I've been wanting a clam for ae time now. How difficult care they to keep?
Clams
- Thread starter Jimmyman
- Start date
My first clam was a 2" Maxima (impulse buy) which died in less than 30 days. Its hard to tell what killed it - it fell from the rockwork twice and lost is byssal threads once.
My second clam was a 4-5" Crocea which is doing good. Growing new scutes....responsive to light movement. The Crocea is approaching the 90-day mark in my tank. Its on the sand bed which gets about 130-150 par. I don't do much to my tanks beyond dripping kalk. Its an LPS dominant tank which which has higher nutrients - phosphates bounce around between 0-.25 and nitrates are somewhere between 0-5.
I'm currently trying to find a decently priced blue squammy but may just end up trying another maxima.
My second clam was a 4-5" Crocea which is doing good. Growing new scutes....responsive to light movement. The Crocea is approaching the 90-day mark in my tank. Its on the sand bed which gets about 130-150 par. I don't do much to my tanks beyond dripping kalk. Its an LPS dominant tank which which has higher nutrients - phosphates bounce around between 0-.25 and nitrates are somewhere between 0-5.
I'm currently trying to find a decently priced blue squammy but may just end up trying another maxima.
The biggest thing with small clams, is you have to feed them very aggressively until they hit about the 4 inch mark. They still do need light just, but the proportion of filter feeding to photosynthesis changes as they mature. Just make sure to double down on your phosphate media before hand and you should be able to keep algae under control while you do.
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How old is the tank? It's usually best to wait a year. Some can do it earlier if they are real good with their husbandry and don't have big swings in parameters. Also the bigger clams get the more they suck up Alk & Cal, they're hogs in that regard. In a smaller system they can have a large impact in a short period of time. Big or smaller tank you should be prepared to have a supplement plan in place ahead of time.
Tank is almost 3 yrs old
150 gallon
Jeremey’s reef
Well-Known Member
I have a Derasa about 5-6” and it is very easy, I put it In my tank at the 4 month mark and I feed it phytofeast by Reef Nutrition once a week usually on Monday th day after my weekly water change. I haven’t had great luck with Maxima clams on the other hand and haven’t tried any other than the two I mentioned above. I tried keeping my Maxima on the sand apparently they prefer being attached to the rock work. Although I do believe they can be attached to frag tiles and then placed in the sand bed.
I don’t have any interest in clams yet, but there is some sort of clam or barnacle growing on the shell of my nassarius snail. It’s getting so big, I might need to do something about it before long. I don’t feed it any special way, but do filter feed other corals in the tank.
Came home to my little maxima’s shell today. My larger derasa has been fine for months and has been an easy clam. Not sure what got the maxima. I have a blue throat and pyramid butterfly but leaning towards the blue throat? Will never know
Trigger and clams don't mix. I'd agree and lean towards the blue throat as well.
I put a small Maxima in my display once. It was fine at lights out but in the morning all that was left was an empty shell. Don't know what got it, the BT triggers were down for the night.
I got another small on and put it in the frag tank and it did great, it's still going strong in Glenn's holding system. I think the triggers are in the same tank.
Really? everything I read was they don't mix. That's why I never got one in my last tank. I always thought the way they swim was super cool.
Luck of the draw?? Don't know. I'm also not 100% that Glenn has it in a spot they can get to, but I think so though.
I know I don't trust them with shrimp. Saw that first hand as the female made a meal for the tank of a fire shrimp. I think that if they're fed well and never miss a feeding your success goes up. But how many can do that?
I've read that pH swings at the night can kill smaller clams
my clam was an ORA Derasa clam and I was worried as well, but it was quite easy. Got it when it was like 2" still in the bag from petco and when I sold it off cause I don't have a tank, it was 6-7" easy. I plan to add a clam in my next tank build as well. They are just beautiful and I'd stick with ORA again. Not sure if aquacultured clams are easier or not.
What are you gonna get?
Has anyone ever had long term success with Maximas?
Could be, but the second one I put in a few days later was the same size, about 2". It did fine in the frag tank and it was plumbed through the same sump and the display and even shared the same return pump. It's now 5 to 6" if not bigger.
Mine is a brilliant blue Maxima. Got it from Nemo.
Gold and blue maxima most likely
The thing is he hasn’t touched my derasa that’s been in there for months. The maxima wasn’t opening much the last few days so I guess it could have died and then been eaten by anything.
i have a male bluethroat trigger with maxima clam....no issue.
