I want a clam...

fidojoe · 12-31-2004, 12:39 AM

I finally have decent lights over my tank (4x96w PC's) and my tank is only 18" or 19" tall. My tank is 2 years old as of the 31st. I was at the LFS today, and almost bought a clam, but wanted to get some more advice.

My calcium/alk is good, as I have my kalk reactor maintaining that. I already mentioned my lighting upgrade. I also have 95+ lbs of LR, so my tank is quite stable biologically. And I plan on getting one larger than 3" so that it won't require very frequent feeding.

What type of clam would you reccomend? I'm hoping to get somethign colorful. Take into consideration that I don't have a sandbed, so it has to be a rock dwelling clam.

TIA

Maxx · 12-31-2004, 12:56 AM

you should be able to keep a squamosa or derasa clam with your lights. 384 watts is a fair amount of light, but its the intensity of the light that is important not so much the wattage of the lights. You might be able to get away with a maxima if its high up in your rock work...but I would probably start off with either a Derasa or Squamosa. Just because you dont have a sandbed doesnt mean you cant have these clams. They have done fine in the past without. A LFS nearby has about a 15" Derasa thats just sitting on a thin layer of CC....less than an 1/8 of an inch. That isnt doing anything for that clam. I've also seen pics of Derasas and Squamosa's in BB tanks.
Nick

fidojoe · 12-31-2004, 12:58 AM

Cool, thanks

Of the derasa's and squamosa's, which tends to be more colorful, and do better for a first clam? Also, what type of feeding should I do? Oh, and one more ??, whats a reasonable price for a clam?

Thanks

Maxx · 12-31-2004, 01:07 AM

IMO, Derasa's tend to be more colorful, and are generally regarded as the hardiest clams, therefore are usually reccomended to beginners. Squamosa's need less light but are a little more delicate. As far as feeding goes....DT's is good, but dont feed too often, (unless the clam is smaller than 3 inches) or you'll foul your tank. Infact a good way to feed clams is to get a bowl of tank water pour the DTS/phyto in the bowl and place the clam in the bowl. When the bowl water is clear, take em out and put em back in the tank. Its easier to do if they arent glued onto a rock, so go find some sea shells or old clam shells if you can and let the clam attach to them.
As far as reasonable price...depends on where you are, how big the clam is, how rare the clam is, etc....I paid $50.00 for my 3.5 inch Derasa here in ST Louis.
One last thing, Derasa's grow like weeds. Mine all but doubled in size in 6 months. I cant wait to have another one.
Nick

fidojoe · 12-31-2004, 01:13 AM

Thanks again

I'm going to shop around for a better price then, cause the LFS I went to wanted $85 for a maxima (I think) altho it was very cool looking.

mps9506 · 12-31-2004, 02:53 AM

I wouldn't recomend a maxima with that lighting.
Like maxx said, either a derasa or squamy. You can get either in nice colorations and patterns. Although IMO, all are some variation of brown regardless of what the vendors choose to call it. Both are very attractive however.
I would suggest a visit to clamsdirect.com
Mike

Maxx · 12-31-2004, 02:10 PM

That was going to be my next suggestion. I have bought from Barry (Clams Direct) before and was VERY happy with the service. He went out of his way for my needs, (bought them in a colder time of year and wasnt able to get to them immediately..I really should have had them stay at Fed ex and picked them up there...but they came through just fine) Barry actually called me before I was done acclimating them. I would have called him to let him know they were doing just fine anyway, but its the principle of his call that mattered the most to me. There may be other people who sell clams online, but there is really only one Barry.
Nick

fidojoe · 12-31-2004, 02:32 PM

I checked that out last night, there were some nice clams, however not much for the type I was looking for. I'll check back next week to see if they have anything new in. There's an LFS here that sells nice clams for decent prices (a little less than the clams online shipped).From all the reveiws I've heard, clamsdirect would be the only online place I would buy a clam.

Maxx · 12-31-2004, 03:55 PM

There are some others I would consider buying from as well...but Clams Direct would be my first choice.
Nick

mps9506 · 12-31-2004, 08:08 PM

I think sharky had some squamy's last time I checked...

