Tridacnid Work Shop

[chris&barb]

yes back to work :badgrin: im brewing up some :?: for you on this one Barry :razz:

 

[Barry N.]

im brewing up some :?: for you on this one Barry

Will try to answer them for you.

 

[chris&barb]

OK Here we go :razz:

Im glad that we are on this topic,this is the most FAQ that i see about T.Clams.But IMO it should be a no brainer.
In general Tridacnid clams (and Hippopus)all come from the same depths(what i mean by this is shallow).Yes T.Gigas can be found at depths down to 60',but are much more common at much shallower depths.Also with T.Squamosa at depths down to 45' again more common at shallower depths.NowT.Derasa is considered by most to be the least light demanding of all the T. clams,but is most commonly found in shallow lagoons,reef fringes,less then 30'.The Hippopus clams are found up in the reef and the reef fringe,at depths of 30' or less.Not to mention T. Crocea & T. Maxima , that inhabit the shallowest reef top regions.
IMO if you were to look at just the depths of where they all come from then they all would have just about the same requirements,in terms of intensity and spectrum.So there must be some anatomical or physiological reasons for this,right?

Can you please break down why these clams have the different lighting requirements

TIA Chris

 

[The Apprentice]

Bulb temperatures of 6,500K-10,000K are ideal,

Barry thanks for the input On lighting I do have a question with the Bulb temperatures I like the 15K thru 20K in the Radium bulbs with the more bluer light will this pose a problem?

Lighting

When considering your purchase of clams, keep in mind that some Tridacnids require more intense lighting than others. A good rule of thumb is the more intense color the more intense lighting is required. Bulb temperatures of 6,500K-10,000K are ideal, and will provide the spectrum the clams need for growth, and will help maintain optimum coloration in the animals. Tridacnids with brown mantle surface require less lighting, so PC or VHO would be a good selection. With that being said, they can also adapt to stronger lighting if acclimated to the higher wattage lamps.

 

[Barry N.]

I like the 15K thru 20K in the Radium bulbs with the more bluer light will this pose a problem?

Not pose a problem as many do it.

Bulb temperatures of 6,500K-10,000K are ideal,

Most of the clams that are being shipped in are collected or raised in shallow water, thus the bulb temp is lower.

 

[aquariumdebacle]

I think what Barry is trying to get across (at least from his visit last year) is that the clams have gone through a minimum of a dark cycle during shipping and that acclimation is very important. Maybe more so than spectrum analysis. Barry if you could at some point go over proper aclimation techniques during the workshop it would be greatley appreciated. I also want to here about feeding the young!

 

[swissgaurd]

i have a 2" maxima that i placed in my tank yesterday,i put him on the sand bed,im thinking of placing it on a rock that is surronded by zoos.will the zoos harm the clam.

thanks

vic

 

[Barry N.]

T.Gigas can be found at depths down to 60',but are much more common at much shallower depths.Also with T.Squamosa at depths down to 45' again more common at shallower depths.NowT.Derasa is considered by most to be the least light demanding of all the T. clams,but is most commonly found in shallow lagoons,reef fringes,less then 30'.The Hippopus clams are found up in the reef and the reef fringe,at depths of 30' or less.Not to mention T.

Most Tridacnids that are being exported these days come from shallow waters as most now are raised in raceways or shallow waters. Even gigas that have been coming in are farmed raised. The more intense lighting keep the zooxanthelae growing with the brighter colored pigmentation of the mantle. This symbiosis allows most Tridacnids more than 90% of their nutritional requirements by using sunlight.

 

[jlehigh]

That was a great post Barry. It's very important to know what the conditions the clams are coming from.

Quick Question: I have received clams (not from you, yours are always in great condition) that seem to be bleaching in the center and have lost the colored pigmentation on the mantle giving them a dull brown/purple color. Both times this happened the bag water was cold and there wasnt much of it...

Can stress cause a loss of pigmentation?

 

[Barry N.]

Can stress cause a loss of pigmentation?

