Clam question and answer

Lets get some talk going about clams. We have a lot of people that like and keep them here so this should be easy.

Ask that question that you've always wondered about. Dont hold back, let them fly.

How do breeders induce spawning? Does it take multiple clams releasing gamates that are dumped into a fry-type of tank?

Do Crocea clams do better if embedded in an acro colony?

Originally Posted by RCA

How do breeders induce spawning? Does it take multiple clams releasing gamates that are dumped into a fry-type of tank?

There are a few ways they do this. One is via serotonin injection to the gonad and then the gamates are collected and mixed. The other is stress induced where they will lay the clams on dry land in the sun for up to a few hours and then placed back into water and again the gamates are collected and mixed.

After the eggs and sperm are mixed they are placed in raceways and either cultured zooxanthellae or zooxanthellae from a sacrificial clam is introduced to the larva. After about 7 days the larva settles out onto the substrate and you have a bunch of tiny little clams you cant see

Originally Posted by spinycheek

Do Crocea clams do better if embedded in an acro colony?

Im going to say they can do just as well not embeded in rock as they can do if they are. Im not sure if you meant to say acros or just embeded in rock? In the wild they are almost always found embeded in hard substrate. A lot of people think they do this as protection from predators and that may be part of it however where they are found in the wild also has strong currents and since they dont weigh very much being dug into the rocks has other advantages.

Originally Posted by spinycheek

Do Crocea clams do better if embedded in an acro colony?

I think they do best on the bottom of your tank. Nested in some kind of substrate is best. If you want to easily move them around, try placing them on the half shell. As in the shell of a dead clam or scallop. Any shell big enough will do. Then they attach to that and there is no change of damaging their foot when/if you move them.

do people eat maximas or other popular clams? does the meat lose it's coloring out of water or when cooked?

Where does cultured zooxanthellae come from? How do they get it? Do the phyto products that say they have zooxanthellae in them work for culturing? At what age/size are clams sexually mature? Can clam breeding be done at home by an aquarist?

Originally Posted by RCA

do people eat maximas or other popular clams? does the meat lose it's coloring out of water or when cooked?

Yes, tridacna clams of all species are a staple food throughout their range for indigenous peoples.

I have no idea if the meat loses its color when cooked but if i take any of my clams out of the water they still have color.

Originally Posted by Variko

Where does cultured zooxanthellae come from?

Its not that commonly done but you can collect live zooxanthella from clam poop.

How do they get it?

See above but im sure there are other ways they can acquire it.

Do the phyto products that say they have zooxanthellae in them work for culturing?

Im not sure what products your talking about. Got a link?

At what age/size are clams sexually mature?

Its different for each species size wise but in general 6 to 10 years they can be sexaually mature males and then a few years after that females

Can clam breeding be done at home by an aquarist?

In theory yes but i dont think its ever been done. For one thing it can take years before they are even an inch in size. It would be fun to try but not too economical.

Im a moron and dont know how to link stuff. The first product is called "nanno nine phytoplankton" from H2O Life. Foster and Smith sell it. Algagen also claims to have zooxanthae in their Phycopure product.

When you copy and paste something all you do is right click the address bar so the URL turns blue, the you copy the URL by pressing Ctrl+C at the same time then go to where ever you want to paste it and press Ctrl+V and your done

Coral & Invertebrate Foods: Nanno Nine Phytoplankton by H2O Life

Ive never used this product or read any analysis of it so no comment on whether its live or not. They say it has zoox in it and i see no reason why it couldnt. My only comments will be on the mixing of different live alga in that algae has a defense mechanism where they produce chemicals that will kill off other algae. If you got that product fresh and used it quickly then i guess most of the different species would be live but if you tried to culture it before too long you would end up with just one dominant species

i understand about iridiphores making the clams change colors depending on the angle of viewing, but wtf causes the patterns in clams and why do they even have patterning? is teardrop just a random result or do breeders choose that specific pattern to get more teardrops? why are clams more addictive than nearly anything else? after all they just sit there!

What would you say the one KEY to having a healthy clam is. Aside from light because this I know is most important. I guess I mean what are the specifics on water quality that should be maintained??

Originally Posted by shmoliken

i understand about iridiphores making the clams change colors depending on the angle of viewing, but wtf causes the patterns in clams and why do they even have patterning?

Heres a thread i did on this Clam colors and patterns, where do they come from?

is teardrop just a random result or do breeders choose that specific pattern to get more teardrops?

The teardrop clams are wild collected. That type of pattern is a genetic trait.

why are clams more addictive than nearly anything else? after all they just sit there!

LOL i dont know.

Originally Posted by adamstipo

What would you say the one KEY to having a healthy clam is. Aside from light because this I know is most important. I guess I mean what are the specifics on water quality that should be maintained??

Water quality right about the same as you would for SPS corals. 420 Ca, 1250 Mg, Alk 8ish Dkh. Its also important to keep them in an aquarium where they wont be bothered by anything.

Originally Posted by adamstipo

What would you say the one KEY to having a healthy clam is. Aside from light because this I know is most important. I guess I mean what are the specifics on water quality that should be maintained??

I'm not "a clam geek" but they are filter feeders so food in the column would be important.... oh and calcium. I'm sure sure you will get better responses from an official geek

Originally Posted by chris&barb

Water quality right about the same as you would for SPS corals. 420 Ca, 1250 Mg, Alk 8ish Dkh. Its also important to keep them in an aquarium where they wont be bothered by anything.

Thanks a lot Chris. Are they very tolerant of "dirty water?" Or are they also the same as SPS in that aspect wanting very little nutrients in the water, and almost zero nitrates?

Originally Posted by LeviT

I'm not "a clam geek" but they are filter feeders so food in the column would be important.... oh and calcium. I'm sure sure you will get better responses from an official geek

They can and will feed on particulate in the water but they have other ways also to gain the nutrients they need to live and grow. Heres another thread i did that talks about feeding and nutrients Tridacnid clam feeding and the truth

Originally Posted by adamstipo

Thanks a lot Chris. Are they very tolerant of "dirty water?" Or are they also the same as SPS in that aspect wanting very little nutrients in the water, and almost zero nitrates?

They can handle higher nutrient levels but that doesnt mean its good for them. In clam culturing farms its common for the farmers to add ammonium nitrate to the grow out raceways to speed up their growth but this also causes them to have thinner and hollower shells. Elevated phosphate levels will also inhabit calcification so its good to keep both of these low in the aquarium.

If you have a healthy aquarium with a good fish population that is feed well you will have all the nutrients your clams will ever need.