12-31-2004, 12:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
fidojoe Fish Addict Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,581 View Gallery Karma Komment	I want a clam... I finally have decent lights over my tank (4x96w PC's) and my tank is only 18" or 19" tall. My tank is 2 years old as of the 31st. I was at the LFS today, and almost bought a clam, but wanted to get some more advice. My calcium/alk is good, as I have my kalk reactor maintaining that. I already mentioned my lighting upgrade. I also have 95+ lbs of LR, so my tank is quite stable biologically. And I plan on getting one larger than 3" so that it won't require very frequent feeding. What type of clam would you reccomend? I'm hoping to get somethign colorful. Take into consideration that I don't have a sandbed, so it has to be a rock dwelling clam. TIA __________________ *Member "Crabs Are Evil" Society* My Tank: 90g AGA, 18g tall sump, CSS 220 w/ meshmod impeller, 4x54w Tek T5 retro w/ IC reflectors, Kalk reactor w/ aquamedic niveaumat system, a few SPS, LPS, zoos, and a few softies, 2 Ocellaris Clowns (hosted by both a RBTA and GBTA), Yellow Watchman, Potter's angel, Yellow Tang, Foxface, Midas Blenny, Purple Pseudo, huge brittle star, 2 tigertail cukes, fire shrimp, snails, and unfortunately two emerald crabs (the bubble algae got out of control).

12-31-2004, 12:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
Maxx Manta Ray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St Louis Mo Posts: 3,079 View Gallery Karma Komment	you should be able to keep a squamosa or derasa clam with your lights. 384 watts is a fair amount of light, but its the intensity of the light that is important not so much the wattage of the lights. You might be able to get away with a maxima if its high up in your rock work...but I would probably start off with either a Derasa or Squamosa. Just because you dont have a sandbed doesnt mean you cant have these clams. They have done fine in the past without. A LFS nearby has about a 15" Derasa thats just sitting on a thin layer of CC....less than an 1/8 of an inch. That isnt doing anything for that clam. I've also seen pics of Derasas and Squamosa's in BB tanks. Nick __________________ "Chaos, confusion, despair...my work is done here." ...Some guy named Murphy.... A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!" Reef Sanctuary Knowledgebase (Answers to all your questions and then some!)

12-31-2004, 12:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
fidojoe Fish Addict Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,581 View Gallery Karma Komment	Cool, thanks Of the derasa's and squamosa's, which tends to be more colorful, and do better for a first clam? Also, what type of feeding should I do? Oh, and one more ??, whats a reasonable price for a clam? Thanks __________________ *Member "Crabs Are Evil" Society* My Tank: 90g AGA, 18g tall sump, CSS 220 w/ meshmod impeller, 4x54w Tek T5 retro w/ IC reflectors, Kalk reactor w/ aquamedic niveaumat system, a few SPS, LPS, zoos, and a few softies, 2 Ocellaris Clowns (hosted by both a RBTA and GBTA), Yellow Watchman, Potter's angel, Yellow Tang, Foxface, Midas Blenny, Purple Pseudo, huge brittle star, 2 tigertail cukes, fire shrimp, snails, and unfortunately two emerald crabs (the bubble algae got out of control).

12-31-2004, 01:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
Maxx Manta Ray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St Louis Mo Posts: 3,079 View Gallery Karma Komment	IMO, Derasa's tend to be more colorful, and are generally regarded as the hardiest clams, therefore are usually reccomended to beginners. Squamosa's need less light but are a little more delicate. As far as feeding goes....DT's is good, but dont feed too often, (unless the clam is smaller than 3 inches) or you'll foul your tank. Infact a good way to feed clams is to get a bowl of tank water pour the DTS/phyto in the bowl and place the clam in the bowl. When the bowl water is clear, take em out and put em back in the tank. Its easier to do if they arent glued onto a rock, so go find some sea shells or old clam shells if you can and let the clam attach to them. As far as reasonable price...depends on where you are, how big the clam is, how rare the clam is, etc....I paid $50.00 for my 3.5 inch Derasa here in ST Louis. One last thing, Derasa's grow like weeds. Mine all but doubled in size in 6 months. I cant wait to have another one. Nick __________________ "Chaos, confusion, despair...my work is done here." ...Some guy named Murphy.... A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!" Reef Sanctuary Knowledgebase (Answers to all your questions and then some!)

