How fast do Maxima clams grow?

[Chuck Anderson]

Hello,

I am curious how fast a Maxima clam will grow in good water and lighting conditions? (What I mean by good water and light is, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrates, calcium 400ppm, and alkalinity 9.5, with 400 watt MH.)

The clam is currently 1.5".

I have reed many of the articles written by Daniel Knop and have not seen and information on growth rates. He has stated how large they get (30 - 40 cm), but not how fast they grow.

Is the clam's rate of growth faster when it is young and then flattens out?

TIA

[herefishiefishie]

I'm not exactly sure of the answers to some of your questions, but I'll give it a shot:

A maxima clam reaches sexual maturity at about 10 inches long or so. You can expect about an inch per year on the average, with proportionally more growth when the clam is small, and slowing down as the clam gets bigger and older.

The growth rate for clams is relatively unpredictable, because water quality and light levels very widely, both in the aquarium and in the wild. Note that zero nitrate is not necessarily "perfect" water quality for clams, who absorb nitrate (and other nitrogen products) from the water column for nourishment.

[clwnphish]

Yup about an 1 inch a year, sometimes 2inches a year, but it depends on your tank and the clam.