Need Help : Clam care {2-3cm (1")}

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i left the 2" clam on top of my stag . i assume it should be fine with a rock seperating them.

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top view
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reason to have spend so much time reading up.

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nice looking clams wonder. do you know what farm they came from?

I only know 5 came from Vanatu (better ones) and 3 came from Fiji . You maybe able to teach me where they are from. I'm hunting for your black one, is it from ORA ?

I notice the cage is blocking flow and cause algae to gain root. Change it to open holder and also bought some flat base rock for them instead. they seems not feeling content with round base type. Lastly, i notice 2 clams gave up their byssal thread (looks black with some new white thread) oops:
 
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Update.

Somehow, algae seems to rampant after i start feeding more phyto. Will cut down by just 1 feed ( 3-4 hrs ). Went to most LFS and discover that demand for such live phyto was very weak. Saw a few DT Phyto but already expired. :oops:

Clams under T5 was moving constantly and decide to shift those secure ones under MH. They stop moving instantly. So far, 4 under MH & 4 under t5 (ultimately, will transfer all under MH)

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Just to show how pack was my tank currently (I'll be clearing some to allow more space)

Lastly, I notice Clams suck a lot of Ca and KH. I have a freind 2x my tank volume with full sps tank was consuming about the same amount of Ca & Kh as mine :oops: ( i assume it was due to many clams i have)
Edit 02Jan08 : discover it was due to precipitation due to my dosing
 
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1st cage used
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Change to open type (only 3 left currently and will transfer all under MH)
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Algae start growing on the shell even before i transfer out of the cage
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Use a toothbrush and scrap it off
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I think disturbing the clams is a very bad idea but i wonder if the algae will cause infection if it is like the 3rd pict (do advise if anyone have any thoughts on this) . Anyway, will just leave it there and stop doing anything further. (I never have to do all this for clams bigger than ~3" :oops:)

Ok, will take a rest updating until a year latter if they still survive :D

Jeff
 
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they look really nice. your right moving them around a lot is not good, just clean the algae off every few weeks but dont let it get too bad. your corals have nice color so i bet the algae will slow down
 
Nice clams!

Thanks allot now I will be looking around for a orange and black clam.:lol:
 
Thanks allot now I will be looking around for a orange and black clam.:lol:

The orange one is a lot easier to get compare with the black clam. Honestly, there is no way to capture the beauty of these babies with my current camera skill:oops: they look a lot better in real.:D

Finally transfer all the balance 3 under the MH (they are already showing stress signal). Did not want to wait for them to attach on the rock anymore.

Change 1 litre of rowa to make sure the algae stays away:) all those under direct MH since the beginning looks great. bought 5 hermit (Red Leg & Blue Leg) to be my additional hands to clean the algae
 
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Hey Chris&barb nice post. I would like to comment if possible.

