Best Clam to Get?

[DrCooper]

Just wanted to see what you all think is best clam to get for a 28 gallon JBJ Nano with 150 MH?
It would be my first clam
Any ideas of good place to get or which type?

Thanks in advance

 

[NYreefNoob]

hof usually has really nice one's and best clam is the one you like

 

[Dace]

Maximal would be great for a tank your size

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Hi
Tridacna derasa would be a good choice for a first clam as it is hardier than the other species. Your selection of any Tridacna should go for specimens that have more than 4 inches as bellow that size Tridacnas are more dificult to keep.

About Tridacna clams you can read some more here

About Tridacna derasa you can read some more here

About giant Tridacnas fro beginners you can read some more here

One of the good things with Tridacnas is the fact one of their foods is NO3...

I have one Tridacna derasa but now the lights are off, so I can't take photographs of it...any way I hope this information helps.

Cheers
Pedro Nuno;-)

 

[reefman]

Hi
Tridacna derasa would be a good choice for a first clam as it is hardier than the other species. Your selection of any Tridacna should go for specimens that have more than 4 inches as bellow that size Tridacnas are more dificult to keep.

agree.
clams in general require a stable environment with good ca/alk/ph par.
this is usually y larger tanks r better suited. but many smaller system can have success too providng their requirements are met. maximas r the most sensitive out of all the others.

 

[duke62]

i would love to answer this but its a pg site :lol2: but seriously i like the crocea clams.i have 1 of them and a maxxima.i just like the colors the crocea clam has.

 

[Cibo]

The best clam is the one you like!! 150mh should be fine!!

 

[tosiek]

Derasa's would be the easiest/hardiest to keep. Crocea is usually the next favorite. Maxima's tend to cause people troubles. check out the forums on clamsdirect.com and try to get a hold of James Fatheree's book. Both are excellent sources of info. We have a couple really good clam posts too.

Just remember that the clam is going to be a calc hog in a 28g tank. I think your main concern is going to be calcium depletion and not lighting. Are you dosing calcium at all or just using water changes to resuppliment the tank with calc and alk?

 

[oonycxwilloo]

Well IMO, appearance wise, its just personal preference. What ever you see and you like, thats the clam you should get. But everyone that replied before has some really good points as well.

 

[Reef Reaper]

Derasa is the easiest!!

 

[DrCooper]

Thanks everyone for all the great tips and advice!

 

[e.muehlbauer]

While derasa's have the reputation of being the easiest, I have recently been having very good luck with crocea's. A few years ago, croceas were less common and had the reputation of being the most difficult. Now it seems that 80-90% of the clams I see sold are crocea's, and it may be that they have become easier through breeding. I've had one for 6 months, another for 3, and both are fully expanded all the time with solid white growth lines on the edge of the shell. I have found that derasa's aren't so much easy as they are fast growing. A small one can triple its size in a few months....but they are very prone to sudden death. One day they are fully expanded and looking vibrant...the next day the mantle has shrunk, the 3rd day they are an empty shell.

 

[ellebelle]

I think the trick with maximas is to get one that a dealer has had for a while. I got one at the swap which I knew the dealer had had for easily a month and it's doing fine for me. Mantle fully expanded and the beginnings of growth lines on the shell. ( At least, the last time I saw it. )