12-31-2004, 01:13 AM	#5 (permalink)
fidojoe Fish Addict Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,581 View Gallery Karma Komment	Thanks again I'm going to shop around for a better price then, cause the LFS I went to wanted $85 for a maxima (I think) altho it was very cool looking. __________________ *Member "Crabs Are Evil" Society* My Tank: 90g AGA, 18g tall sump, CSS 220 w/ meshmod impeller, 4x54w Tek T5 retro w/ IC reflectors, Kalk reactor w/ aquamedic niveaumat system, a few SPS, LPS, zoos, and a few softies, 2 Ocellaris Clowns (hosted by both a RBTA and GBTA), Yellow Watchman, Potter's angel, Yellow Tang, Foxface, Midas Blenny, Purple Pseudo, huge brittle star, 2 tigertail cukes, fire shrimp, snails, and unfortunately two emerald crabs (the bubble algae got out of control).

12-31-2004, 02:53 AM	#6 (permalink)
mps9506 Totally stoked dude Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 7,518 View Gallery Karma Komment	I wouldn't recomend a maxima with that lighting. Like maxx said, either a derasa or squamy. You can get either in nice colorations and patterns. Although IMO, all are some variation of brown regardless of what the vendors choose to call it. Both are very attractive however. I would suggest a visit to clamsdirect.com Mike __________________ Mike "The Bandwith Bandit" Help Build Reefpedia Premium Membership Available! Support Reef Sanctuary Sponsors

12-31-2004, 02:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
Maxx Manta Ray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St Louis Mo Posts: 3,079 View Gallery Karma Komment	That was going to be my next suggestion. I have bought from Barry (Clams Direct) before and was VERY happy with the service. He went out of his way for my needs, (bought them in a colder time of year and wasnt able to get to them immediately..I really should have had them stay at Fed ex and picked them up there...but they came through just fine) Barry actually called me before I was done acclimating them. I would have called him to let him know they were doing just fine anyway, but its the principle of his call that mattered the most to me. There may be other people who sell clams online, but there is really only one Barry. Nick __________________ "Chaos, confusion, despair...my work is done here." ...Some guy named Murphy.... A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!" Reef Sanctuary Knowledgebase (Answers to all your questions and then some!)

12-31-2004, 02:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
fidojoe Fish Addict Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,581 View Gallery Karma Komment	I checked that out last night, there were some nice clams, however not much for the type I was looking for. I'll check back next week to see if they have anything new in. There's an LFS here that sells nice clams for decent prices (a little less than the clams online shipped).From all the reveiws I've heard, clamsdirect would be the only online place I would buy a clam. __________________ *Member "Crabs Are Evil" Society* My Tank: 90g AGA, 18g tall sump, CSS 220 w/ meshmod impeller, 4x54w Tek T5 retro w/ IC reflectors, Kalk reactor w/ aquamedic niveaumat system, a few SPS, LPS, zoos, and a few softies, 2 Ocellaris Clowns (hosted by both a RBTA and GBTA), Yellow Watchman, Potter's angel, Yellow Tang, Foxface, Midas Blenny, Purple Pseudo, huge brittle star, 2 tigertail cukes, fire shrimp, snails, and unfortunately two emerald crabs (the bubble algae got out of control).

12-31-2004, 03:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
Maxx Manta Ray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St Louis Mo Posts: 3,079 View Gallery Karma Komment	There are some others I would consider buying from as well...but Clams Direct would be my first choice. Nick __________________ "Chaos, confusion, despair...my work is done here." ...Some guy named Murphy.... A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!" Reef Sanctuary Knowledgebase (Answers to all your questions and then some!)

12-31-2004, 08:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
mps9506 Totally stoked dude Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 7,518 View Gallery Karma Komment	I think sharky had some squamy's last time I checked... __________________ Mike "The Bandwith Bandit" Help Build Reefpedia Premium Membership Available! Support Reef Sanctuary Sponsors

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