Clam Q's

[beerbaron]

hey guys n gals, im down here in florida on vacation, just got back from the keys. i went snorkeling-awsome- and drinking and everything else. had a great time. ill try to put up some pics of the snorkeling when i get back home. saw quite a few sharks, and barracudas, as well as a bunch of corals and fish.

now to the questions. i found a good deal on maxima clams down here, and i have been thinking about trying one for a while. but my questions are, are the babies (1-2") more difficult to keep, should i go for a larger one?
which of these clams are more hardy, i have a list at home, but i forgot it.
squamosa, maxima or deresa
also, my flight leaves at 11:00 on sunday, and its about a 2 hour flight and 2 hour drive home. the latest i would be able to pick him up would be saturday evening when they close. wold this be cutting it to close on travel time? what are some extra packing techniques i should ask for? should i notify the airline about my live companion?

 

[danmhippo]

What, another one vacationing in the Keys? I am quitting my job.......

Big ones are significantly more forgiving then the small ones. Get the 3"+ whenever possible.

I believe it's nice to let the airlines know and it's good to call their 800 # ahead of time to know if that's alright. Otherwise, I would do a good packing and check it in as a luggage. Make sure you at least double bag or triple bag it.

 

[beerbaron]

which variety is the easiest?

 

[newkie]

from easiest to hardest: squamosa, dersesa, crocea, maxima

Lots of good clam details in your books. 0 nitrates, good lighting (especially for crocea and maxima), established tank.. its hard to go wrong. There is a clam epidemic going on, so be wary of clams the lfs is trying to turnover very quickly.. recommend putting on hold for 3 weeks.

 

[beerbaron]

so are they harder to keep b-cause of lighting or other reasons? i currently have 4 vho's over a 75 gal tank. what should i look for as warning signs on the clams. i dont really have time to wait and watch the clam health.

 

[newkie]

so are they harder to keep b-cause of lighting or other reasons? i currently have 4 vho's over a 75 gal tank. what should i look for as warning signs on the clams. i dont really have time to wait and watch the clam health.

I'd recommend buying The Reef Aquarium Vol 1 by Daelbeck and Sprung before making a clam purchase. You won't regret it. HTH

 

[Anonymous]

so are they harder to keep b-cause of lighting or other reasons? i currently have 4 vho's over a 75 gal tank. what should i look for as warning signs on the clams. i dont really have time to wait and watch the clam health.

I have never kept one of the tiny clams, but I have read that at that size they are not able to live of of just light, they need to be fed as well (phytoplankton).

 

[danmhippo]

so are they harder to keep b-cause of lighting or other reasons? i currently have 4 vho's over a 75 gal tank. what should i look for as warning signs on the clams. i dont really have time to wait and watch the clam health.

I have never kept one of the tiny clams, but I have read that at that size they are not able to live of of just light, they need to be fed as well (phytoplankton).

Exactly. The food has to be proper sizes in right cell count as well. Too much food at once is simply a waste, and too sparse the density does not provide enough.

 

[beerbaron]

ok ill prob. go a bit larger than what i was thinking

 

[clk2609]

do your research on clams before attempting to keep. gotta have good calcium, alkalinity, and of course lighting.

this is a good website: clamsdirect.com should be able to get to it from this:

http://clamsdirect.homestead.com/index1.html

he's got good advice and many, many articles about clams. let me know if this link works.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

For Maxima, You may want clams that is 2+ inches or at least 1,5 inches. They are hardier. Clams are relatively easy to keep provide:

1. Good water condition (low phos, high Ca and Alkalinity) with stable parameters.

2. Adequate lighting. For Maxima you will need MH. There are people out there state that they can keep their Maxima alive With VHO or PC, but they will do much better with MH. Keep Maxima close to the bulbs unless you have 400 W MH.

3. You need to make sure that there are no parasitic snails on the clams. IMO, this is the most common cause of death of Clams in aquarium.

4. No fish that will harasses and pick on them.

5. You can get a healthy clam in the first place.

If you can provide the above condition, then go for it. You can pack clams with some water and plenty of Oxygen. They should do well for 24 hrs or even 36 hrs. Make sure that the seller knows that they will be in the bag for about 36 hrs and insist that they use all O2. A large bag with lots of O2 should be use. Keep the clam insulates in a cooler or styrofoam box.

Good luck. You will really enjoy your clams. You will not stop with just one clam.

You can read more on clams here:


http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_frontiers/On_The_Half_Shell.html

Minh

 

[toptank]

beerbaron,

You have been given some great advise here. Keeping clams like Mihn says isn't that hard if your tank is stable.

Strongly recommend getting a good book on clams, I personlly like Daniel Knop's book, "Giant Clams" but there are other good ones as well.

Barry