[NAS]

My lighting is a single 10,000K 150W MH with two deul 55w t-5 actinic/15000K units. Its a shallow tank so there is not to much for the light issues. I have now 16 Clams in the tank (far, far too crowded) The largest is now up to about 8" measure on the shell, the smallest is 1". It's wierd, I have started with on average clams that are less then two inches. All of which at any given time were attached to Rock. Infact, im quite sure I even have had one start to burrow into the rock!

Of the 7-8 or so that started attached to rocks, All but two have since jumped. Don't know why but they did. To be honest, I have never spot fed any of them... ever. I do however turn off my protien skimmer for a while when I feed them. That keep the skimmer from pulling out the suspention too quickly.

The Calcium reactor has turned out to be both a godsend and curse in the same breth. The calcium levels and KH are both holding perfectly stedy with no bounce (480 Ca, and 180 KH i keep them a little high).

The CO2 has caused remarkable macro algae growth. To a point where it is overgrowing some of the corals and clams. Fear not, I have since also trained my wife to pluck said algae for me! And feed it to my tangs in a different tank.

Im thinking that if the clams are healthy and left alone (not forced to hide and pull back the mantle lots) they would do both forms of feeding. Perhaps they stay on the rocks to be higher up when they are small and drop when bigger and more capable to sustain themselves, I dunh no.

The Growth is Crazy with all of them. I recently added a 1 inch gold maxima to the clan... I should fire some new pics and post them. I have a tigerpasily that has dug down to the glass and anchored firmly. So much that I can't even budge it and have to landscape the tank around him. I take it he is happy...

Since I set up my controller I have had the timing set to put the sump, canister filter and protien skimmer on standby for 15,15, and 30 minutes (respectively) when I feed.

[NAS]

Ok,

Something new... There is a new style clam display tank that has just hit our area. It may very well abound in the states but it's new here.

So should I "Tank" my existing 40 gallon clam tank for the new style.

Here is the diff, It has a waterfall feed. So there is next to no disturbance of the surface so you can see clearly into the tank... from the top!


Ahhhh, Screw it im going to change it... stay tuned....

[migget]

ok so i was thinking about getting a golden maxima and a dersa, i had a dersa in the past and it did great in the sand with a rock it, my question is would the golden be better in the sand of on the rock?
any info would help, ive been looking at some websites but they all seen to say the same thing. looking for new info.

john

[NAS]

My Maxima's start on rock substrate up to about 2-3 inches then drop off the rock to the sand, where the majority stay now.

I think your water paramaters, depth of tank, lighting, placement will also effect where you place it.

How big is the tank/ filtration/ dept/ lighting.... Skimmer?

[migget]

I will be placing the clams in a 65gal tank w/ 250watt halide and 4 - 36 watt actinics. Its kinda my zoa prop tank but i love clams b/c they help keep the water to clean and well they jsut look beuatiful too. I have a large area in the sand in the front and front right of the tank for jsut about anything right now, were i would placing the clams. thanks NAS!!!

john

[NAS]

Im thinking that if it is a maxima 3 inches + there should be no problem on having it on the sand. don't be suprised if it moves around to where it wants to be. Believe it or not I actulally have had one clam (a Small squamosa) go Up a rock! It is about an inch long and used it's foot fibers to pull it's self up a rock, never saw it though.
If the maxima starts movin around and ends up against a rock you can always move it back to where you want it and place a piece of rock with at slight depression in it, under the clam. Just remember to cut the fibers attaching the clam with a sharp pair of scissors.

The dersa will be fine in the sand of any size. Be sure to feed with a food suppliment just to be sure.

Keep me posted on how it goes.

[migget]

Thanks NAS, your about the only one around here other then octo tht actually anwsers me when i post something anymore lol. Will keep you posted when we get more stuff going.

john

[NAS]

Ok. Now Im onto a bigger clam tank. I have completly over crowded my existing Clam Nano. So I have decided to get bigger. Im still debating the size of the system, but the general feeling is 36*36*16 tall. The goal it to house an 18 inch gigas that I have nailed down at a supplier. I will keep the posting going on the new build.

[WhatReef]

I have 4 Maximas in my refugium that appear to be doing great and i only dose photoplankton once or twice a week and just keep my calcium in check as is does drop off a lil but my maximas are just babies 2"-3" and i also dose micro vert i have never directly feed clams before just wondering if you do NAS as i have always thought they get most of there energy from the sun and filter feeeding?

these are a few of them, the other one is black and white

[NAS]

Originally Posted by WhatReef

I have 4 Maximas in my refugium that appear to be doing great and i only dose photoplankton once or twice a week and just keep my calcium in check as is does drop off a lil but my maximas are just babies 2"-3" and i also dose micro vert i have never directly feed clams before just wondering if you do NAS as i have always thought they get most of there energy from the sun and filter feeeding?

these are a few of them, the other one is black and white

I have never fed the clams directly. I do however overdose on the phytoplankton and Nanocropsis (sp)
Im up to 16 clams ranging from 10" down to 1.5" I am starting to belive that my nitrates are an issuse at this time. more so then the feeding. I have had a zero nitrate measure for almos a month now. Im even over feeding on purpose. Something has changed in the tank as far as demand goes. I am now starting to dope my tank with waste water from my eel/ carnivore tank (lots o nitrates!) If this does not help, i have ordered some Sodium Nitrate from a lab supply company. I will try a dosing pump to supply constant small (10ppm) levels of nitrates.

I have also disabled the protien skimmer so it is just circulating water.

I question the need for direct feeding if the clams are in good flow paths with good suppliments in voulume.

[NAS]

PS: good lookin clams by the way. The should not be in the refugium!

It shoudl be the other way around!

LOL

[NAS]

Ok, now here is a wierd one for all u clam lovers out there.

