How difficult is it to breed clams?

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

travis_ said:
Yeah I know, I am in no rush and am fine with getting yonger clams and raising them until mature. I have heard that they start to spawn as little as 3". I want to make sure that my conditions are optimal and I know almost all there is to know on how to raise clams before attempting anything as complicated as breeding.
Click to expand...

Some clams may spawn at 3" but they will only produce sperm at that size. It can take clams 10 years to become sexually mature as a female.
 
chris&barb said:
Some clams may spawn at 3" but they will only produce sperm at that size. It can take clams 10 years to become sexually mature as a female.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, that changes things. thanks for the info. Any idea what size of clam would typically be sexually mature?
 
I now have my light over this tank, 250 watt metal halide, 14000K. I have the light about 12" from the water. I have 1 clam on order but for now I have corals in the tank. I want to get a bunch of live rock to place around the edges of this tank, not to mention many, many clams!!

105-tank.jpg
 
The sad thing is is that article makes it sound soo easy. There are reasons that clams aren't cultured in the US, and many of the clam farms arround the world are going out of buisness. The main reason it that it just isn't cost effective and there is no money in it.

In the pic they have a crocea. Any other type of Tridacnid would have to be much bigger before it was sexually mature.
 
skinz78 said:
The sad thing is is that article makes it sound soo easy. There are reasons that clams aren't cultured in the US, and many of the clam farms arround the world are going out of buisness. The main reason it that it just isn't cost effective and there is no money in it.

In the pic they have a crocea. Any other type of Tridacnid would have to be much bigger before it was sexually mature.
Click to expand...

I get what you mean but I dont think the article focuses a lot on the businessside of aquaculturing clams, more that its possible. Am I right in guessing that the rearing of the clams is a lot harder and expensive to do?

But hey, crocea is a nice enough clam too :D
 
Yes culturing giant clams is possible, the question is how committed would the average home hobbyst be. Yes rearing of clams is very expensive, and pretty complicated "so I hear". LOL never tried and don't plan to either.

The thing is that most Crocea's we see are wild. The reason for this is partly because of thier slow growth rate and partly because that clam farmers usually have a certain percentage of the clams that they raise they are required to release back into the wild.

You hardly ever see a Crocea under 2" right, and people freak out about clams under 2" and usually don't buy them. Well since Crocea's grow so slowly a 2" Crocea could be up to 5 years old or maybe even older.

Now you can imagine the slow turn arround rate on Crocea's, this is why they aren't a very popular Tridacnid to breed.
 
skinz78 said:
Yes culturing giant clams is possible, the question is how committed would the average home hobbyst be. Yes rearing of clams is very expensive, and pretty complicated "so I hear". LOL never tried and don't plan to either.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, thats one of the reasons I want know see more of the articles this guy wrote because he talks about one where e describes the rearing of Tridacnidae.

skinz78 said:
The thing is that most Crocea's we see are wild. The reason for this is partly because of thier slow growth rate and partly because that clam farmers usually have a certain percentage of the clams that they raise they are required to release back into the wild.
Click to expand...

Good to hear that they are trying to keep numbers of wild clams intact

skinz78 said:
You hardly ever see a Crocea under 2" right, and people freak out about clams under 2" and usually don't buy them. Well since Crocea's grow so slowly a 2" Crocea could be up to 5 years old or maybe even older.

Now you can imagine the slow turn arround rate on Crocea's, this is why they aren't a very popular Tridacnid to breed.
Click to expand...

Again, very interesting. Never knew they were such slow growers. How big do they actually get??
 
Crocea's growth rate ranges, lets say a minimum of 1.5 cm and a maximum of 2.3 cm per year depending on the conditions. The Crocea can reach a size of up to 17 cm or so.
 
Hi travis, and all

one thing i dont know if i would use and its the 14k bulb , if i was doing it i prob would use a bulb more closely to sunlight something like 6500k or
6700k. Good luck!!! Keep us posted

thank you
 
Here is a link to our message board here in Utah the guy that worte that is our president of our reef club. The web site is http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/ and his name is Adam Blundell on there also. Im sure if you write him he sure will write you back and let you know all about it. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this but I just got back from up there in the great now flooding Seattle area.
 
All those electric cords hanging all around would scare me. :eek: Hope you got some larger amp breakers. :rolleyes:
 
Reminds me of a book I once was going to publish. Was called How To Find Dinosaur Fossils in Your Own Backyard. Chapter one "Move to Montana" Chapter two, see chapter one.

Anyone living in Figi, Bali or Vietnam can easily raise clams. Perhaps Florida or other southern states in greenhouses. For most of the rest of us, Chapter one, Move to the South Pacific, Chapter two...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N1Husker
Giving it up.
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
N1Husker
N1Husker
M
Getting back in the game!
Replies
14
Views
615
Meche
M
Brenden
I’m back...with Red Sea 250
Replies
2
Views
539
N1Husker
N1Husker
barrierreefcf
Arrivals & News 4/6 - 4/10
Replies
1
Views
321
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
N1Husker
Rollermat question
Replies
19
Views
2K
roscoe
roscoe
Back
Top