Clam

[Jarrett]

I just got a tahitian clam from aquarium village, not so experienced with these guys but DAMN they are beautiful. its nice and healthy hasnt opened up all the way but i am sure it will in time. as far as placement i have it on my sand bed under a 6 bulb tek light all new bulbs. will this provide sufficient light for it? any tips or pointers you guys got for me to keep this guy healthy would be appreciated.

 

[kenconnect]

the sand bed will b fine. i kept mine on the sand bed with out any problem when i had t5s

 

[Jarrett]

cool thanks ken. do you know how long it takes for this guy to adjust and open fully? do some clams just not open up that big.

 

[Jarrett]

not the best picture but this is how much hes open now. it looks healthy to me what do you think?

 

[kenconnect]

some dont open alot like if u look at my 4 sale thread i have a pic of 2 diff clams and 1 opens up alot the other is a max clam and it dont open up as much. but thats a nice clam bro

 

[Jarrett]

thanks man, little celebration gift to myself for making it through the storm with minimal loss. lol hopefully it will be happy in my tank!

 

[Jarrett]

are tahitian clams often open less then lets say maximas? the clam looks really healthy but it is only open about the size of the picture i posted above. is that normal? is that ok? just wanted to make sure.

 

[Jarrett]

im still trying to photograph this guy, but heres a picture for referance this is basically exactly how wide mine opens just want to make sure this is normal for these clams? and i have noticed my hermit crabs are constantly on its shell i guess cleaning it. does this irritate them should i be removing them?

 

[reefs4life]

Tahitian just describes where the clam is from, Tahiti.

That is a Maxima clam from what I can tell.

 

[Jarrett]

alright, well either way w.e it is lol i wouldnt know i just know it looks awesome. just want to make sure its healthy

 

[reefs4life]

alright, well either way w.e it is lol i wouldnt know i just know it looks awesome. just want to make sure its healthy

It looks pretty healthy, as long as the mantle remains fully extended there is nothing wrong with it. If the mantle begins to pinch then the clam begins to decimate, that's typically the most common disease that affects clams in captivity and pyramidal snails which you would be able to see underneath the clam. All in all your clam looks fine

 

[kres1024]

Opening looks perfectly fine ,some might open more and have a longer mantle ...
I have 9 clams 6-7 inches most of them ,all open somewhat differently.
You just have to watch for pinched mantle disease....

 

[Jarrett]

cool thanks guys i checked for the pyramid snails and it has none so thats great! and it looks super healthy so i am happy just wanted to get everyone opinion since i never owned a clam. appreciate the reassurance!

 

[Jarrett]

how about the hermit crabs, are those a concern?

 

[reefs4life]

BTW don't be so worried about this pinched mantle disease that we keep talking about, there's a simple cure for it if it were to occur.

 

[kres1024]

Got hermits from time to time clean my clams ,but never hurt any..

 

[kres1024]

BTW don't be so worried about this pinched mantle disease that we keep talking about, there's a simple cure for it if it were to occur.

Yea fresh water dip!

 

[reefs4life]

Yea fresh water dip!

Yup, worked twice for me

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Reefs

 

[kres1024]

Also heard running a good amount of carbon also helps..

 

[Jarrett]

do i have to worry about bleaching or light shocking this guy by having him on the sand bed? i plan to keep him there i was told my 6 bulb tek light would be more then enough light for him there, but should i start him in a shaded area?