Clam compatibility

[tbittner]

I've looked and I can't find a compatibility chart anywhere that includes clams! I have a flame angel and I read that they might nip at clams. I bought a clam at Petland about two months ago and it lasted about 2 weeks. I didn't see the flame picking at it but I also don't sit and watch my tank 24/7 (as much as I would like to, I gotta work). It was a pretty big clam too.

My nitrates are a bit high, like around 15, and I'm working very hard on fixing that. My corals, fish, and other inverts are all thriving.

So, does anyone know of a compatibility chart that includes fish, inverts, and clams on it? I'm suspecting a fish issue with clams...

[Techno-Vicki]

With the dwarf angles, sometimes they will and sometimes they won't. I have found coral beauties safe, and I had 2 flames that were also safe, but a bicolored was a bad girl with my open brain yet left the clams alone. Toss the dice.

[Dentoid]

Terry I went to James Fatherree's lecture at MACNA and he talked about genetic diversity within the different clam species. He said that within the same species there are slow and fast growers and very sensitive to hardy specimens. He said just because one didn't have success with a certain clam species doesn't mean that you will not have success with another specimen from that same species. You just have to get the right clam. Also, believe it or not, clams use nitrate and zero nitrate in your tank is not realistic and unhealthy for a clam. I don't think that 15ppm nitrate is going to kill your clam.

From James Fatherree's book, "Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium" the following is a compatibility breakdown with clams:

NO
All Triggers (except Niger and from the genus Xanthichthys)
Large Hermit crabs, (scarlet and blue legged are acceptable)
Copper Banded butterflyfish (hit or miss)
Sea turtle
Cowfish
Filefish
Porcupinefish
Pufferfish
Most wrasses
Large angelfish

MAYBE
Pygmy angelfish (Hit or miss)
Blennys, especially Bicolor and lawnmower
Rabbitfish
Tangs (Rare, but happens)
Peppermint and Skunk Cleaner shrimp

YES
Anthias
Cardnalfish
Clowns
Comets
Damselfish
Dartfish
Dottybacks
Dragonettes
Eels
Tail-Spot, green, fairy, flasher, fourline, sixline and eightline wrasses.
Frogfish
Goatfish
Gobies
Grammas
Groupers
Hamlets
Hawkfish
Jawfish
Lionfish
Scorpionfish
Stonefish
Seabasses
Snappers
Squirrelfish
Sweetlips
Tilefish
Toadfish

[tbittner]

Geez, I have three of the "maybes" in my tank, including two tangs. I also have a rabbitfish, and the flame angel.

After I get my new HUGE sump/refugium up and running, I think I'll give it a try at another clam. They are so beautiful, I really would like to have one. I also don't want to contribute to their demise though either.