Small maxima clams

[jdavid]

I try to avoid small maxima clams, because I have poor luck with them. I lost both of the first two that I bought. I believe the problem with them may simply be that they won't stay put. Pick them up off their side, come back later, they've tipped over again. Put them up on the rocks, they fall off.

So I have devised a solution. Today I grabbed this aragonite disc from LagunaReef (Thanks Rick!) and placed the clam on it with two pieces of rubble on either side of the clam. When it puts down it's foot, I am going to glue smaller pieces of rubble on the disc to make it look natural.

In the future, I will be able to move the clam when I switch over tanks. I made the mistake of setting my huge maxima on a big shelf rock. I don't like pulling my clams out of water, especially if I can't flip it around to release any bubbles. I don't want to damage the foot or tear the byssal strands. The aragonite disc allows the maxima to put his foot down and I can still move it.

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[tbub1221]

That's a beautiful clam but its not a maxima its called a squamosa (max 6"smallest of the tridacna clams) you can tell because of the scale like structures on its shell and the way that the shell matches symmetrically and can close tight unlike maxima clams.
Both mine are squamosa and typically there not usually quite as colorful as maxima but that one particular looks reall nice.
I did something similar with both mine . They both have there own base rock that i can move with them on it if needed.
Hopefully that will help keep them put , also clams under 2-2.5" still require feeding a few times a week to survive because there not large enough or rather there isn't enough algae in there mantle to sustain them and thell slowly starve .
I hope this one does well for you , mine have been growing quite well and quick..

 

[picoreefguy]

i had the same problem with my maxima and tried a similar solution. but i put it in a shallow shell and surrounded it with smaller rubble but that still didnt work for me and he did eventually die. but i may have to try this method when i get my next one.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

Terry is right....they need to be fed when they are below 2". That could be your issue.

 

[skriz]

No clam requires feeding, regardless of size.

Good water & light quality and lots o' calcium.

 

[mvm]

Skriz;928453 wrote: No clam requires feeding, regardless of size.

Good water & light quality and lots o' calcium.

#1. I have 2 small ones and never feed. They seem to be thriving.

 

[jdavid]

It is definitely a gold maxima clam, Heath gave it to me when I helped him move a tank off his truck th other day.

Edit: Does look like a squamosa in the pic sort of. I'll show you a different angle Terry

 

[tbub1221]

JDavid;928495 wrote: It is definitely a gold maxima clam, Heath gave it to me when I helped him move a tank off his truck th other day.

Edit: Does look like a squamosa in the pic sort of. I'll show you a different angle Terry

I'll take your word for it , I said that because it looked like a relatively larger gap between the scutes on the rib there usually more warn down on a msxima because they prefer to lay on there side and there scouts are usually very close together and the lack of a siphon which maxima has and squamosa does not but I'm sure you know that and have observed it a good bit.
The photos color is very deceiving if that clam is gold or perhaps its my phone

(off topic the superman rhodactus to the right look great are you taking these pics on iPhone 5 the color looks good ?)


@ skriz
If you feed fish heavy and have a heavy bioload as one would in a tank with softies maybe they don't require much feeding , but to say a baby clam doesn't need feeding is bad advice without a doubt , this is known were not discussing wether or not its a fact because they are maricultured in mass and have been for years .
This is not a creature cloned of itself in a colony like a coral , its hatch from egg having 2 parents 2 strands of DNA even if one asexual reproduces it has both male and female organs that are released in the water column.
That said it stands to reason that clam larva like any other microvert ride the water column as they really have no choice until there large enough , heavy enough and the current allows it to stop and try to bury it.
That means mud sand beds and lagoons are the first places bivalvia 's call home and in these places you find nutrition rich water.
The clam doesn't hatch with a mantel full of zooxanthellae it takes a long time for them to develop enough to sustain them and flter feeding is absolutely essential at a young age .
Thats why its recommended to feed them until there larger .
I got my first at lust over 1.5"and my 2nd at 3/4" and both readily gobble food up.

 

[jdavid]

I was pretty sure it is a maxima, not only because Heath told me but also because I have seen smaller squamosa, saw one yesterday at Atlanta aquarium an the difference is pretty major in the shape and scutes. You do have me wondering now though.

