Blue Crabs and Clams.........

[game411]

I was wondering, has anyone ever tried buying Live Seafood from the grocery store and keeping them in their tanks? They sale Live clams at the local food depot and also Live Blue crabs, which are big, so you might need like a +150Gal tank, but the clams, I though of getting a few and dropping them in my tank, anyone ever thougt of that...............

I know Ghetto rigging stuff usually blows back in your face, but I was just curious. Every time I walk past I feel like grabbing a few clams.............Blue crabs I think might need cold water but clams I have no idea.........

Though the clams aren't as pretty as the ones they sell, but I think they'd do an ok job as water cleaners........

Any input? or am I the only one who thought of this....................

 

[jessezm]

I have heard of people buying cleaner clams for the supermarket. They reported that the clams bury in the sand and help filter out nitrates from the water column. I was also told they do not live for very long, thought I'm guessing this might also have to do with elevated temperatures. I can't imagine why on earth anyone would want a blue crab in their tank, though!

 

[blind1993]

i would just spend the extra money and get them online since they would not have gone through the harsh treatment.

 

[game411]

I don't know much about blue crabs, I just know I like the way they taste.............

Yeah, you could order them, but doesn't beat picking up a few while shopping for some houseries, and the price aint all too bad..............

I'll try the Clams, see what happens, as for the Crabs, I'll wait to hear someone's response, I dont know if they are aggressive, eat corals or what, but I know in the very near future they would end up on my table...............so I'll skip them for now.

 

[game411]

I've heard of folks with lobsters in their tanks, but I'm guessing you'll need a super powerful chiller to keep them at good temps, I don't know if they can live in warm temperatures.

 

[blind1993]

sal keeps his tank at 74 i think and has purples in there right now.

 

[george]

The big kicker is the water temp. As mentioned, you'd need a big chiller to run the temp down to mid-Atlantic seaboard temperatures which is native territory for blue crabs.

I would be surprised, however, if you couldn't adapt them to warmer temps. I know they live far up the James, Potomac, and Rappahannock rivers in brackish water that is tropical-warm in the summer.

It probably wouldn't be that difficult since all you really need to worry about is keeping the water aerated. They eat just about anything. It's probably the only way you'll ever get a soft shell crab again.

Question is: is it worth the effort?

 

[donalds1]

Well they catch blue crabs in florida. So warmer could work

 

[dannybradley]

Try to get a seperate water sample along with the clams and crabs. That will allow you to test a clean sample so you know just how long acclimating these might take.

The way store and restaurants maintain those tanks is by order premeasured amounts of salt for the company that sells them the units, in most cases. I know Aquarium Systems makes a lobster holding tank, so they might be using Instant Ocean if that's the case. It's pretty safe to assume, though, that the salinity will be at the bottom of the tolerable range for sealife.

 

[game411]

I don't think I'd be really interested in keeping the blue crabs, with a 55 gallon tank they'd probably devour EVERYTHING in my tank including my bel;oved Mantis who is at the moment about 1.8".

Well, maybe in the near future if I got my hands on like a 180Gal tank, but then I'd hate for them to eat my corals, so more research on the matter.

But for the Clams, that doesn't seem to be a bad idea though, like I said, I'll pick a few up and see what happens............

As for the lobsters, they are too big to be in such a small tank, I'd only consider that if I had something larger than a 250gal, and I am far from that at the moment, wouldn't be fair, but I have heard of people keeping them in their tanks........

 

[george]

Be careful with the clams. They can come with many parasites, diseases, and general hangers-on that can flourish and destroy a display. When the cold water species exposes those hitchhikers to your nice warm tank they can bloom. Also, a few dead clams can add up to a pretty foul tank.

From what I've read of these "filter clams", the amount of filtration they do is not worth the risks or the space. You'd probably be better off cultivating a blacked-out sponge area. Sponges are tremendously good at water filtration.

 

[game411]

Ok, Scratch that plan, I knew there was a down side to Ghetto Rigging stuff...................

 

[dakota9]

You'd probably be better off cultivating a blacked-out sponge area. Sponges are tremendously good at water filtration.[/QUOTE]




Care to elaborate on this george? It sounds intriguing!


Thanks

 

[george]

Dakota9 wrote:
Care to elaborate on this george? It sounds intriguing!

Moved to a

 

[washowi]

I have done it many times.....I have bought the Little Neck clams. Thank they were 69 cents a dozen....they lived for like a year in the tank...there may still be some in there. they bury themselves.

Tom Wyatt always asks me about them, he thinks that is so cool..

 

[game411]

Ok, now I'm into the idea again, did you get any disease or any down sides to having them in your tank? Other then them burying themselves out of sight.................

 

[washowi]

nope....and when they died...it's food for the tank.

I got mine at Harry's Farmers Market.....love the place.