Is this safe? Clams from Florida

[orion]

A friend of mine just gave me a gallon jug full of clams he brought back from Desten Florida. He found them in the sand and I'm not sure if it is safe to put them in my tank. They are white and smaller then a dime. I know some clams are great filters but not sure if its safe to take them strait out of the ocean w/out knowing what kind they are.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
John

 

[liquid]

Do you by chance have any pics of them? It's hard to ID from just your post.

Shane

 

[orion]

Thanks for the reply but I dont have any pictures. My friend said they were all over the beach in the sand. They have a rounded shell, their toung hangs out one end and two tubes extend out of the other end. I will get some pictrues tomorrow.
Thanks,
John

 

[Vee5]

I live in Pensacola, just down the road from Destin. The clams you have may be coquina clams which are about the size of your fingernail. They usually have colors on the shell also and are found in the edge of the surf. I don't know if they would survive in a tank since they are accustomed to the constant wash of the surf. Perhaps someone else here would know.

 

[liquid]

Hi Vee5 and

Shane

 

[Lifer]

I don't know about the ID on the clams but you need to be careful about introducing animals from the wild into your tank. I know, I know.....that is what we do but remember that most of your stuff is from the western Pacific and you may be introducing pathogens from a part of the world they your creatures have never experienced. You also may not be able to provide the food or enough of it that these clams require. Better safe then sorry..... :wink: Plus......isn't it illegal to collect from Florida? I'm not trying to get on your case....just be careful. I've heard that environmental activists get on these forums and use what is said as firepower against us.

 

[orion]

Thanks for the responses. I am aware of the risks of putting these in my tank and would never bring home animals from the ocean. Unfortunetly my friend knew I had a salt water tank and decided (without asking me) to bring me some. I did not expect this and didnt want them but dont want to let them die.
Thanks,
John

 

[Anonymous]

Well, a bazillion of those coquinas die every year in the surf- I don't know if I would put yourself through too much moral stress. Try em and see what happens. I put a couple of cockels in a refugium from South Carolina once- they lived for about 6 months buried in the sand, but probably weren't getting enough food.

Also, people use live rock farmed in florida- other tha mantis shrimp and aiptasia I don't know of any pathogens indigenous to this area/rock.

 

[Anonymous]

They're probably filter feeders, not photosynthetic, so you'll need to research their feeding requirements if you want to keep them alive. It sounds like a fine idea to me.

 

[Anonymous]

As far as I know, tridacnids are the only photosynthetic mollusk.

 

[redawg]

in florida you can't take sand or rock but u can get up to 20 inverts (a few species have lower limits).. per person..

 

[shalegac]

I remember visting my Grandparents in Florida when I was 10. Every time I went to the beach I would bring back some of these clams in a 20 oz bottle and use a air pump to keep them alive. They lasted about 4 days or so. No real point to this story but it was funny because I was thinking about those little clams the other day and wondering if I would be able to keep them today.
If you were to try it, I would use some Dt's to supplement their diet. From what I know they are filter feeders.
Thanks for listening to my memory :roll:

 

[LauraH]

John,

I second the suggestion of trying DT's on these little guys. I also live in Pensacola. If I remember correctly, someone once told me that the waters in this area are pretty rich in phytoplankton. It's worth a try.

 

[wade1]

They are indeed coquinas and they will not survive in your tank. They are native to high energy, hi food environments. Without the constant supersaturated oxygen and loose sand of the beach they just won't live long. (And yes, I have tried!)

Pretty little buggers though.

Wade