Reef Builders - The Source for Reef Keeping Information

Reef Ramblings: Clamming Around
Part II: Spawning Tridacnids
Adam Blundell M.S.

Introduction
In the previous article I covered the many reasons why hobbyists would be interested in keeping Tridacnid clams.To sum up that article, Tridacnids are a perfect animal for captive care. For the more advanced hobbyists, or at least the more adventurous hobbyists, Tridacnid clams are potentially wonderful animals to aquaculture, experiment, and study.

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Introduction

Giant Clams are amazing. Let me just start by saying that. The members of the family Tridacnidae are also known as the Tridacnids or as the Giant Clams. These animals are truly amazing. Within the phylum Mollusca there are about 115,000 species on Earth, with 30,000 of them contained in the Bivalvia class (Bivalves). Of those 30,000 bivalves a whopping 8 belong to the Family Tridacnidae. It is safe to say that in the grand scheme of things they are certainly oddities. That isn’t to say they are rare in numbers of individuals, just odd from an evolutionary standpoint.

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by Holle Abee

Think of all the divers who go to such lengths to visit saltwater reefs for a view of the amazing sea life that inhabits the area. Now imagine that you can have a little corner of that magic in your own home. With a saltwater reef tank, you can have the mezmerizing tranquility and the brilliant natural beauty of a tropical sea, all vividly displayed in an aquarium.

A reef tank isn’t just a regular saltwater aquarium. The key word is “reef.” The main focus of the tank is the soft or hard corals. Colorful fish, sea stars, eels, anemones, urchins, shrimp, and sea horses can certainly be added, but everything should revolve around the coral itself.

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Adam Blundell Discusses coral fragging, a simple summaries article. Be sure to check it out when you get the time!

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I discuss the 4 most common mistakes made by new reef keepers. Narrowing it down to 4 was actually hard. Most of you advanced aquarists out there should already know these common mistakes, nevertheless it is a great review for those of us that are reef veterans. Even better for those of you just starting out. Learn from our mistakes.

Update: Links have been fixed, sorry everyone!

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Neptune Systems introduced the Aqua Controller Jr to a lot of fan fare. After all, it was one of the first controllers on the market that the average reef keeper could afford. However it wasn’t until later that Neptune Systems realized that customers preferred the “coolness” of the Reef keepers 2 in order for them to change the style.  One look of the old style of the Aqua Controller Jr gives most people horrors. Thankfully they did a refresh, but it our opinion the Reef keeper 2 still looks better. Click the read link to see more photo’s.

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Adam Blundell now writes for Reef Builders magazine and he continues his Reef Ramblings series with a discussion on Nano Aquariums and their role in delicate animal husbandry. Be sure to hop on over to the Reef Builders Magazine and read his article.

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Rygood, had an interesting article about taking Aquarium photos, most of this stuff you probably already know, or should but it is still a good run down of the things you need to do: Start with a fast lens, Bump your ISO, Stabilize your camera, Be patient.

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So apparently it seems a lot of members don’t know how easy it is to start a blog on reef builders. The coolest thing about blogging is we give you all the tools to do it for free. All you need to do is register and confirm your email address. Then you can create your very own blog.

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Steve, who is in the process of building a 180 gallon saltwater aquarium grabbed this tank that needs a lot of work. His plan and equipment goes like this: 65 gallon acrylic (49×18x17) sump/refugium. 36″ high stand. Will be built once I have the tank so I can take actual measurements. 72″ Solaris G-Series LED lighting system. 2 - Mag 9.5’s for return pumps. ASM G-4X Protein skimmer. Reef Keeper 2. 2 - Jager 250w heaters. 2 - 4″ filter socks. Phosban reactor for carbon. 75w 6500k grow lamp for refugium. You can click the read think for the full thread and step-by-step process.

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