside in a kidde pool in the summer at massive amounts of PAR, but also have a pair right now under 200 par.
Nothing particularly cool there, it was all tiny Maximas, some Squamosas. I bought a 2 inch black striped Maxima though. I was really only interested in acros. I did pick up 8 frags, mostly acros, but I have an acan and a stylo in the mix.
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bo0sted2g
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Well after months of browsing auctions and a few fish stores, I finally came across a decent Derasa clam at petco of all places I'd been looking at. I normally never buy livestock from my local petco but they had just gotten a fresh shipment in and I figured we would rescue this little clam before he faces certain death at petco.
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