Truthfully, I do not have the answer to that question.

(not from you,

Shame on you

that seem to be bleaching in the center and have lost the colored pigmentation

How large is the clams? With larger clams, that is not uncommon for them to fade a little between the incurrent and excurrent. The mantle is thinning in that area.

 

[jlehigh]

How large is the clams? With larger clams, that is not uncommon for them to fade a little between the incurrent and excurrent. The mantle is thinning in that area.

Thanks Barry The clam I am thinking of is about 5-6" Maxima with what should have been Purple/Blue/Brown markings..

 

[Barry N.]

When you described it, I thought maybe I might be a larger clams.

 

[Barry N.]

Acclimation

When buying a clam from your LFS or even an online store it is important to acclimate it to your lighting and water chemistry.

With lighting, best to always find out what kind of lights it was under prior to you placing it in your display tank. If it was under some PC, then you wouldn't want to put it under your 400 watters with some sort of acclimation. You can place in the bottom of your tank and lower your photo period down and slowly raise over a few weeks. Another way that works well is get some sheets of acrylic and dip them in salt water and when it drys, it make a great sheld. Place the shields over that part of the tank where the clam/s are and over a few weeks remove the shields. If you purchase from an online store and have the clam shipped, then more important to acclimate to your lighting as it has been in the dark for 15 - 18 hours. We suggest that once the clam/s has been acclimated to your water then place in your tank that is dark for several hours and then if you have actinic's, you can turn them on and the next day turn on your other lights.

Acclinating to your water.

Place the bag in your sump or tank to get the tamperature the same and then take some of your tank water and put in the bag for about 15 minutes and again until you double the water that was in the bag. Then place in your quarantine tank. You can also drip but I think that is overkill IME. If your clam/s came from a online supplier, then the pH has fallen quit a lot due to being in the bag so adjusting to your pH is important. Clams do not like large chemistry swings.

Hope that the things discussed in this workshop have and will be benifical to you when keeping Tridacnids

 

[NaH2O]

Barry, this might be a silly question....when you go to place the clam in your tank water, is it better to put it in right-side-up, or upside-down when first getting into the water? I didn't know if air might get trapped, and if it did would it matter?

Also.....for those without clams yet, beware of the squirting water

 

[Barry N.]

when you go to place the clam in your tank water, is it better to put it in right-side-up, or upside-down when first getting into the water?

I place in mantle first and then turn it up right and tap on the shell a little with my finger to release any air pockets.

 

[NaH2O]

Thanks Barry!

Another question ....I'm starting to get the hang of figuring out which clam is what type when I go into a store, but I'm still not 100% sure. Can you give me some basic info on how to tell the difference between the different types of clams?

 

[Barry N.]

Nikki,

Just ask Jermey. LOL This should help.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-07/jf/feature/index.php

After looking at thousands of clams, I have gotten to the point that I can almost tell what country they come from. In most cases the mantle is a give a way but sometimes that can fool me as well. Hybreds.

 

[NaH2O]

Nikki,

Just ask Jermey. LOL

ROFL! I'm supposed to know everything, remember??? :lol: lololol

After looking at thousands of clams, I have gotten to the point that I can almost tell what country they come from. In most cases the mantle is a give a way but sometimes that can fool me as well. Hybreds.

Woah! That's impressive! Thanks for the link, too!

Great workshop Barry!!!

 

[Barry N.]

Great workshop Barry

Someone just has to keep poking at me.

The person that wrote that piece is coming out with a new book this coming year. I can say something about it now because he has released that some inforamtion about it. I have known about it for about a year now. Have seen some of the chapters and it will be a GREAT BOOK on clams!!!! We hope that we will be doing some pre-orders off our online store.

 

[Maxx]

.....for those without clams yet, beware of the squirting water

Now why would you share that with anyone? We had to learn it the hard way...Its one of the sacrifices of owning a clam. Sort of an initiation to owning a clam.

Way to go Nikki..

Next time the group meets and has a voting session, you're off the island.

Nick