I do still think it's a maxima, but I'm going to get some better shots.

An yeah you can't really see the colors through the glass and especially not in my iPhone photography skills under 20k, but it is def gold. I'll try to get a top down too with the mantle out but it's pretty sensitive and closes up, but doesn't come back out as fast as my other clams yet. So most of the photos I have it's barely extended

 

[tbub1221]

My newest one acted that way the first 8-10 .
It's incredible how photosensitive they are.
A single shadow from a fish for just a second and they jump , for something without eyes there very attentive .

 

[skriz]

You're right in that we are not dealing with a disputed idea here, but fact.

Fact: small clams absolutely do NOT need to be fed in an aquarium.
Fact: it does NOT take a "long time" to develop enough zooxanthaella to thrive.

You are preaching outdated myths and nonsense. Nobody here is working with larvae; they're dealing with a developed clam with a mantle. So bringing up this stage of the life cycle is irrelevant.
They also don't have sterile tanks; they have reefs which will bave dissolved organics. thus, lighting, calcium, & alk are key.

Don't take my word for it; look it up. In fact, pick up James Fatherree's book. He goes into great detail about this very topic.

Tbub1221;928517 wrote: I'll take your word for it , I said that because it looked like a relatively larger gap between the scutes on the rib there usually more warn down on a msxima because they prefer to lay on there side and there scouts are usually very close together and the lack of a siphon which maxima has and squamosa does not but I'm sure you know that and have observed it a good bit.
The photos color is very deceiving if that clam is gold or perhaps its my phone

(off topic the superman rhodactus to the right look great are you taking these pics on iPhone 5 the color looks good ?)


@ skriz
If you feed fish heavy and have a heavy bioload as one would in a tank with softies maybe they don't require much feeding , but to say a baby clam doesn't need feeding is bad advice without a doubt , this is known were not discussing wether or not its a fact because they are maricultured in mass and have been for years .
This is not a creature cloned of itself in a colony like a coral , its hatch from egg having 2 parents 2 strands of DNA even if one asexual reproduces it has both male and female organs that are released in the water column.
That said it stands to reason that clam larva like any other microvert ride the water column as they really have no choice until there large enough , heavy enough and the current allows it to stop and try to bury it.
That means mud sand beds and lagoons are the first places bivalvia 's call home and in these places you find nutrition rich water.
The clam doesn't hatch with a mantel full of zooxanthellae it takes a long time for them to develop enough to sustain them and flter feeding is absolutely essential at a young age .
Thats why its recommended to feed them until there larger .
I got my first at lust over 1.5"and my 2nd at 3/4" and both readily gobble food up.

 

[declanisadog]

Tbub1221;928444 wrote: That's a beautiful clam but its not a maxima its called a squamosa (max 6"smallest of the tridacna clams) you can tell because of the scale like structures on its shell and the way that the shell matches symmetrically and can close tight unlike maxima clams.
Both mine are squamosa and typically there not usually quite as colorful as maxima but that one particular looks reall nice.
I did something similar with both mine . They both have there own base rock that i can move with them on it if needed.
Hopefully that will help keep them put , also clams under 2-2.5" still require feeding a few times a week to survive because there not large enough or rather there isn't enough algae in there mantle to sustain them and thell slowly starve .
I hope this one does well for you , mine have been growing quite well and quick..

My boss used to have (maybe still does as i havent seen his tank in a while) a squamosa that was pushing 12". I was under the impression that T. Crocea was the smallest of the Tridacna.

 

[tbub1221]

I would in tern ask you to read identifying the tridacnia by Dr James w. Fatherree because it does contradict your statements , but I'll take your word for it , there is one thing that is true about the internet and that is if you dig long enough for an answer you will find someone to agree with you regardless of topic.
There are hundreds of forum topics on this on every reef forum on the web to support it just as I'm sure plenty of ppl would say otherwise.
None of that even matters I was only trying to help my friend to have a little better luck keeping his new clam , and seeing as though he has had some bad luck in the past on more than one occasion maybe he needs to re evaluate his husbandry skills in some manner.