clams are not dependent on filter feeding phyto. they are primarily photosynthetic and can sustain themselves on the food provided by there zooxanthellae, through light alone. clams will extract dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus from the water and pass onto there zoox and then the zoox gives the clam sugars as food. clams will filter phyto (and bacteria and zooplankton) but when they do this all they are doing is extracting the same N & P and passing it to the zoox.
This kind of contradicts itself no? Although I do agree with you that clams arent dependant of filter feeding. I do think we should not generalize clams as all clams, they are so different from species to species, in both growth rates, requirements and so on.
one of the arguments for feeding clams is that clams mantles are not fully developed untill they are 4" in length. this is completely false. clams mantles are fully developed and full of zoox within week of metamorphosis.
I dont know about 4 inches, but clams do develop as I mentioned. From the studies I have reviewed, about 2 inches is where the zoox populate the mantle well enough to allow for a more normal czar measurement.
From klumpp and lucas 94
This is a tough study to show as it deals with clams we are not talking about and which are very different to the ones we are. But if you go to the coclusion of that study you will find this.
In conclusion, a range of nutritional strategies is
apparent from these studies. Tridacna derasa is able to
function as a complete autotroph in its natural habitat
(down to 20 m), and T. tevoroa achieves this in the
shallower parts of its distribution (10 to 20 m). T gigas
shows a different strategy, comfortably satisfying all
apparent carbon requirements from the combined
sources of filter-feeding and phototrophy (Klumpp
et al. 1992). Despite the increased efficiency of its
photosynthetic-irradiance response, at the deeper
limits to its distribution (ca 30 m), 7: tevoroa must
access other sources of nutrition, such as DOM, in
order to supplement particulate matter and photosynthate
which can provide a maximum 83 % of nutritional
requirements.
Contribution of symbiotic algae to
host respiratory requirements
Again completely different clams then we are talking about, but I think the key word in this study is Respiratory requirements. they do have a bit more requiremnet for other functions, also the study is based on assumsion of the transfer rates.
so according to that they are getting C/E from photosynthesis just fine.
Again this is done on an assumsion that the translocation value is 95%, Some studies use 95%, some 65% and others down in the thiries, it makes a big difference and none have been proved to be the correct value. Actually most if not all studies on tis subject were rendered useless by the clam itself. Clams have the ability to control the amount of zoox in their mantles, they can even control the ammount of chorophyll concentrations per zoox, they also adjust their mantle to right.

Anyway Chris&barb no big arguements here, I think its well known that clams get most of their needs from Light and suppliment from other sources to help with their energy budgets. Clams of different species are also very different in most metabolic systems. Some clams have high respiratory rates, other low. Some clams have high zoox counts at the juvi stage and then low at adult, some the exact opposite. I think for the topic here we are talking about juvi maximas, none of which are covered by any study listed. What I am saying is that at the early stages of growth in this clams it takes an amount of time for the population of zoox to mirate to the mantle in an amount that would produce the numbers required for more then just respiration, but for all functions. Because the zoox are intracellular and they require co2 it would deplete the co2 value in the fuild. this is fought off by the clam by fixing carbon from these other sources. So when they are juvi's it is best to suppliment them with a source of C, once they become more mature the naural process will come into play.

good post chris

Mike
 
After 1 month plus,

Some update :
those 2" bigger clams already with very good growth
1" clams are getting some growth as well (it was slightly further from light compare to > 2" clams). I was very delighted in this experience becuase i see real color morph slowly developing into very nice color compare to those photo when i first purchase :D

Now, i only feed dried phyto once a week due to algae issue:oops: should be due to my setup/husbandry
 
Picture taken just before the rescape
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You should be able to notice the green and purplish baby clams getting more intense in color under combination lighting T5 + MH.

Picture taken under T5 shade yesterday.
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Picture under Direct MH just 6"-8" away from the clam yesterday.
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(the smallest one is getting color spread out and the yellowish green speckle seems to change to pinkish - not sure)

I bought myself 4 more small clams to make it a maxima soccer team :D
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Due to my overdosing and also mishandling, some of the small clams died. Anyway, just an update that i have several friends keeping small clams without feeding phyto. Confirm it is not required for 1" and above to have phyto or feeding. Just enough light.
 
Wonder, sorry to hear that they can not make it. I think i'm a bit late to see this article now.

If you check my post on RAF, i don't target feed my baby clam at all and they grow just fine. my clam was like 5mm when i had it.

btw, everytime i see more of your collection, i'm amazed and impressed more and more. Any chance you could show us all of your collection please?
 
Wonder, sorry to hear that they can not make it. I think i'm a bit late to see this article now.

If you check my post on RAF, i don't target feed my baby clam at all and they grow just fine. my clam was like 5mm when i had it.

btw, everytime i see more of your collection, i'm amazed and impressed more and more. Any chance you could show us all of your collection please?

Thanks. I learn my mistake and switch back to calcium reactor:D Now everything is good and steady.

Will try to take photo one by one becos there is many inside my small tank:lol:
 

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