The past two months I have been some what confused. My now 10 inch squamosa has been fading. In the mantle. All The water paramaters were bang on. After a great deal of reading (I will attach the links to the papers shortly) I think I have reslved the problem.

Turns out the clams utilize the zooanthale in the tisuse (we all knew this). The use them for food. The whitinging the mantle is the decreased procution of the zooanthlae (Sp). Turns out my nitrates are zero. And have been for some time. I totally over looked this, i have been so into the calcium ect... I forgot about the importance of the Nitrates.

So , I took 10 gallons of water from my preadator tank (no shortage of nitrates there. Put it in my clam tank, jacked the nitrates to 15ppm. Within hours the color is coming back.


It depends now on the rate of nitrate use. I will keep you all informed.

[WhatReef]

Originally Posted by NAS

PS: good lookin clams by the way. The should not be in the refugium!

It shoudl be the other way around!

LOL

thanks and i know i have been trying to catching the angel fish as id like to get rid of it so i can keep clams but i know as soon as i put them in the display it willl eat them but the problem with the clams now is 3 of them have set the foots on eachother and now there stuck together : ( anyway of seperating them?

Also do Nitrates play a big role with clams do i need nitrates for them to survive? I dose photoplankton often and zooplex for my corals.

[NAS]

First, Don't pull them apart. That runs the risk of killing them...

My clams end up attaching together very often. I get a clump of 4 or 5 that get sucked in under a big one, it can be a real pain. The very best way I have come to controlling this is to carfully cut the threds that connnect them. If there is room between the shells to fit the scissors I snip them. If there is not i use an Exacto knife to carfully slide between the feet to cut carefully the threds connecting them. Take your time. the clams will spread appart as you cut them allowing you to get to the rest.

I try to do this on a weekly basis to keep the clams appart. If and when they attach to something like a rock or the glass even, I try to leave them alone. It's a sign that they are happy.

As far as the Nitrates being an important thing, Yes. There is a lot of different information out there. What I have found is that the clams use both the zooanthe (sp) in the tissue and filter feed. All the smaller clams Are doing fine with 0 nitrates. Only my largest (10 inches ish) is fading. This fading appears to be due to decreased Zooanthae (sp) prodcution. Because the clams apparently pull the Zooanthe into the clam and diges them (kinda sorta, or that's how in interpret the paper that I read)

Most sources reccomend nitrates aroun 10ppm for consistent Clam health. when I only had a few clams it was a non issue.
Now that I have 15 with two over 9 inches its more of an issue.

(I was joking about havin all your fish in the refugium. I am actually considering doing that for my clam tank! NO KIDDING.)

[WhatReef]

so having fish in your tank pooing is good for the clams, awesome! : )

also you have cut the strings from the clams before and they didn't die? im dealing with maximas have you ever cut them free from something and had them live?

[NAS]

Absolutly. Never had any die after I cut them. Just make sure you dont pull or cut the bassal foot. You should see what looks like little strings that come off the foot to the point of contact on the object. Just nip the fibers wit scissor or a sharp razoris edge.

I honestly to this on a regular basis to try to keep my clams were they are. Or at least appart so they don't get croweded out by the big ones.

[WhatReef]

ok il take your word for it.

[NAS]

One foot note (no pun intended). I have in my tank 6 maximas (i think). All of them started attached to a piece of live rock. Any where from 3-6 inches from the surface. They tend (in my case) to stay attached until they are about 2-3 inches. At which point 4/6 have dropped off the rock. (I will pop a picture today if i remember)

You may very well find that once you seperate them, they may get back together soon enough. Im not kidding when I say that Im cutting some of mine appart on a weekly basis. When the big squamosa opens and closes it shifts a lot of the smaller ones around. If they "bump" into each other for any real duration the inevitably (sp??) connect. Most of the small ones are Maximas and Crocea's with one Dersa

[WhatReef]

thanks for the info il most likely put something under each one and put them partially in the sand bed so they dont move around and il see how that goes right now there in a net basket i have for seperating baby fish from big fish and im just keeping them in there until i can remove the angel fish. My tank is 180 gallons so i guess we will see if they bump in to eachother. thanks again

Also i see you live in BC you must visit J&L quite a bit yes? thats where i got my clams from

[NAS]

Ahhh, J&L Aquaitcs....

Nope, Never been there. I will private message you.

[WhatReef]

Originally Posted by NAS

Ahhh, J&L Aquaitcs....

Nope, Never been there. I will private message you.

oh nice yeah some pics would always be appreciated for sure thanks here s pic of my tank most recently

[NAS]

That looks Great!

What is the lighting on it?

[WhatReef]

Originally Posted by NAS

That looks Great!

What is the lighting on it?

Giesemann Moonlight 2 x 250 HQI's and 2 x 94watt T5's fully digital and programable with light timers and a moon cycle timers that goes to the moon phazes

I may upgrade to the Giesemann infiniti 3X250 and 4 x 80W T5's when i have the extra cash but i also might buy a large plasma tv i dunno we will see how the home reno goes, plus i still have 4 show piece rocks that still have to go in there there big pieces so in 2 weeks i should be putting them in.

[SECRETREEF]

nice clams NAS! I was reading a book of Anthony Calfo where it was suggested the use of clams in raceways for the control of nitrate in propagation tanks where heavy feeding keep nitrates higher than usual. maybe I will be using some clams, mussels, feather dusters and scallops in a type of refuge/DSB to control nitrates. I will post pictures as soon as I finish. Keep on reefing!

[NAS]

I am sure that clams have a significant draw on the nitrates. The first nitrate charge effulant from my predator tank took about 3-5 days to drop to the 0 test result. I have since done two more doses. Including one that resulted in about 60ppm. All goes well so far. that last one was on sunday. I will test again today.