Before I ever had a clam I talked to jdavid because I'd recalled his post about these new clams he had , long story short he said they looked great but seemed to shrink before dieing he also said they won't stay put , I don't seem to have these issues so perhaps by sharing what I know he can better care for his creature.
But it seems your more inclined to argue with me then to maybe resolve the issue.
Besides arguing what I said what have you contributed to help the matter.

 

[ringo®]

There's obviously only one way to settle this.

 

[tbub1221]

Declanisadog;928790 wrote: My boss used to have (maybe still does as i havent seen his tank in a while) a squamosa that was pushing 12". I was under the impression that T. Crocea was the smallest of the Tridacna.

Yea its misleading IMO most what I see says the only typically reach 6" making them well suited for small reefs but they do reach 12" in the wild and I assume in bigger displays , crocea is the smallest reaching 6" max it looks like

Edit:

Ringo®;928803 wrote: There's obviously only one way to settle this.

Flint lock dueling pistols...

 

[declanisadog]

Tbub1221;928805 wrote:

Edit:

Flint lock dueling pistols...

February meeting is right around the corner. Sounds like a perfect venue.

 

[camellia]

Ringo®;928803 wrote: There's obviously only one way to settle this.

Lol


Lighten up guys

 

[ringo®]

Tbub1221;928805 wrote: Flint lock dueling pistols...

As much as I appreciate the Andrew Jackson style of doing business, it's so much better to make sure your opponents get served......<!-- gcu-updated ame -->http://youtu.be/RMBb-VvJShY<!-- gcu-updated /ame -->

 

[skriz]

Tbub1221;928802 wrote: I would in tern ask you to read identifying the tridacnia by Dr James w. Fatherree because it does contradict your statements , but I'll take your word for it , there is one thing that is true about the internet and that is if you dig long enough for an answer you will find someone to agree with you regardless of topic.
There are hundreds of forum topics on this on every reef forum on the web to support it just as I'm sure plenty of ppl would say otherwise.
None of that even matters I was only trying to help my friend to have a little better luck keeping his new clam , and seeing as though he has had some bad luck in the past on more than one occasion maybe he needs to re evaluate his husbandry skills in some manner.

Before I ever had a clam I talked to jdavid because I'd recalled his post about these new clams he had , long story short he said they looked great but seemed to shrink before dieing he also said they won't stay put , I don't seem to have these issues so perhaps by sharing what I know he can better care for his creature.
But it seems your more inclined to argue with me then to maybe resolve the issue.
Besides arguing what I said what have you contributed to help the matter.

James Fatherree does not contradict himself. He's been preaching my position for about a decade now.

Giving someone bad information isn't helpful; nor does it resolve the issue. You can look to the forums for misinformation all day long and find it; that doesn't make it usable or relevant. Bad information is bad information, no matter how many times it is repeated.

I would agree with "maybe he needs to re evaluate his husbandry skills in some manner". Water quality, proper Alk and Ca levels, & adequate lighting are key.

My contributions: Exposing bad information and offering correct information.

Ringo®;928803 wrote: There's obviously only one way to settle this.

Obviously!!


http://www.dutchsouthern.com/img/dance_off_large_image4.gif" alt="" />

Edit:

Edit: This is one of my all time favorites: the kid in orange is awesome. There's a few videos of him out there.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8pja8RGvYc

 

[jdavid]

lol. I am always trying to re-evaluate my husbandry. After being told that LED's may have been the culprit, I purchased a coral vue line bright mini pendant, luxcore selectable ballast, and 400w radium for my clams. But, out of the 6 I've had, I only lost the first two and they were both small maxima clams that died shortly after moving them up on the rocks where they fell off.

In an attempt to re-evaluate my husbandry, I have devised what I believe to be a pretty good method of letting the clam secure it's foot before moving it up some. I do have a large maxima that is very healthy, and 2 derasa (which seem to be much less demanding.)

I don't know what caused the pinched mantle in the small maxima, but I do know that it happened to the first one after it fell off the rocks, and the other one after it fell off the rocks a week later.

I don't dose this tank, because it's only 29 gallons.